252: Storytelling That Sells (Without Sounding Salesy) with Char Dixon

Catherine Erdly: [00:00:00] Storytelling. It’s an important part of marketing, as I’m sure you’ve been told, but on [00:00:05] a practical sense, what does that actually mean? What stories should you be telling and why? [00:00:10] That’s what we’re exploring in today’s episode as we welcome Char Dixon back to the podcast, the founder [00:00:15] of Loudmouth Content and a content marketing strategist.

Hi, I’m Catherine Erdly. [00:00:20] I’m the founder of the Resilient Retail Club, which is my membership group done for you services and one-to-one [00:00:25] services for product businesses.

You can find out more at resilientretailclub.com. And I’m also [00:00:30] your host of episode number 252 of the Resilient Retail Game Plan [00:00:35] Podcast.

[00:00:40] Welcome to the Resilient Retail Game Plan, a podcast for anyone wanting [00:00:45] to start, grow or scale a profitable creative product business with me, [00:00:50] Catherine Erdly. The Resilient Retail Game Plan is a podcast dedicated to one [00:00:55] thing, breaking down the concepts and tools that I’ve gathered from 20 years in the retail [00:01:00] industry and showing you how you can use them in your business.

This is the real [00:01:05] nuts and bolts of running a successful product business, broken down in an easy, [00:01:10] accessible way. This is not a podcast about learning how to make your business look good. [00:01:15] It’s the tools and techniques that will make you and your business feel good. [00:01:20] Confidently plan, launch, and manage your products, and feel in control of your sales [00:01:25] numbers and cash flow to help you build a resilient retail [00:01:30] business.

Char, [00:01:35] welcome back to the podcast. It’s so good to have you back with us again. But for anyone who didn’t [00:01:40] hear your previous episode, do you wanna start by introducing yourself?

Char Dixon: Yeah, absolutely. Hi, [00:01:45] I’m Char and I’m the founder of Loudmouth Content, and I spent sort 20 [00:01:50] years of my career working for big brands, a lot of them retailers. Places like [00:01:55] Dune, New Look, Waitrose, Simple. I was head of marketing at Dune for four [00:02:00] years and lead copywriter Expedia for six and a half years. And then I [00:02:05] discovered this small business world and I was just like, I want in.

I was absolutely obsessed. [00:02:10] So I actually made a move to go and start my own business. Taking all [00:02:15] of that marketing content, insight and knowledge, bottle it all up. And now I share all my secrets with [00:02:20] small business owners to help make content and marketing much more [00:02:25] calm and considered and impactful and less chaotic. Because we all know content [00:02:30] can be wild. So yeah, that’s kind of what I do these days.[00:02:35] 

Catherine Erdly: Amazing. And it’s just fantastic to talk to you about marketing ’cause you’re such an [00:02:40] expert and you’re such deep industry knowledge and that’s what I love about everything you talk about is very much [00:02:45] rooted in, you say two decades of marketing knowhow. So I’m really excited [00:02:50] to get into our conversation today, which is all about storytelling.

And I wanted to [00:02:55] delve into it because I think this is something you do really well. And it’s probably one of [00:03:00] those things that. I know that I always see it, people saying, oh, you know, it’s important to do your storytelling for your [00:03:05] business. And I think that’s great, but I think often it can be one of those concepts that sounds a bit [00:03:10] vague and, okay, well what does that actually mean on a practical level?

How storytelling sets you apart from bigger brands

Catherine Erdly: So that’s what I wanted to jump into, but just set the [00:03:15] scene like what is your thoughts about storytelling? And why do you think it’s so important [00:03:20] for, particularly for small product businesses?

Char Dixon: Ultimately, it’s what’s gonna [00:03:25] set you apart, right? You know, like how often do we hear from small business owners like, oh, there’s millions of [00:03:30] people selling candles, or there’s millions of people doing this. Or someone else has just opened up and they’re selling [00:03:35] something similar to me.

When you have a story like that is your main [00:03:40] differentiator, that’s the thing that’s gonna set you apart. And our brains are [00:03:45] hardwired to existing story forms. So like if you think about going out with your mates at the [00:03:50] weekend, right? You’re not sitting around talking about facts and figures.

You’re telling stories. Something that funny [00:03:55] that happens with the kids, or something that happens at work. Whatever. That’s how we make [00:04:00] sense of the world and it’s what makes things memorable. And so when we tell stories and we [00:04:05] don’t just tell facts and figures and features and stuff in our businesses, people are [00:04:10] way less and way more likely to remember them.

It’s literally [00:04:15] attached to the dopamine that a story gives off in your brain. So marketing’s all about [00:04:20] being remembered, right? Being top of mind when people are coming to buy something that you [00:04:25] sell. That is a huge power behind storytelling for that.

