Tell Your Business Origin Story to Connect with Ideal Clients

“I remember when he was a wee lad walking his dog down the road in front of my house. If I was in the yard, he always stopped to say hi and I would give him a piece of candy.” Or, “I knew her when she was little. Back then, she was a real firebrand.”

Growing up happens. And those involved in the process get to proudly lay claim to having participated in it. “Back then, I said you were going to be special, and now you’re proving me right.”

Whenever you hear the words “I remember back when…”, they reveal a powerful emotional connection.

As your business grows, those involved with it will feel the same way they would about a child. That experience opens up a whole new level of personal investment and strengthens the bonds of your tribe.

Of course, not everyone could be there at your brand’s beginning. But telling your origin story to those who weren’t can help them feel as though they were.

Beware of Potential Backfire

If there is any part of your website that could be “all about you”, it’s your origin story. Be careful: that's a trap. If you write your origin story with the "it's all about you" mindset, you could miss a fantastic opportunity, or even make a damaging mistake.

Yes, technically you are the topic of your origin story. But when your readers come to your site, they don’t really care about who you are, at least not initially. Their primary concern is their problem. They want to know what you can do to help them. If you can’t help them, nothing else matters.

Many of the origin stories I’ve seen have completely missed this reality. As a result they end up as dry walls of text relaying obscure details the author thinks are important. As the author tells the story of where they came from and how they got here, along with the tragedy of dealing with their first hamster, I find myself tuning out.

Talk about painful to read. I generally skim a little and then move on.

Now think about that.

Painful → skimming → leaving.

That’s not good. Done this way, the origin story can actually create a negative experience that drives people away.

If You’re Going to Tell It, Tell It Right

Whenever you tackle your own story, please keep these things in mind:

• The reader cares first and foremost about whether you can help them with their problem.
• When a visitor lands on your origin story, presumably by choosing to look at the About page, more than likely they are not yet sold. They think you might be able to help and are interested enough to read about you personally, but that’s probably it. You still need to focus on making the sale.
• Their time and attention span will be limited.

Those things have implications for how your origin story plays out.

1. Write conversationally. Since you are trying to build a sense of connection, rather than writing “Bo McGuffee has been composing copy for webpages since the middle ages,” I would prefer to simply say, “I love writing!” Using “I” messages helps capture that face-to-face feel.
2. Keep it relevant to the reader. Remember what they are looking for: assurance that you can help. Keep their problem in mind as you write and orient your text toward it. Highlight any unique qualifications that let you help them better. By showing how intimately you understand their struggles, you increase the likelihood they will ask for your help.
3. Highlight the transformation that took you from “rags” to “riches”. What set you on today’s path, the path they can benefit from now? How did it feel to be free? This gives your reader hope for a better future with you.
4. Keep it as short as you can. Busy people will not want to spend all day reading your origin story. Break longer stories into short sections to ease reading, and use catchy headlines to keep them moving down the page.
5. Remember who it's really for. Even though your origin story is technically about you, the writing of it is really all about the reader. You want them to experience the beginning. You want them to feel like they are no longer an outsider, but an insider who has access to the secret of who you are today.

We're Here for You

Marketing a business is hard. There's a lot to keep track of, and no one can be expected to learn the entire field overnight.

If you are tired of feeling like you're spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast, get in touch. Just schedule a clarity call and we'll spend time with you discussing how we can help.

Let's get you past wasting your time and energy, and into a mode of focus and productivity so you can reach your business goals.