May 28, 2025 • 30 mins
Storytelling gets talked about a lot, but what does it actually look like day to day?
With AI-generated content flooding our feeds, original stories are more powerful than ever. Today, Char Dixon is here to tell us why.
We talk about how to make your content feel more like a conversation, why your behind-the-scenes moments are more valuable than you think, and how to stop overthinking your posts and start sharing what’s already happening in your business.
If you’ve been second-guessing your content or feeling stuck on what to say, this advice might just help you get out of your own way.
Char spent two decades in marketing for major retailers before shifting her focus to small businesses. Now she helps founders find their voice and share their stories in a way that feels natural, not forced.
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(00:00):
Storytelling.
(00:01):
It's an important part ofmarketing, as I'm sure you've been
told, but on a practical sense,what does that actually mean?
What stories shouldyou be telling and why?
That's what we're exploring intoday's episode as we welcome Char
Dixon back to the podcast, thefounder of Loudmouth Content and
a content marketing strategist.
Hi, I'm Catherine Erdly.
I'm the founder of the Resilient RetailClub, which is my membership group
(00:23):
done for you services and one-to-oneservices for product businesses.
You can find out more atresilientretailclub.com.
And I'm also your host of episodenumber 252 of the Resilient
Retail Game Plan Podcast.
Welcome to the Resilient Retail GamePlan, a podcast for anyone wanting to
(00:45):
start, grow or scale a profitable creativeproduct business with me, Catherine Erdly.
The Resilient Retail Game Plan isa podcast dedicated to one thing,
breaking down the concepts and toolsthat I've gathered from 20 years in
the retail industry and showing youhow you can use them in your business.
This is the real nuts and bolts ofrunning a successful product business,
(01:08):
broken down in an easy, accessible way.
This is not a podcast about learninghow to make your business look good.
It's the tools and techniques that willmake you and your business feel good.
Confidently plan, launch, and manageyour products, and feel in control of
your sales numbers and cash flow to helpyou build a resilient retail business.
(01:34):
Char, welcome back to the podcast.
It's so good to haveyou back with us again.
But for anyone who didn't hearyour previous episode, do you wanna
start by introducing yourself?
Yeah, absolutely.
Hi, I'm Char and I'm the founder ofLoudmouth Content, and I spent sort
20 years of my career working forbig brands, a lot of them retailers.
Places like Dune, NewLook, Waitrose, Simple.
(01:58):
I was head of marketing at Dunefor four years and lead copywriter
Expedia for six and a half years.
And then I discovered this small businessworld and I was just like, I want in.
I was absolutely obsessed.
So I actually made a move togo and start my own business.
Taking all of that marketing content,insight and knowledge, bottle it all up.
And now I share all my secrets withsmall business owners to help make
(02:22):
content and marketing much more calm andconsidered and impactful and less chaotic.
Because we all know content can be wild.
So yeah, that's kind ofwhat I do these days.
Amazing.
And it's just fantastic to talk toyou about marketing 'cause you're
such an expert and you're such deepindustry knowledge and that's what
I love about everything you talkabout is very much rooted in, you
(02:45):
say two decades of marketing knowhow.
So I'm really excited to getinto our conversation today,
which is all about storytelling.
And I wanted to delve intoit because I think this is
something you do really well.
And it's probably oneof those things that.
I know that I always see it, peoplesaying, oh, you know, it's important to
do your storytelling for your business.
And I think that's great, but Ithink often it can be one of those
(03:08):
concepts that sounds a bit vagueand, okay, well what does that
actually mean on a practical level?
So that's what I wanted to jump into,but just set the scene like what is
your thoughts about storytelling?
And why do you think it's soimportant for, particularly
for small product businesses?
Ultimately, it's what'sgonna set you apart, right?
You know, like how often do we hear fromsmall business owners like, oh, there's
(03:29):
millions of people selling candles, orthere's millions of people doing this.
Or someone else has just opened up andthey're selling something similar to me.
When you have a story like that isyour main differentiator, that's the
thing that's gonna set you apart.
And our brains are hardwiredto existing story forms.
So like if you think about going outwith your mates at the weekend, right?
(03:50):
You're not sitting aroundtalking about facts and figures.
You're telling stories.
Something that funny that happens with thekids, or something that happens at work.
Whatever.
That's how we make sense of the worldand it's what makes things memorable.
And so when we tell stories and wedon't just tell facts and figures
and features and stuff in ourbusinesses, people are way less and
(04:11):
way more likely to remember them.
It's literally attached to the dopaminethat a story gives off in your brain.
So marketing's all aboutbeing remembered, right?
Being top of mind when people arecoming to buy something that you sell.
That is a huge power behindstorytelling for that.
It's also a massive advantage over thebig brands because they don't get to tell
(04:33):
these stories like small business guys do.
And it's so powerful that we have thatpower over those brands because they
don't often have those stories to tell.
That's a great advantage and it reallyjust builds connection and trust.
That humanizing of the brand.
Small business, especially.
People buy from people, andthat's so important to build
(04:55):
that connection and trust.
Especially as we're going intothis age of ChatGPT and AI
and all of this sort of stuff.
Fact figures, all of this stuff isbecoming, it's like flattening out
the landscape of content and stuff.
But actually, what ChatGPT can't reallydo is that human side, the storytelling.
(05:15):
So that is where you'llstart to come into your own.
And I dunno if you've seen it, but onsocial media, I'm seeing this huge wave
right now where storytelling is gettingeven bigger than it has been before
and it's really going down that route.
And I'm wondering if it is because somuch about ChatGPT and stuff that actually
people are craving that human side.
(05:37):
So yeah, so much powerbehind these stories.
That's such a great point.
I really agree with you in termsof, I always think that it's always
like pendulum swings, isn't it?
So if the pendulum's gonna swing to,you can have ChatGPT like you say,
write any amount of knowhow or to do.
Top tips or anything like that.
But if you've got a story to tell andyou can tell it in a human way that
(06:02):
people are craving, you can reallystart to pick up on the kind of
the generic, super generic AI text.
And I think people do want that.
Oh, that's a bit different.
That's a bit quirky.
That's a bit, feel like somethingthat came out of ChatGPT.
'Cause you're right, it does levelthe playing field, but it is also
sort of rather flat in itself as well.
Yeah, absolutely.
(06:23):
I completely agree.
And isn't it, I feel like I've readbefore that your brain almost has
this, it's like inbuilt tension.
If someone says, oh, you never guesswhat happened the next day and the
other day, and then they don't tell you.
It's like your brain kindof gets really stressed out.
'Cause it's like.
Yeah.
What happens?
Yeah, and it really does, like Imentioned before about like dopamine and
(06:46):
oxytocin and all these chemicals thatare literally released in the brain.
When you have these stories and like yousay cliffhangers and stuff, it changes the
chemicals of our brain, which just goesto show how powerful storytelling can be.
