ONCE upon a time, the month of May was declared ‘Share a Story’ month, in a bid to encourage children to read more.

As a business owner, this is the perfect opportunity to think about your own storytelling.

Your story, like your USP, is what sets your business apart.

Stories can range from anything – to the reason why you launched your company in the first place (a gap in the market? A personal cause? A quirky idea?) to the roadmap of your success after celebrating X years in business.

Consider how your business has developed. Have you reacted to micro and macroeconomic changes? Have you launched innovative products/services? Has technology forced you to offer an entirely different customer experience?

Your staff are at the root of storytelling too. Whether they’re apprentices dipping their toes into the working world, or they’ve been with you for 20+ years – your people are key to the story of your business.

When you’ve identified your stories, you can use them to your advantage in a number of different ways. Through PR you can secure media coverage, both locally and in industry media titles. You can shout about them on social media and you can use them to humanise your brand, online and offline, through marketing materials such as your website, blog and brochure.

Of course, no marketing tactic is 100% guaranteed to give every business a ‘happily ever after,’ but being aware of your brand’s story is certainly a good start. The end.