When people know the back story, they feel invested in the end game.
I started blogging a number of years ago now and if I've learnt anything, it's that clients.. customers.. PEOPLE.. we want to know the back story. We want to know a businesses 'why' and what they stand for.
Many people who know our story will say that we have quite the story to share.
Born in the beautiful coastal town of Tauranga, in New Zealand's gorgeous Bay of Plenty region, my parents separated when I was seven.
My little sister and I did a lot of moving around over the next couple of years before we moved to Melbourne with my Dad and our, now, step-mum.
Seventeen years in Melbourne and I was married with two babies, packing up our huge house to downsize and move to Dubbo, in country New South Wales, after only visiting once, two weeks prior!
A year in Dubbo and we were expecting baby number three, Carter, who would be born via emergency cesarean in a Sydney hospital, three months early, and five hours from home.
We'd be in hospital for four months before we got to bring him home. During that four months, our lives fell apart on four different occasions when we were warned that we could lose him. Two months after his first birthday, I was diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder, a vascular malformation in my brain, and an autoimmune disease, all on the same day.
Fifteen months later, we're living in New Zealand and I've suffered a stroke, at twenty-nine years old, learning to walk again, feed myself, shower and dress on my own, hold my children and be a mum and wife again.
Here I am, four months after my stroke, and leaning back into my photography work, because it makes me happy and I love what I do -- with my history, I want to spend my days doing what I love but, with complete right-sided weakness, it's taken some practice!
I know! What a story, right?!
I've been able to bond with others over our story because it shows people that we're just as vulnerable and fragile as the next family.
We get to share some great moments through my photography work, but we also share the rougher moments which wouldn't make the usual highlight reel because it's real life and anyone who decides to trust in my ability to share their story, or give their time by commenting on a post, or emailing me their well wishes, deserves to know the story behind the brand.
When an online influencer shares about their personal struggles, we appreciate it. We lock ourselves into supporting them because we can relate to their story. We see the person behind the business, behind the B-roll that is social media. We want to support the familiar. That's what sharing your story does; it builds a brand you can be true to because it's important to you.. it's real life.
You don't need a long medical history or a rare genetic disorder to use your story to build a brand. You can find a story in the seemingly mundane.
Talk about the reality of what it's like to run a business, behind the scenes.
Share your business 'glow-up' and how ghetto your setup was when you first got started.
Get deep about your 'why' and how that fuels the passion behind your business.
Be transparent. It creates a level of trust that you can't get any other way and trust, in business, is everything.
Using your story to build your brand, whether you're a photographer or not, gives your people something relatable. It allows people to decide whether you're their cup of tea. It filters out the noise of 'sell, sell, sell' and lets people see who they're working with.
Erin Michele Thomson ∙ Tauranga Photographer ∙ info@erinmichele.co.nz
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