It's like, it's immense.
So going back to the point I madeat the beginning about storytelling.
One of those concepts sounds great,but you know, lots of people struggle
(07:09):
with, what do they actually say in theircontent and how can they use storytelling?
Because obviously, youwanna make connection, but
ultimately it's about sales.
How can storytelling help with thatkind of move to make the content
feel much more like a conversationand less like a sales pitch?
Yeah, totally.
And it's by having conversations.
Which sounds like too simple, but Ithink like we often hear about content
(07:32):
pillars and that kind of thing.
And I think sometimes when you almostgo down that too strategic of a route,
you almost lose a bit of the soul.
So you're now thinking like, right.
Content themes, contenttopics, what should I say?
But you actually, if you flip thataround, and this is how I always
approach it with my own smallbusiness owners that I work with.
I get them to think of theconversations they wanna be having
(07:55):
with their community right now.
And instantly, it flips the wholescenario and instead of thinking
like, right, what can I talk about?
What idea can I think of to talk about?
You are now just havingquite natural conversations.
What are those conversationsthat you wanna start?
What are those conversationsyou wanna be a part of?
And that just, it literally justchanges where you're starting from
(08:17):
and it's just way more naturaland authentic and powerful.
And it is then a conversationrather than a like you were
saying, like three top tips.
So literally by having thoseconversations, and I think, we
often get this block, don't we?
That if we had a physical store andsomeone came in, and they didn't
know anything about our brand,we would have a conversation.
(08:39):
We'd be telling them this top linestuff right, about what we're all about.
If someone had bought a million timesbefore and they came back in, the
conversation would be very different.
But when we go online in thisdigital space, we feel that
those that doesn't exist anymore.
We've gotta think ofall these things to say.
But actually, if you just goback to that, if this was a real
life situation, what would I say?
(09:00):
Again, going back to conversation.
It's flipping it again.
And you can then start to think, right.
I need to be having conversations likeI would for people that don't know me.
I need to be having conversations withpeople that do, and actually, what can
I now be recommending to them now thatthey've bought this or what have you.
So thinking about that real life inreal life situation and just applying it
(09:22):
to digital because we're still people.
There's just a screen between us.
That's such a good point.
Yeah, I love that.
So when you say, think about theconversations, you think what would you
wanna tell them about your business?
What would you tell them how itstarted, what you believe in?
Yeah, absolutely.
Where your products come from?
Yeah.
Storytelling can be any of it, all of it.
(09:42):
And I think when I speak to smallbusiness owners, they often don't
feel like they've got a story to tell.
Like it's not t hey don't have this greatorigin story or what have you, but most
people don't have their own business.
And the stuff that we are doing, youguys are doing, that behind the scenes
day to day, is wild for most people.
And there's so much magic in that mundane.
(10:04):
That's the reason why like realityTV is so popular because people just
love to peer into other people'slives and see what they're up to.
Thinking about your personal journeyand no, you don't have to share it all.
You can choose which sliceof that journey you share.
Your brand story like you mentioned.
So you know, how you chose your brandname or why you started the business, or
who has been your biggest inspiration.
(10:26):
All of those kind of questions.
Even like customer stories someonecame into our stores, someone.
Messages online and told us, they'veworn this to met their future
partner or whatever it might be.
Like all of these stories are validpieces of content and will humanize
your brand and bring it to life.
Down to putting your collectiontogether, mood boards or how
(10:46):
you curate your collection.
There's so much goodnessin those little details.
So yes, all of this stuff counts and canbe broken down into pieces of content.
That's such a great point.
You said there's magic in the mundane.
It's like I remember having thisconversation with somebody many
years ago who was a baby brand, andshe said, exactly like you said,
(11:07):
oh, I don't really have a story.
And she's like, it's super boring as well.
I just have my baby on my sling andI'm sewing like most of the day.
And I was like, you know, you say that.
But if you were someone who had ababy in a sling, you'd probably be
fascinated that you were managingto run your business with a baby
and ev they would be completelyfascinated to see what you're up to.
(11:29):
And then it's such a goodpoint about reality tv.
That the people just love.
I mean, almost every aspect of lifehas got like a reality TV show now.
Exactly.
Literally
watching people watch tv.
We are so fascinated.
(11:50):
I've got this like weird thing whenI walk down the street at night, I
always love peering to people's housesand seeing their decoration, all that.
I just love it.
I find it so fascinating.
People just love a peek into otherpeople's lives and seeing how they
do things differently or whatever.
So I think, just don't overlook thoselittle things because they're all valid.
(12:11):
They're all great things thatyou could be talking about.
You know, it's funny 'cause I wasjust thinking my mom always says that.
She's like, "Oh, I love this timeof night. It's when people have
turned their lights on and theyhaven't drawn their curtains yet."
Yeah, well actually I remember Habitatdid an amazing campaign years ago
about like this sort of like voyeurcampaign where every like, so I'm
glad to know that I'm not alone.
But yeah, it was this whole thing thateveryone's like looking into each other's
(12:33):
house 'cause they find it so fascinating.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know what I was thinking about Ramona,who runs Rani & Co Jewellery brand.
She does a lot on TikTokand Instagram as well.
And she tells stories all the timeand it's really fascinating because
like you say, so she had one whereit was li ttle snippets from her day.
(12:54):
So she had one where it was, oh, I'vegot this order and I'm pretty sure
it's a competitor who's ordered it.
But like, this is what they've ordered.
She didn't, obviously you didn't say whoor what, but it was just like one of those
things, like a small business moment.
Or that she realized she was packing anorder and somebody had ordered 14 times.
She's just telling the storyabout running her business.
(13:14):
It's almost like thatdocument, don't create, right?
Hundred percent.
We often think we've gotta dream upthese content ideas and like think
of what are what we gonna talk about?
But actually, especially when Ispeak to people who are feeling
overwhelmed or they dunno what to say,or they're having a creative block.
That's exactly what I say.
Like document, don't create.
(13:35):
Focus on what you're already doing,because also then you don't have
to spend extra time thinking ofthings to say, putting it together.
You'll literally like get yourtripod or just stick it up against
the wall as you're working.
Put it on a time lapse or whatever.
And just show peoplewhat you're working on.
Because also, if you are showingsomething you are creating, you're
also creating hype for that product.
(13:56):
People are starting tothink like, oh, what's that?
Oh, that's a cool fabric,or that's a cool design.
And that in itself becomes sales contentessentially, but in a very non salesy way.
And you know, just sharing thosestories that we have day to day.
Like what you're doing or anythingthat happened in the business
or even getting people likeinto part of making that story.
So getting people involved in decisions.
(14:18):
Like, oh, I don't know whether tochoose this fabric or this one.
What do you think?
Put it as a poll on stories.
But instead of thinking likeoh, I'm gonna think of a poll.
What should I do?
Use your audience to actually helpyou with the decisions that you
genuinely have in your business.
