What story are you trying to tell?
This is a question I often ask when I look
at someone’s content efforts that seem to
be all over the map.
The answer to this question is usually a,
“what do you mean?”
Or a blank stare.
“You're not going to say anything. You're 
just going to stare at me.
That's what you're bringing to the table.”
Always Sunny in Philadelphia
But as I’ll explain today, everything you
put out in the world should be tied to that
story you want to tell.
And that story shouldn't be..."Buy my product."
My name is Tara and this is
…Truly Social.
Whether you know it or not, what you are 
putting online - and everywhere else
frankly - is telling a story.
No, I’m not referring to a once upon a time
story with a beginning, middle and end, though
sometimes we tell those stories, too.
What I’m referring to is the underlying
story of what you stand for and why people
should care.
And, of course, this requires the essential
detail of, well, standing for something in
the first place.
“If you don't stand for something, you'll
fall for anything.” Sucker Punch
This is, as you’ll find out, the most important
part of the equation.
As Annette Simmons says in her awesome 
book The Story Factor (you should really pick it up):
Now, if that sounds a bit fluffy to you, I
get it.
“It's so fluffy!”
Despicable Me
For years, as soon as I heard people talk
about storytelling, I’d roll my eyes and
ignore anything else they had to say.
Storytelling is so subjective.
It’s not measurable.
It’s a buzzword that's completely overused.
But reading Simmons book really helped me
see it from a different angle.
No, there wasn’t data points or studies
throughout the book, but she was masterful
in using story to demonstrate how people connect
with certain messages while they ignore 
other messages.
"Why is everyone ignoring me? ANSWER ME! "
Deleted Scene from Anchorman
It just kept occurring to me as I read through the book
that it is the
brands and people that live their story are
the brands and people we tend to pay 
attention to.
Think about it.
The most influential people out there are
the best storytellers.
Obama. Masterful storyteller.
Brene Brown.
Bowls me over every time with her stories
about vulnerability.
And Gary Vaynerchuk?
Now there’s a man who literally lives his 
story and tells it while he's living it.
And so, then, what is YOUR story?
And, if you are creating content for a brand,
rather than for yourself, how do you find
that story?
Okay, I’m going to start with the individual
because that one is a bit easier.
Your own story is found in your passions,
your values, and your experience.
Basically, what Nilofer Merchant, who I’ve
mentioned before and whose new book has just
launched, talks about as Onlyness.
Onlyness is the opposite of trying to fit
in or trying to be just like someone else
you admire.
It’s the process of recognizing who you
are, what you stand for, and figuring out
that your voice matters.
Obviously, it’s not something you can just
turn on and off, but I’ll cover the process
a bit more in-depth in a later video.
But what do you do if you are in charge of
content for a brand?
And what if that brand doesn’t really seem
to stand for anything…but selling stuff.
“It’s like people only do stuff because
they get paid,
and that’s just really sad.” Wayne’s World 2
We’ve all been there.
If a brand has no story and you’ve been
given the task of creating
communications and content for that
brand, it can seem like an impossible hurdle.
As Annette Simmons says:
A brand that isn’t living the stories they
tell will not be influential to their audience.
Now, I think the answer to this question is 
too big to bite off in just this one video,
so if you are convinced
that you need to tell a story, 
you should come back next week
to get the deeper dive into how to find that story.
And better yet, subscribe and click the bell
to be notified when I post that video.
My name is Tara and this has been
…Truly Social.
