Your Unique Selling Proposition
You’ll hear about the “USP” quite a lot from other marketing and business professionals. But what IS it, really?
In short, it’s the Big Promise you can make to your clients and customers based on your unique mix of skills, values, and so on.
I address this in more detail here: “The True Meaning of Your Unique Value Proposition (and How to Explain it Like a Pro).”
Now that you know what your USP is supposed to be, let’s tackle how we tell the story of that promise.
This section is all about: The Hero’s Journey
Here’s a recorded explanation of the Hero’s Journey.
(The Hero’s Journey was originally described Joseph Campbell. It outlines a narrative form found in many stories throughout history.)
Your Story: Assignment #7 Bonus Video: Three Ways to Clarify Your Branding Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=38&v=lI7eMiSBRU8
Your Story: Assignment #6 Your Manifesto: The 2nd Draft
Now, think in terms of theme. If you haven't yet chosen a name for your business or blog this will be helpful. If you already have a name, that's okay. You can keep it (you have my permission). For now though, choose a theme or metaphor for what you do based on the...
Your Story: Assignment #5 The Manifesto: Your First Draft
Every business needs to stand for something. Your exploration and self-discovery up to this point have all helped you see what it is YOU stand for -- as a person, and as a business owner. Now it's time to write out your manifesto. Start with a blank piece of paper and...
Your Story: Assignment #4 Find Your Villains
The Other Characters in Your Story: Your Nemesis You are a Hero. But in terms of your branding, you aren't really the hero of the story. Your client is. (More on this later.) You share the stage with other characters, too. One of them is your/their nemesis, or the...
Your Story: Assignment #3 Your Hero’s Journey – Part 3: The Return
As before, write down the places in your own life that correspond to these elements: Refusal of the Return - So why, when all has been achieved, the ambrosia has been drunk, and we have conversed with the gods, why come back to normal life with all its cares and woes?...
Your Story: Assignment #2 Your Hero’s Journey – Part 2: The Initiation
Continue doing for this section what you did in part one. What happened in your own life that corresponds with these elements? Write them down in one or two sentences for each item. If you can't identify anything in your life that matches a particular element, that's...
Your Story: Assignment #1 Your Hero’s Journey – Part 1: The Departure
One of the most important things to remember about brand storytelling is that you are NOT the hero of the story. Your client is. You are actually the mentor of the story that your business tells. That being said, you DO have your own heroic story. One that we'll want...
Your Story: Bonus Video Clarify Your Branding Story
The following video was recorded as part of my DigitalDiningRoom program. We look at a different aspect of your marketing plan (aka storytelling framework) each month. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUfcXxP9cDE...