And then actually your business is gettingall this amazing data from people and
(14:38):
it's in itself creating its own content.
So anything that you can just share whatyou are doing, share in your journey.
Something that I like to getpeople to do as well is write
down their business journey, butalmost like do it line by line.
So start at the start.
I always struggled finding a productthat did this, so I thought maybe
I could be part of that solution.
(15:00):
Or my mum gave me thisreally great idea one day.
Well I read this quote that said, andit really sparked something in me.
Breaking down your story line byline is really great way of now
having you've got this big stash.
So you could be just like, maybe one ofthose things is like I was really inspired
by a friend who did such and such.
You can then use thatas a piece of content.
(15:21):
So if you can keep a list ofthings that happen in your, even
at end of the day, just write downone thing that happened today.
And next time you need, you think like,oh God 'cause you know what it's like you
go to write an email and you think, I'dlike to start this with a bit of a story.
But can't think of a single thingyou're staring at a blank screen.
But if you've got this little stash ofthings that, because it doesn't have to
(15:43):
be something you literally did today.
Like I think people sometimes gethung up on, oh, I didn't actually
do that today, but that's okay.
Like did it last week.
It doesn't matter, you did it.
But if you've got this little stash ofthings that you've done, just little
one-liners about a decision you weretrying to make, or maybe you were
trying to get the cut of something andyou just couldn't do it and you were
struggling or doing the development.
(16:04):
Or you were trying to curate yourcollection, whatever it might be,
just writing down these little thingsand then you've always got this stash
of stories to go back to and theselittle snippets that you can then bring
into your content and it just makesit so much easier when you come to.
So much easier.
Yeah and that's sucha great point as well.
Because also I think that the one thingthat I really find that small business
(16:26):
owners don't do enough of is that they puteverything heart and soul into selecting
their products, whether they're curatingthem or whether they're creating them.
So whether they're searching around forsuppliers who meet all of their criteria.
Or they're working with the factory orthey're making the product themselves.
(16:47):
But they spend hours and hoursknow, researching, right?
Are they using Biodegradableplastic film, for example.
Or not plastic, you know what I mean?
Like the film.
Is it corn starch based or can Iget them to reduce their packaging.
Or they'll be really obsessed withthe quality of the ingredients.
So they'll spend absolutely hours testingyou know, hundreds of different base
(17:12):
oils, carrier oils, to make sure they getthe one that's absolutely the best that
it can be and has the biggest impact.
And they'll have all of these reasonsfor all of doing all of these things.
Which also then playsinto the price, right?
Often people have to charge a certainamount of money for things because
they've made all of these incredibledecisions, yet then they just
(17:33):
don't ever say anything about it.
Yeah, absolutely.
And it's something that Italk about a lot actually.
It's this idea of silent valueand every time that we are sharing
this, and this is why sharing behindthe scenes stuff is so important
because every time, like you say.
Oh, you know, I got this prototype,but it just wasn't good enough.
And I'm going back again.
I'm now on prototype 23.
(17:55):
That is sowing in the silent valueto say, oh my God, they're going
to the ends of the earth to makesure that this product is perfect.
Or you'd like you say in about, packaging.
It's not just like, oh,we're a sustainable brand.
Yes, you could say that, but actually.
What are all the stories behind that?
Like you say, making sure thatour suppliers are this, and
today we're gonna meet withsomeone and this is our criteria.
And then like you say, when itcomes to the point of them buying.
(18:19):
There's no justification of the price.
They can clearly see they have subsubconsciously taken in all of these
little details to see all the time,the effort, the care, attention.
All the details that goes onbehind what you are creating.
You now have this huge point ofdifference versus big brands,
stuck in a factory, whatever.
You are sharing, you are showing all ofthe silent value through your stories.
(18:43):
That makes it the easiest decisionto make when they come to buy.
They have all of this trust.
They know that it's great quality,and you're doing that all by
these little snippets of stories.
So sometimes, even if a posttotally flops and you are feeling
downhearted, like know that.
That's still subconsciously going in.
Even if no one's necessarily engagedwith that piece of content, whatever.
(19:04):
It's all like this mosaic that buildsup this bigger picture that gives
people this confidence to buy over timeand that they understand the prices,
they understand the quality withoutyou having to necessarily say a word.
It's just all coming to bethe back of these stories.
Yeah, completely.
And again, like independent retailerswho will have really strict criteria
(19:25):
and they'll be like, oh, I couldn'tfind another perfume brand that met
like, tick tick, tick, tick, tick.
Like you say, they might say, oh, weare a sustainable lifestyle store.
But nowhere does it say we'vespent 6,000 hours researching.
Yeah, yeah.
You know that this is free ofparabens and microplastics and
(19:46):
you know, like so on and so forth.
Going back to what you said about themagic in the mundane, people tend to
think that just because they've donesomething or they've spent a lot of
time and effort on something that it'smaybe everybody knows about it as well.
They just think, oh, well, everyonemust know that's what we do.
But do they?
No, and you're right.
I think we need to, or theymight have mentioned it once and
(20:06):
these are the stories as well.
Don't feel like, just 'cause you've toldthis story once, you can't tell it again.
These are the stories, we need a set ofbrand stories that we tell on repeat.
'Cause again, it's going backto this repetition, recognition.
People remembering you and youhaving these stories that you can go
back to time and time again and weshould be repeating these stories.
(20:26):
Just 'cause it happened a year agodoesn't mean we can't talk about it today.
We should be carrying on withthese stories because then they're
gonna be remembered much morethan if we mention it one time.
So, absolutely.
Keep telling those stories, keeptelling different parts of those
stories and it all does add upinto something like pretty magical.
(20:48):
So if you're listening to thispodcast and you think, okay, Char.
I get it, I'm gonna do more stories, maybethen you can start collecting your kind
of content bank and your line by line.
I love that idea of going line by linethrough your business origin story.
But let's say you're just sittingthere and you're thinking, okay,
well I just, how do I start?
How do I start weaving it in?
(21:10):
Is it like everything has to be a storyor you just start with one a week or what?
What's your kind ofbest way to get started?
So best way to get startedis just go, go and do that.
Like I said, that line by line, goand just write down a few things that
you can talk about in your business.
And then just think like the easiestthing is to just document today, right?
(21:30):
So what happened?
Or this week, just think of likesomething this week that you can talk
about and just take a picture of it inyour stories and just say, something like
today working at today's plans, workingon X. It can literally be that simple.
If you think of one idea likethat, just maybe think, right?
If I could turn it into a story,maybe I could turn it into a carousel.
(21:51):
Maybe I could turn it into a reel.
One idea, one story, and you'vealready, you've tripled the output.
Don't overthink it.
Just don't think, youknow, is this good enough?
Our posts are just iterations of the next.
No post is perfect.
No post is gonna do everything.
I would just start to get in thishabit of just documenting, sharing.