It’s also a [00:04:30] massive advantage over the big brands because they don’t get to tell these stories like small [00:04:35] business guys do. And it’s so powerful that we have that power over [00:04:40] those brands because they don’t often have those stories to tell. That’s a great [00:04:45] advantage and it really just builds connection and trust. That humanizing of the [00:04:50] brand.

Small business, especially. People buy from people, and that’s so [00:04:55] important to build that connection and trust. Especially as we’re going into this [00:05:00] age of ChatGPT and AI and all of this sort of stuff. Fact figures, all of this [00:05:05] stuff is becoming, it’s like flattening out the landscape of content and stuff.

But [00:05:10] actually, what ChatGPT can’t really do is that human side, the [00:05:15] storytelling. So that is where you’ll start to come into your own. And I dunno if you’ve [00:05:20] seen it, but on social media, I’m seeing this huge wave right now where storytelling is getting [00:05:25] even bigger than it has been before and it’s really going down that route.

And I’m wondering if it is [00:05:30] because so much about ChatGPT and stuff that actually people are [00:05:35] craving that human side. So yeah, so much power behind these [00:05:40] stories.

Catherine Erdly: That’s such a great point. I really agree with you in terms of, I always think [00:05:45] that it’s always like pendulum swings, isn’t it? So if the pendulum’s gonna swing [00:05:50] to, you can have ChatGPT like you say, write any amount of knowhow or to [00:05:55] do. Top tips or anything like that.

But if you’ve got a story to tell and you [00:06:00] can tell it in a human way that people are craving, you can really start to pick up on the [00:06:05] kind of the generic, super generic AI text. And I think people do want [00:06:10] that. Oh, that’s a bit different. That’s a bit quirky. That’s a bit, feel like something that came out [00:06:15] of ChatGPT. ‘Cause you’re right, it does level the playing field, but it is also sort of rather flat in [00:06:20] itself as well. 

Char Dixon: Yeah, absolutely.

Catherine Erdly: I completely agree. And isn’t it, I [00:06:25] feel like I’ve read before that your brain almost has this, it’s like inbuilt [00:06:30] tension. If someone says, oh, you never guess what happened the next day and the other day, and then [00:06:35] they don’t tell you. It’s like your brain kind of gets really stressed out. ‘Cause [00:06:40] it’s like.

Char Dixon: Yeah.

Catherine Erdly: What happens? 

Char Dixon: Yeah, and it really does, [00:06:45] like I mentioned before about like dopamine and oxytocin and all these chemicals that are literally [00:06:50] released in the brain. When you have these stories and like you say cliffhangers and stuff, it changes the [00:06:55] chemicals of our brain, which just goes to show how powerful storytelling can be.

It’s [00:07:00] like, it’s immense.

Turning your content into conversations

Catherine Erdly: So going back to the point I made at the beginning [00:07:05] about storytelling. One of those concepts sounds great, but you know, lots of people struggle [00:07:10] with, what do they actually say in their content and how can they use storytelling? Because obviously, [00:07:15] you wanna make connection, but ultimately it’s about sales.

How can storytelling help with that kind [00:07:20] of move to make the content feel much more like a conversation and less like a sales pitch?

Char Dixon: Yeah, [00:07:25] totally. And it’s by having conversations. Which sounds like too simple, [00:07:30] but I think like we often hear about content pillars and that kind of thing. And I [00:07:35] think sometimes when you almost go down that too strategic of a route, you almost lose a bit [00:07:40] of the soul. So you’re now thinking like, right. Content themes, content topics, what should I say?

[00:07:45] But you actually, if you flip that around, and this is how I always approach it with my [00:07:50] own small business owners that I work with. I get them to think of the conversations they wanna be having [00:07:55] with their community right now. And instantly, it flips the whole [00:08:00] scenario and instead of thinking like, right, what can I talk about?

What idea can I think of to [00:08:05] talk about? You are now just having quite natural conversations. What are those conversations that you wanna [00:08:10] start? What are those conversations you wanna be a part of? And that just, it literally [00:08:15] just changes where you’re starting from and it’s just way more natural [00:08:20] and authentic and powerful.

And it is then a conversation rather than [00:08:25] a like you were saying, like three top tips. So literally by having [00:08:30] those conversations, and I think, we often get this block, don’t we? That if we had a physical store and someone [00:08:35] came in, and they didn’t know anything about our brand, we would have a conversation.

We’d be telling them this [00:08:40] top line stuff right, about what we’re all about. If someone had bought a [00:08:45] million times before and they came back in, the conversation would be very different. But when we go online [00:08:50] in this digital space, we feel that those that doesn’t exist anymore.

We’ve gotta think of all these things [00:08:55] to say. But actually, if you just go back to that, if this was a real life situation, what would I [00:09:00] say? Again, going back to conversation. It’s flipping it again. And you [00:09:05] can then start to think, right. I need to be having conversations like I would for people that don’t know [00:09:10] me.

I need to be having conversations with people that do, and actually, what can I now be [00:09:15] recommending to them now that they’ve bought this or what have you. So thinking about that real life in [00:09:20] real life situation and just applying it to digital because we’re still people. There’s just a screen [00:09:25] between us.

