Building Community: Part 4

5-Part Alexa Flash Briefing/Blog Series on How to Use your Story to Build Community 

So far, we’ve talked about how your story helps you humanize your brand; bridges the gap between you and your audience; and establishes you as the expert in your field ... and how each step helps draw people into your world and helps them connect with you & your brand on a deeper level. 

When you build community, it's important you see your audience as someone you really want to get to know! So let’s dive into how your story can open up conversation between you and your audience…. and how to keep those conversations going long after the sale.

Sharing pieces of your story — your personal story, your journey, elements of your business, client testimonials, and fun behind the scenes moments you choose to share — these all work in tandem to draw your audience closer to you. And as we’ve already discussed this week — it makes them much more likely to open your emails, read more pages on your website, and purchase your offers.

What your story also does — especially when you get really smart about how you share it by using good open questions — is it allows you to open up conversation between you and your audience. You can have real back and forth communication, even digitally and on social media, if you use your story to ask questions and attempt to learn more about your followers.

This is a 2-step process. Step one is to ask the questions…. Step 2 is to actually pay attention and LISTEN for their response.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you sell essential oils, or some sort of physical product, and you share a quick story of how you first got started using this product yourself, when you first discovered how amazing it was and the types of results you experienced. Instead of just ending your story there, you leave it open by asking a question to your audience like “What was the first essential oil you ever used? Tell me about your experience.”

What this does is open up the opportunity for your audience to engage in conversation with you — and give you a ton of information on them in the process.

If the person comes back and says, “Oh, I’ve never used essential oils before” …. you have a big opportunity to ask key follow up questions and provide resources & information that may peak their curiosity.

Or, if they come back and say, “I’ve been using oils for years, and these are my favorites” — you could suggest a new oil they haven’t tried and share the benefits of it. You don't do this in a sales-y way, you do this with genuine desire to give them more information. 

When you start engaging in conversation, your story takes on a whole new life… you start to learn the story of your clients and potential new clients. Relationships are formed here. Community is built.

Step one is sharing your story.

Step two is asking questions that invite others into the conversation with you.

Step three is to pay attention to their answers and discerning what action steps you can take next to keep the conversation going.

These conversations will turn into sales…. and then after the sale, you keep that conversation going to deepen the relationship even more. Your Community becomes stronger and stronger each time you do this.

Use your story to spark conversation with your audience. Ask leading questions that will invite others to engage with you. Listen to their answers, and be willing to take another step deeper with them in the process.

There's one more lesson I want to share -- and it's the most important one -- so tune back in tomorrow for our final day of this Building Community series. 

In the meantime -- I'd love to hear from you. On the sidebar of this page, there is an Orange Button - click that and leave me a quick message. Tell me what are you doing to engage in conversation with others? I'd love to hear from you! 

Did you miss any of the previous broadcasts/blogs? Catch up below: 

Building Community Part 1
Building Community Part 2
Building Community Part 3