Get in the habit of putting yourtripod on, getting your camera rolling.
(22:15):
Just as you are doing what you are doingand then we don't have to force this.
What am I gonna say?
You can just share what you aredoing, what you have done this week.
What has been in your mind,what's been in your thoughts?
What's been, how are you feelingthis week in the business?
And actually we often thinkabout, we're told to be authentic
and genuine in our content.
And we're often left thinking,well, what the hell does that mean?
(22:37):
But when we're documenting our businessand just showing up and sharing what
we're doing, there is no more genuineor authentic content than that.
So just start by just sharing.
So just today, like anyonewho's listening to this today.
Just think like, right,what can I share from today?
That I can share with my audience?
And it can literally justbe a photo in stories.
(22:59):
And just sharing what you've been up to.
And it can literally be as simple as that.
You don't have to put it into everything.
But you know, even just you inyour emails, for example, go back
to that list of all your storiesthat you've been stashing down.
See if you can just open itwith a story, just one line.
Like I was thinking this weekabout dah, dah, dah, dah, dah.
(23:20):
Because often that just brings us inin a warm, welcoming way, rather than
just like, I've got this to sell.
So the more you can just add a littleline of a story and just weave it through.
It doesn't have to be inabsolutely everything.
But you know, the more thatyou can share your perspective.
That's what's gonna really make peopleconnect and really make you stand out.
(23:43):
The more you can weave it in.
But it doesn't have to be all singing,all dancing, day in the life reels that
are really complicated and complex.
Start small and as you get confidentin documenting, just add something
else in and add something else in.
You know, just try.
Get inspiration, havea go, have a practice.
We only get better at thestuff that we practice.
(24:03):
So yeah, just go and have atry and see how you get on.
I was just thinking about the time.
So Helen from Disco Kids, whoI know listens to the podcast.
So if you're listening, Helen, then hi.
I always think about this timeif you are thinking, is this
interesting enough for my customers?
A couple of years ago, she had a post.
(24:23):
It was like one of her most engagedposts ever, and she was basically like,
I need a new vacuum cleaner for the unit.
And to be fair, she did put avery cool picture of a disco.
A disco henry up as well,which was very cool.
But it was like everybody justwanted to talk about what was
the best Hoover, you know?
I think that, like you say,you can really overthink it.
And think, right, I need to tellthis big life changing story about
(24:46):
overcoming adversity and actually.
Like what did you do?
What 'd you make for lunch?
Or like kind of connection point.
But that's really greatadvice, so thank you for that.
And do you have any examples whereyou can say, oh, storytelling
definitely led to more sales.
Have you seen that yourself,either with the people you
work with or over the years?
Yeah, totally.
(25:06):
I was literally just talking inmy membership yesterday about a
reel that I had posted and it wastalking about a time when I got
a phone through my head by owner.
The founder of a big retail store.
And you know, I'd led on this reelwith you know, this story of having
a phone thrown at my head and I'dgone on to say about the different
(25:30):
brands I'd worked with and stuff, and.
It had like 500,000 views and it hadlike, I got nearly 2000 followers
just from that one reel loan.
And it just goes to show thatstorytelling, and I find that a lot.
When I tell these stories from mymarketing backgrounds and stuff, they
really connect and I know that peoplethen go on to work with me because
(25:51):
these stories are, people remember them.
And people often talk about these thingsmore than if people don't remember
when you've just given them top tips orwhatever, how tos and stuff like that.
But these are the things thatactually, they get a human reaction.
And we know that 95% of purchasedecisions are based on emotion.
So the more that you can addin emotion and emotion, by
(26:14):
default comes into our stories.
If you can make people feel something,we know that there's a huge connection
with actually converting those as well.
And from clients that I'veworked with, small business
owners that I've worked with.
When they have told stories,customer stories, for example.
That kind of content isbrilliant for conversion.
For example, say somebody reallystruggles to find a pair of trousers
(26:36):
that will fluctuate with their bodythroughout the month, for example.
This is a real problem in their life.
They're struggling to be comfortableand feel good at work or whatever.
And say a brand has thisreally great fit that actually
combines that style, comfort.
All of these great things.
Actually showing that journey.
This customer came to me, theywere really struggling with this.
(26:57):
I actually made this for them.
Or this was the collection thatyou know, that I've created to
solve exactly this kind of problem.
And I can help you with this as well.
It's almost like taking your reviews,which are kind of boring content just as
they are and turning them into stories.
So you could even start there like,take one of your reviews and see if you
(27:17):
can turn it into this transformationstory for one of your customers.
This is really great conversionstuff because people think like, oh,
you know that I have that problem.
So maybe.
So I've seen a lot of this kind of contentworking really well in terms of like
conversion and bringing these littlemoments to life about, we often think
(27:40):
oh, we're just selling candles or dressesand we're not really solving a problem
or we are not really changing lives here.
But you know what you actually are becauseif someone feels really confident to,
I dunno, show up at a wedding that theyknow that X is gonna be there or to go
to an important meeting if you're goingto, to feel confident or maybe you are
sort of like rediscovering yourself afterhaving a baby or whatever it might be.
(28:04):
Reclaiming these little pockets ofme time by lighting a candle and
being able to lock the door in thebathroom for five minutes of the day.
Actually these kind of like stories thatthen you can create in people's minds.
You can have this too, actually.
It brings your products tolife in a much less salesy way.
But I'm now thinking like,oh my God, I want that.
I want that 10 minutes of me timeon my own where I'm locked in
(28:25):
the bathroom and you know, youputting people in that scenario.
Now I can imagine myselfusing your product.
And the lifestyle around whichthey exist because we don't wanna
just be talking about our products.
But the products actually sit insideof a much bigger conversation, a
much bigger context of the lifestylethat goes around them, right?
What is that lifestyle and howcan we tell stories within that?
(28:48):
But yes, if you can show thattransformation and it really will help
you convert and show how your productsare really helping people on a deeper
level than this is just a dress.
Yes.
Yeah, amazing.
Well, thank you so much.
This is a great message to close on.
And do you wanna tell everyonewhere they could find out more
(29:09):
about you and your membership?
Yeah, absolutely.
So come find me over on Instagram@loudmouthcontent or loudmouthcontent.com.
And yes, I have a sort of monthlymarketing content marketing
membership where I help small businessowners with their content so it's
less chaotic, a bit more calm.
So yes, if you'd like to find outmore, come and give me a shout.
(29:29):
And I'd love to help you out.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Thank you Char, for sharingall of your golden insights.
If you are a member of my membershipgroup Resilient Retail Club, then you
will be enjoying a super practicalhands-on workshop with Char in the
middle of June, all about usingstorytelling for sales in your business,
where she's gonna go into more detailabout how you can apply it every day.
(29:52):
If you want to join the membership,head over to resilientretailclub.com
and you can sign up if you have amoment to like and review the podcast.
That would make a huge difference in termsof getting it out in front of more people.
