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If you are able to tell a story that your listener will never forget, you are able to build unforgettable brands.
I love telling stories and I love laughing at my own silly mistakes and imperfections.
Stories are relatable, understandable and they are the thing that connects us all as humans.
When you meet someone new the way you remember them is by what they said and did. Whether you know it or not, the type of conversations you have with people and the personal stories you tell them, are ways that you express your #personalbrand.
One reason that stories are so powerful is that the brain recalls and remembers stories easier than any other form of information! A strong story is one that evokes emotions which triggers the brain to store this information as it has impacted you enough to feel something and not just hear something.
One short story that has changed my perspective on life is one that my good friend @RicoPatenia told me one day after getting back from walking to the grocery store.
We were roommates and on that day when he got back to the house from walking to the store, we were chatting about how the day was going.
He told me that on his way back from the grocery store he saw a man that appeared to be houseless and struggling a bit. Rico, being the kind soul that he is, offered the man the change he had just received from the store.
Rico did one more thing that changed the way I would think about life.
He asked the man what his name was.
The man was happy and smiled when Rico offered him the money but when Rico asked the simple question of what the struggling man's name was, the man's face lit up with an even bigger smile!
This man receives change and handouts all the time which I am sure he is thankful for, but he probably never feels like people GENUINELY care about him.
Rico brought the interaction to a #humanlevel. He genuinely cares more about this guy than anyone who has ever just given him a handout does. The man smiled and gave his name. He also asked what Rico's name was.
The next thing that happened further strengthened the power of the story and cemented the story into my brain.
The struggling houseless man who seemed to have nothing, who was asking others for handouts said to Rico...
"Thank you. It is nice to meet you, Rico! If there is anything I can help you with let me know, I am usually around this area if you need a hand with something."
The man who appears to have nothing is offering something more valuable than any tangible object.
TIME.
I was moved by what Rico had told me. Time is the most valuable thing in life as we all have a limited amount of it on this Earth.
When you give someone TIME (giving time is also giving energy), you are demonstrating through action how much you actually care about something or someone.
Time determines what kind of people we are. How do we spend time? How do we value time?
The lesson of this story is that no matter who you are and no matter what you have, being human and giving someone your time is the best way to show them that you genuinely care about them.
Rico, without knowing, was branding. Rico told me a story that reminded me of the importance of being human to everyone no matter how they look. It highlighted the fact that everyone has something EXTREMELY VALUABLE to give to others no matter how poor or rich you are, TIME.
Rico is a real and genuine soul. He puts his heart into the things that he does. He genuinely cares about other human beings and does not judge people because of their outside appearance.
Rico is a LIGHT. He spreads positivity. It reflects in his actions and it reflects in his brand @OutofReach. He puts time and energy into every interaction and into every piece of clothing he makes. He really cares about you.
I hope you now see that "Branding" is really just a fancy word for "Storytelling".
So what is YOUR story? What is YOUR brand?