You can rate the podcastinside Apple Podcast.
You can also write the reviewthere, and you can rate the podcast
as well inside the Spotify app.
(30:14):
And of course, if you like, follow orsubscribe to the podcast, you'll be the
first to know about each new episodewhen it comes out on a Thursday morning.
I'll see you next week.
Storytelling.
(00:01):
It's an important part ofmarketing, as I'm sure you've been
told, but on a practical sense,what does that actually mean?
What stories shouldyou be telling and why?
That's what we're exploring intoday's episode as we welcome Char
Dixon back to the podcast, thefounder of Loudmouth Content and
a content marketing strategist.
Hi, I'm Catherine Erdly.
I'm the founder of the Resilient RetailClub, which is my membership group
(00:23):
done for you services and one-to-oneservices for product businesses.
You can find out more atresilientretailclub.com.
And I'm also your host of episodenumber 252 of the Resilient
Retail Game Plan Podcast.
Welcome to the Resilient Retail GamePlan, a podcast for anyone wanting to
(00:45):
start, grow or scale a profitable creativeproduct business with me, Catherine Erdly.
The Resilient Retail Game Plan isa podcast dedicated to one thing,
breaking down the concepts and toolsthat I've gathered from 20 years in
the retail industry and showing youhow you can use them in your business.
This is the real nuts and bolts ofrunning a successful product business,
(01:08):
broken down in an easy, accessible way.
This is not a podcast about learninghow to make your business look good.
It's the tools and techniques that willmake you and your business feel good.
Confidently plan, launch, and manageyour products, and feel in control of
your sales numbers and cash flow to helpyou build a resilient retail business.
(01:34):
Char, welcome back to the podcast.
It's so good to haveyou back with us again.
But for anyone who didn't hearyour previous episode, do you wanna
start by introducing yourself?
Yeah, absolutely.
Hi, I'm Char and I'm the founder ofLoudmouth Content, and I spent sort
20 years of my career working forbig brands, a lot of them retailers.
Places like Dune, NewLook, Waitrose, Simple.
(01:58):
I was head of marketing at Dunefor four years and lead copywriter
Expedia for six and a half years.
And then I discovered this small businessworld and I was just like, I want in.
I was absolutely obsessed.
So I actually made a move togo and start my own business.
Taking all of that marketing content,insight and knowledge, bottle it all up.
And now I share all my secrets withsmall business owners to help make
(02:22):
content and marketing much more calm andconsidered and impactful and less chaotic.
Because we all know content can be wild.
So yeah, that's kind ofwhat I do these days.
Amazing.
And it's just fantastic to talk toyou about marketing 'cause you're
such an expert and you're such deepindustry knowledge and that's what
I love about everything you talkabout is very much rooted in, you
(02:45):
say two decades of marketing knowhow.
So I'm really excited to getinto our conversation today,
which is all about storytelling.
And I wanted to delve intoit because I think this is
something you do really well.
And it's probably oneof those things that.
I know that I always see it, peoplesaying, oh, you know, it's important to
do your storytelling for your business.
And I think that's great, but Ithink often it can be one of those
(03:08):
concepts that sounds a bit vagueand, okay, well what does that
actually mean on a practical level?
So that's what I wanted to jump into,but just set the scene like what is
your thoughts about storytelling?
And why do you think it's soimportant for, particularly
for small product businesses?
Ultimately, it's what'sgonna set you apart, right?
You know, like how often do we hear fromsmall business owners like, oh, there's
(03:29):
millions of people selling candles, orthere's millions of people doing this.
Or someone else has just opened up andthey're selling something similar to me.
When you have a story like that isyour main differentiator, that's the
thing that's gonna set you apart.
And our brains are hardwiredto existing story forms.
So like if you think about going outwith your mates at the weekend, right?
(03:50):
You're not sitting aroundtalking about facts and figures.
You're telling stories.
Something that funny that happens with thekids, or something that happens at work.
Whatever.
That's how we make sense of the worldand it's what makes things memorable.
And so when we tell stories and wedon't just tell facts and figures
and features and stuff in ourbusinesses, people are way less and
(04:11):
way more likely to remember them.
It's literally attached to the dopaminethat a story gives off in your brain.
So marketing's all aboutbeing remembered, right?
Being top of mind when people arecoming to buy something that you sell.
That is a huge power behindstorytelling for that.
It's also a massive advantage over thebig brands because they don't get to tell
(04:33):
these stories like small business guys do.
And it's so powerful that we have thatpower over those brands because they
don't often have those stories to tell.
That's a great advantage and it reallyjust builds connection and trust.
That humanizing of the brand.
Small business, especially.
People buy from people, andthat's so important to build
(04:55):
that connection and trust.
Especially as we're going intothis age of ChatGPT and AI
and all of this sort of stuff.
Fact figures, all of this stuff isbecoming, it's like flattening out
the landscape of content and stuff.
But actually, what ChatGPT can't reallydo is that human side, the storytelling.
(05:15):
So that is where you'llstart to come into your own.
And I dunno if you've seen it, but onsocial media, I'm seeing this huge wave
right now where storytelling is gettingeven bigger than it has been before
and it's really going down that route.
And I'm wondering if it is because somuch about ChatGPT and stuff that actually
people are craving that human side.
(05:37):
So yeah, so much powerbehind these stories.
That's such a great point.
I really agree with you in termsof, I always think that it's always
like pendulum swings, isn't it?
So if the pendulum's gonna swing to,you can have ChatGPT like you say,
write any amount of knowhow or to do.
Top tips or anything like that.
But if you've got a story to tell andyou can tell it in a human way that
(06:02):
people are craving, you can reallystart to pick up on the kind of
the generic, super generic AI text.
And I think people do want that.
Oh, that's a bit different.
That's a bit quirky.
That's a bit, feel like somethingthat came out of ChatGPT.
'Cause you're right, it does levelthe playing field, but it is also
sort of rather flat in itself as well.
Yeah, absolutely.
(06:23):
I completely agree.
And isn't it, I feel like I've readbefore that your brain almost has
this, it's like inbuilt tension.
If someone says, oh, you never guesswhat happened the next day and the
other day, and then they don't tell you.
It's like your brain kindof gets really stressed out.
'Cause it's like.
Yeah.
What happens?
Yeah, and it really does, like Imentioned before about like dopamine and
(06:46):
oxytocin and all these chemicals thatare literally released in the brain.
When you have these stories and like yousay cliffhangers and stuff, it changes the
chemicals of our brain, which just goesto show how powerful storytelling can be.
It's like, it's immense.
So going back to the point I madeat the beginning about storytelling.
One of those concepts sounds great,but you know, lots of people struggle
(07:09):
with, what do they actually say in theircontent and how can they use storytelling?
Because obviously, youwanna make connection, but
ultimately it's about sales.
How can storytelling help with thatkind of move to make the content
feel much more like a conversationand less like a sales pitch?
Yeah, totally.
And it's by having conversations.
Which sounds like too simple, but Ithink like we often hear about content
(07:32):
pillars and that kind of thing.
And I think sometimes when you almostgo down that too strategic of a route,
you almost lose a bit of the soul.
So you're now thinking like, right.
Content themes, contenttopics, what should I say?
But you actually, if you flip thataround, and this is how I always
approach it with my own smallbusiness owners that I work with.
I get them to think of theconversations they wanna be having
(07:55):
with their community right now.
And instantly, it flips the wholescenario and instead of thinking
like, right, what can I talk about?
What idea can I think of to talk about?
You are now just havingquite natural conversations.
What are those conversationsthat you wanna start?
What are those conversationsyou wanna be a part of?
And that just, it literally justchanges where you're starting from
(08:17):
and it's just way more naturaland authentic and powerful.
And it is then a conversationrather than a like you were
saying, like three top tips.
So literally by having thoseconversations, and I think, we
often get this block, don't we?
That if we had a physical store andsomeone came in, and they didn't
know anything about our brand,we would have a conversation.
(08:39):
We'd be telling them this top linestuff right, about what we're all about.
If someone had bought a million timesbefore and they came back in, the
conversation would be very different.
But when we go online in thisdigital space, we feel that
those that doesn't exist anymore.
We've gotta think ofall these things to say.
But actually, if you just goback to that, if this was a real
life situation, what would I say?
(09:00):
Again, going back to conversation.
It's flipping it again.
And you can then start to think, right.
I need to be having conversations likeI would for people that don't know me.
I need to be having conversations withpeople that do, and actually, what can
I now be recommending to them now thatthey've bought this or what have you.
So thinking about that real life inreal life situation and just applying it
(09:22):
to digital because we're still people.
There's just a screen between us.
That's such a good point.
Yeah, I love that.
So when you say, think about theconversations, you think what would you
wanna tell them about your business?
What would you tell them how itstarted, what you believe in?
Yeah, absolutely.
Where your products come from?
Yeah.
Storytelling can be any of it, all of it.
(09:42):
And I think when I speak to smallbusiness owners, they often don't
feel like they've got a story to tell.
Like it's not t hey don't have this greatorigin story or what have you, but most
people don't have their own business.
And the stuff that we are doing, youguys are doing, that behind the scenes
day to day, is wild for most people.
And there's so much magic in that mundane.
(10:04):
That's the reason why like realityTV is so popular because people just
love to peer into other people'slives and see what they're up to.
Thinking about your personal journeyand no, you don't have to share it all.
You can choose which sliceof that journey you share.
Your brand story like you mentioned.
So you know, how you chose your brandname or why you started the business, or
who has been your biggest inspiration.
(10:26):
All of those kind of questions.
Even like customer stories someonecame into our stores, someone.
Messages online and told us, they'veworn this to met their future
partner or whatever it might be.
Like all of these stories are validpieces of content and will humanize
your brand and bring it to life.
Down to putting your collectiontogether, mood boards or how
(10:46):
you curate your collection.
There's so much goodnessin those little details.
So yes, all of this stuff counts and canbe broken down into pieces of content.
That's such a great point.
You said there's magic in the mundane.
It's like I remember having thisconversation with somebody many
years ago who was a baby brand, andshe said, exactly like you said,
(11:07):
oh, I don't really have a story.
And she's like, it's super boring as well.
I just have my baby on my sling andI'm sewing like most of the day.
And I was like, you know, you say that.
But if you were someone who had ababy in a sling, you'd probably be
fascinated that you were managingto run your business with a baby
and ev they would be completelyfascinated to see what you're up to.
(11:29):
And then it's such a goodpoint about reality tv.
That the people just love.
I mean, almost every aspect of lifehas got like a reality TV show now.
Exactly.
Literally
watching people watch tv.
We are so fascinated.
(11:50):
I've got this like weird thing whenI walk down the street at night, I
always love peering to people's housesand seeing their decoration, all that.
I just love it.
I find it so fascinating.
People just love a peek into otherpeople's lives and seeing how they
do things differently or whatever.
So I think, just don't overlook thoselittle things because they're all valid.
(12:11):
They're all great things thatyou could be talking about.
You know, it's funny 'cause I wasjust thinking my mom always says that.
She's like, "Oh, I love this timeof night. It's when people have
turned their lights on and theyhaven't drawn their curtains yet."
Yeah, well actually I remember Habitatdid an amazing campaign years ago
about like this sort of like voyeurcampaign where every like, so I'm
glad to know that I'm not alone.
But yeah, it was this whole thing thateveryone's like looking into each other's
(12:33):
house 'cause they find it so fascinating.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know what I was thinking about Ramona,who runs Rani & Co Jewellery brand.
She does a lot on TikTokand Instagram as well.
And she tells stories all the timeand it's really fascinating because
like you say, so she had one whereit was li ttle snippets from her day.
(12:54):
So she had one where it was, oh, I'vegot this order and I'm pretty sure
it's a competitor who's ordered it.
But like, this is what they've ordered.
She didn't, obviously you didn't say whoor what, but it was just like one of those
things, like a small business moment.
Or that she realized she was packing anorder and somebody had ordered 14 times.
She's just telling the storyabout running her business.
(13:14):
It's almost like thatdocument, don't create, right?
Hundred percent.
We often think we've gotta dream upthese content ideas and like think
of what are what we gonna talk about?
But actually, especially when Ispeak to people who are feeling
overwhelmed or they dunno what to say,or they're having a creative block.
That's exactly what I say.
Like document, don't create.
(13:35):
Focus on what you're already doing,because also then you don't have
to spend extra time thinking ofthings to say, putting it together.
You'll literally like get yourtripod or just stick it up against
the wall as you're working.
Put it on a time lapse or whatever.
And just show peoplewhat you're working on.
Because also, if you are showingsomething you are creating, you're
also creating hype for that product.
(13:56):
People are starting tothink like, oh, what's that?
Oh, that's a cool fabric,or that's a cool design.
And that in itself becomes sales contentessentially, but in a very non salesy way.
And you know, just sharing thosestories that we have day to day.
Like what you're doing or anythingthat happened in the business
or even getting people likeinto part of making that story.
So getting people involved in decisions.
(14:18):
Like, oh, I don't know whether tochoose this fabric or this one.
What do you think?
Put it as a poll on stories.
But instead of thinking likeoh, I'm gonna think of a poll.
What should I do?
Use your audience to actually helpyou with the decisions that you
genuinely have in your business.
And then actually your business is gettingall this amazing data from people and
(14:38):
it's in itself creating its own content.
So anything that you can just share whatyou are doing, share in your journey.
Something that I like to getpeople to do as well is write
down their business journey, butalmost like do it line by line.
So start at the start.
I always struggled finding a productthat did this, so I thought maybe
I could be part of that solution.
(15:00):
Or my mum gave me thisreally great idea one day.
Well I read this quote that said, andit really sparked something in me.
Breaking down your story line byline is really great way of now
having you've got this big stash.
So you could be just like, maybe one ofthose things is like I was really inspired
by a friend who did such and such.
You can then use thatas a piece of content.
(15:21):
So if you can keep a list ofthings that happen in your, even
at end of the day, just write downone thing that happened today.
And next time you need, you think like,oh God 'cause you know what it's like you
go to write an email and you think, I'dlike to start this with a bit of a story.
But can't think of a single thingyou're staring at a blank screen.
But if you've got this little stash ofthings that, because it doesn't have to
(15:43):
be something you literally did today.
Like I think people sometimes gethung up on, oh, I didn't actually
do that today, but that's okay.
Like did it last week.
It doesn't matter, you did it.
But if you've got this little stash ofthings that you've done, just little
one-liners about a decision you weretrying to make, or maybe you were
trying to get the cut of something andyou just couldn't do it and you were
struggling or doing the development.
(16:04):
Or you were trying to curate yourcollection, whatever it might be,
just writing down these little thingsand then you've always got this stash
of stories to go back to and theselittle snippets that you can then bring
into your content and it just makesit so much easier when you come to.
So much easier.
Yeah and that's sucha great point as well.
Because also I think that the one thingthat I really find that small business
(16:26):
owners don't do enough of is that they puteverything heart and soul into selecting
their products, whether they're curatingthem or whether they're creating them.
So whether they're searching around forsuppliers who meet all of their criteria.
Or they're working with the factory orthey're making the product themselves.
(16:47):
But they spend hours and hoursknow, researching, right?
Are they using Biodegradableplastic film, for example.
Or not plastic, you know what I mean?
Like the film.
Is it corn starch based or can Iget them to reduce their packaging.
Or they'll be really obsessed withthe quality of the ingredients.
So they'll spend absolutely hours testingyou know, hundreds of different base
(17:12):
oils, carrier oils, to make sure they getthe one that's absolutely the best that
it can be and has the biggest impact.
And they'll have all of these reasonsfor all of doing all of these things.
Which also then playsinto the price, right?
Often people have to charge a certainamount of money for things because
they've made all of these incredibledecisions, yet then they just
(17:33):
don't ever say anything about it.
Yeah, absolutely.
And it's something that Italk about a lot actually.
It's this idea of silent valueand every time that we are sharing
this, and this is why sharing behindthe scenes stuff is so important
because every time, like you say.
Oh, you know, I got this prototype,but it just wasn't good enough.
And I'm going back again.
I'm now on prototype 23.
(17:55):
That is sowing in the silent valueto say, oh my God, they're going
to the ends of the earth to makesure that this product is perfect.
Or you'd like you say in about, packaging.
It's not just like, oh,we're a sustainable brand.
Yes, you could say that, but actually.
What are all the stories behind that?
Like you say, making sure thatour suppliers are this, and
today we're gonna meet withsomeone and this is our criteria.
And then like you say, when itcomes to the point of them buying.
(18:19):
There's no justification of the price.
They can clearly see they have subsubconsciously taken in all of these
little details to see all the time,the effort, the care, attention.
All the details that goes onbehind what you are creating.
You now have this huge point ofdifference versus big brands,
stuck in a factory, whatever.
You are sharing, you are showing all ofthe silent value through your stories.
(18:43):
That makes it the easiest decisionto make when they come to buy.
They have all of this trust.
They know that it's great quality,and you're doing that all by
these little snippets of stories.
So sometimes, even if a posttotally flops and you are feeling
downhearted, like know that.
That's still subconsciously going in.
Even if no one's necessarily engagedwith that piece of content, whatever.
(19:04):
It's all like this mosaic that buildsup this bigger picture that gives
people this confidence to buy over timeand that they understand the prices,
they understand the quality withoutyou having to necessarily say a word.
It's just all coming to bethe back of these stories.
Yeah, completely.
And again, like independent retailerswho will have really strict criteria
(19:25):
and they'll be like, oh, I couldn'tfind another perfume brand that met
like, tick tick, tick, tick, tick.
Like you say, they might say, oh, weare a sustainable lifestyle store.
But nowhere does it say we'vespent 6,000 hours researching.
Yeah, yeah.
You know that this is free ofparabens and microplastics and
(19:46):
you know, like so on and so forth.
Going back to what you said about themagic in the mundane, people tend to
think that just because they've donesomething or they've spent a lot of
time and effort on something that it'smaybe everybody knows about it as well.
They just think, oh, well, everyonemust know that's what we do.
But do they?
No, and you're right.
I think we need to, or theymight have mentioned it once and
(20:06):
these are the stories as well.
Don't feel like, just 'cause you've toldthis story once, you can't tell it again.
These are the stories, we need a set ofbrand stories that we tell on repeat.
'Cause again, it's going backto this repetition, recognition.
People remembering you and youhaving these stories that you can go
back to time and time again and weshould be repeating these stories.
(20:26):
Just 'cause it happened a year agodoesn't mean we can't talk about it today.
We should be carrying on withthese stories because then they're
gonna be remembered much morethan if we mention it one time.
So, absolutely.
Keep telling those stories, keeptelling different parts of those
stories and it all does add upinto something like pretty magical.
(20:48):
So if you're listening to thispodcast and you think, okay, Char.
I get it, I'm gonna do more stories, maybethen you can start collecting your kind
of content bank and your line by line.
I love that idea of going line by linethrough your business origin story.
But let's say you're just sittingthere and you're thinking, okay,
well I just, how do I start?
How do I start weaving it in?
(21:10):
Is it like everything has to be a storyor you just start with one a week or what?
What's your kind ofbest way to get started?
So best way to get startedis just go, go and do that.
Like I said, that line by line, goand just write down a few things that
you can talk about in your business.
And then just think like the easiestthing is to just document today, right?
(21:30):
So what happened?
Or this week, just think of likesomething this week that you can talk
about and just take a picture of it inyour stories and just say, something like
today working at today's plans, workingon X. It can literally be that simple.
If you think of one idea likethat, just maybe think, right?
If I could turn it into a story,maybe I could turn it into a carousel.
(21:51):
Maybe I could turn it into a reel.
One idea, one story, and you'vealready, you've tripled the output.
Don't overthink it.
Just don't think, youknow, is this good enough?
Our posts are just iterations of the next.
No post is perfect.
No post is gonna do everything.
I would just start to get in thishabit of just documenting, sharing.
Get in the habit of putting yourtripod on, getting your camera rolling.
(22:15):
Just as you are doing what you are doingand then we don't have to force this.
What am I gonna say?
You can just share what you aredoing, what you have done this week.
What has been in your mind,what's been in your thoughts?
What's been, how are you feelingthis week in the business?
And actually we often thinkabout, we're told to be authentic
and genuine in our content.
And we're often left thinking,well, what the hell does that mean?
(22:37):
But when we're documenting our businessand just showing up and sharing what
we're doing, there is no more genuineor authentic content than that.
So just start by just sharing.
So just today, like anyonewho's listening to this today.
Just think like, right,what can I share from today?
That I can share with my audience?
And it can literally justbe a photo in stories.
(22:59):
And just sharing what you've been up to.
And it can literally be as simple as that.
You don't have to put it into everything.
But you know, even just you inyour emails, for example, go back
to that list of all your storiesthat you've been stashing down.
See if you can just open itwith a story, just one line.
Like I was thinking this weekabout dah, dah, dah, dah, dah.
(23:20):
Because often that just brings us inin a warm, welcoming way, rather than
just like, I've got this to sell.
So the more you can just add a littleline of a story and just weave it through.
It doesn't have to be inabsolutely everything.
But you know, the more thatyou can share your perspective.
That's what's gonna really make peopleconnect and really make you stand out.
(23:43):
The more you can weave it in.
But it doesn't have to be all singing,all dancing, day in the life reels that
are really complicated and complex.
Start small and as you get confidentin documenting, just add something
else in and add something else in.
You know, just try.
Get inspiration, havea go, have a practice.
We only get better at thestuff that we practice.
(24:03):
So yeah, just go and have atry and see how you get on.
I was just thinking about the time.
So Helen from Disco Kids, whoI know listens to the podcast.
So if you're listening, Helen, then hi.
I always think about this timeif you are thinking, is this
interesting enough for my customers?
A couple of years ago, she had a post.
(24:23):
It was like one of her most engagedposts ever, and she was basically like,
I need a new vacuum cleaner for the unit.
And to be fair, she did put avery cool picture of a disco.
A disco henry up as well,which was very cool.
But it was like everybody justwanted to talk about what was
the best Hoover, you know?
I think that, like you say,you can really overthink it.
And think, right, I need to tellthis big life changing story about
(24:46):
overcoming adversity and actually.
Like what did you do?
What 'd you make for lunch?
Or like kind of connection point.
But that's really greatadvice, so thank you for that.
And do you have any examples whereyou can say, oh, storytelling
definitely led to more sales.
Have you seen that yourself,either with the people you
work with or over the years?
Yeah, totally.
(25:06):
I was literally just talking inmy membership yesterday about a
reel that I had posted and it wastalking about a time when I got
a phone through my head by owner.
The founder of a big retail store.
And you know, I'd led on this reelwith you know, this story of having
a phone thrown at my head and I'dgone on to say about the different
(25:30):
brands I'd worked with and stuff, and.
It had like 500,000 views and it hadlike, I got nearly 2000 followers
just from that one reel loan.
And it just goes to show thatstorytelling, and I find that a lot.
When I tell these stories from mymarketing backgrounds and stuff, they
really connect and I know that peoplethen go on to work with me because
(25:51):
these stories are, people remember them.
And people often talk about these thingsmore than if people don't remember
when you've just given them top tips orwhatever, how tos and stuff like that.
But these are the things thatactually, they get a human reaction.
And we know that 95% of purchasedecisions are based on emotion.
So the more that you can addin emotion and emotion, by
(26:14):
default comes into our stories.
If you can make people feel something,we know that there's a huge connection
with actually converting those as well.
And from clients that I'veworked with, small business
owners that I've worked with.
When they have told stories,customer stories, for example.
That kind of content isbrilliant for conversion.
For example, say somebody reallystruggles to find a pair of trousers
(26:36):
that will fluctuate with their bodythroughout the month, for example.
This is a real problem in their life.
They're struggling to be comfortableand feel good at work or whatever.
And say a brand has thisreally great fit that actually
combines that style, comfort.
All of these great things.
Actually showing that journey.
This customer came to me, theywere really struggling with this.
(26:57):
I actually made this for them.
Or this was the collection thatyou know, that I've created to
solve exactly this kind of problem.
And I can help you with this as well.
It's almost like taking your reviews,which are kind of boring content just as
they are and turning them into stories.
So you could even start there like,take one of your reviews and see if you
(27:17):
can turn it into this transformationstory for one of your customers.
This is really great conversionstuff because people think like, oh,
you know that I have that problem.
So maybe.
So I've seen a lot of this kind of contentworking really well in terms of like
conversion and bringing these littlemoments to life about, we often think
(27:40):
oh, we're just selling candles or dressesand we're not really solving a problem
or we are not really changing lives here.
But you know what you actually are becauseif someone feels really confident to,
I dunno, show up at a wedding that theyknow that X is gonna be there or to go
to an important meeting if you're goingto, to feel confident or maybe you are
sort of like rediscovering yourself afterhaving a baby or whatever it might be.
(28:04):
Reclaiming these little pockets ofme time by lighting a candle and
being able to lock the door in thebathroom for five minutes of the day.
Actually these kind of like stories thatthen you can create in people's minds.
You can have this too, actually.
It brings your products tolife in a much less salesy way.
But I'm now thinking like,oh my God, I want that.
I want that 10 minutes of me timeon my own where I'm locked in
(28:25):
the bathroom and you know, youputting people in that scenario.
Now I can imagine myselfusing your product.
And the lifestyle around whichthey exist because we don't wanna
just be talking about our products.
But the products actually sit insideof a much bigger conversation, a
much bigger context of the lifestylethat goes around them, right?
What is that lifestyle and howcan we tell stories within that?
(28:48):
But yes, if you can show thattransformation and it really will help
you convert and show how your productsare really helping people on a deeper
level than this is just a dress.
Yes.
Yeah, amazing.
Well, thank you so much.
This is a great message to close on.
And do you wanna tell everyonewhere they could find out more
(29:09):
about you and your membership?
Yeah, absolutely.
So come find me over on Instagram@loudmouthcontent or loudmouthcontent.com.
And yes, I have a sort of monthlymarketing content marketing
membership where I help small businessowners with their content so it's
less chaotic, a bit more calm.
So yes, if you'd like to find outmore, come and give me a shout.
(29:29):
And I'd love to help you out.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Thank you Char, for sharingall of your golden insights.
If you are a member of my membershipgroup Resilient Retail Club, then you
will be enjoying a super practicalhands-on workshop with Char in the
middle of June, all about usingstorytelling for sales in your business,
where she's gonna go into more detailabout how you can apply it every day.
(29:52):
If you want to join the membership,head over to resilientretailclub.com
and you can sign up if you have amoment to like and review the podcast.
That would make a huge difference in termsof getting it out in front of more people.
You can rate the podcastinside Apple Podcast.
You can also write the reviewthere, and you can rate the podcast
as well inside the Spotify app.
(30:14):
And of course, if you like, follow orsubscribe to the podcast, you'll be the
first to know about each new episodewhen it comes out on a Thursday morning.
I'll see you next week.
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