The magic in the mundane

Catherine Erdly: That’s such a good point. Yeah, I love that. So when you say, think about the [00:09:30] conversations, you think what would you wanna tell them about your business? What would you tell them how it started, what you [00:09:35] believe in?

Char Dixon: Yeah, absolutely.

Catherine Erdly: Where your products come from?

Char Dixon: Yeah. Storytelling [00:09:40] can be any of it, all of it. And I think when I speak to small business owners, they often [00:09:45] don’t feel like they’ve got a story to tell. Like it’s not t hey don’t have this great origin [00:09:50] story or what have you, but most people don’t have their own [00:09:55] business.

And the stuff that we are doing, you guys are doing, that behind the scenes day to [00:10:00] day, is wild for most people. And there’s so much magic in that mundane. That’s [00:10:05] the reason why like reality TV is so popular because people just love to peer into other [00:10:10] people’s lives and see what they’re up to.

Thinking about your personal journey and no, you don’t have to [00:10:15] share it all. You can choose which slice of that journey you share. Your brand story [00:10:20] like you mentioned. So you know, how you chose your brand name or why you started the business, or who has been your [00:10:25] biggest inspiration.

All of those kind of questions. Even like customer stories [00:10:30] someone came into our stores, someone. Messages online and told us, they’ve worn this to met their [00:10:35] future partner or whatever it might be. Like all of these stories are valid [00:10:40] pieces of content and will humanize your brand and bring it to life. Down to putting your [00:10:45] collection together, mood boards or how you curate your collection.

There’s so much goodness in those little [00:10:50] details. So yes, all of this stuff counts [00:10:55] and can be broken down into pieces of content.

Catherine Erdly: That’s such a great point. You said there’s magic in the [00:11:00] mundane. It’s like I remember having this conversation with somebody many years ago who [00:11:05] was a baby brand, and she said, exactly like you said, oh, I don’t really have a story. And she’s like, it’s super boring as [00:11:10] well. I just have my baby on my sling and I’m sewing like most of the day.

And I was like, [00:11:15] you know, you say that. But if you were someone who had a baby in a sling, you’d probably [00:11:20] be fascinated that you were managing to run your business with a [00:11:25] baby and ev they would be completely fascinated to see what you’re up to. And then it’s [00:11:30] such a good point about reality tv. That the people just love. I mean, [00:11:35] almost every aspect of life has got like a reality TV show now.

Char Dixon: [00:11:40] Exactly. Literally watching [00:11:45] people watch tv. We are so [00:11:50] fascinated. I’ve got this like weird thing when I walk down the street at night, I always love [00:11:55] peering to people’s houses and seeing their decoration, all that. I just love it. I find it so [00:12:00] fascinating.

People just love a peek into other people’s lives and seeing how they do things [00:12:05] differently or whatever. So I think, just don’t overlook those little things [00:12:10] because they’re all valid. They’re all great things that you could be talking about.

Catherine Erdly: You know, it’s funny [00:12:15] ’cause I was just thinking my mom always says that. She’s like, “Oh, I love this time of night. It’s when people have turned their lights on and they haven’t drawn their curtains [00:12:20] yet.”

Char Dixon: Yeah, well actually I remember Habitat did an amazing [00:12:25] campaign years ago about like this sort of like voyeur campaign where every like, so I’m glad to know [00:12:30] that I’m not alone. But yeah, it was this whole thing that everyone’s like looking into each other’s house ’cause they find it so [00:12:35] fascinating. Yeah.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah. You know what I was thinking about Ramona, who runs [00:12:40] Rani & Co Jewellery brand. She does a lot on TikTok and Instagram as well. And she [00:12:45] tells stories all the time and it’s really fascinating because like you [00:12:50] say, so she had one where it was li ttle snippets from her day.

So she had one [00:12:55] where it was, oh, I’ve got this order and I’m pretty sure it’s a competitor who’s ordered it. But like, this is what they’ve [00:13:00] ordered. She didn’t, obviously you didn’t say who or what, but it was just like one of those things, like a [00:13:05] small business moment. Or that she realized she was packing an order and somebody had ordered [00:13:10] 14 times. She’s just telling the story about running her business. It’s [00:13:15] almost like that document, don’t create, right?

How to make content creation easier

Char Dixon: Hundred percent. We [00:13:20] often think we’ve gotta dream up these content ideas and like think of what are what we [00:13:25] gonna talk about? But actually, especially when I speak to people who are feeling overwhelmed or they [00:13:30] dunno what to say, or they’re having a creative block.

That’s exactly what I say. Like document, don’t [00:13:35] create. Focus on what you’re already doing, because also then you don’t have to spend extra [00:13:40] time thinking of things to say, putting it together. You’ll literally like get your tripod or just [00:13:45] stick it up against the wall as you’re working.

Put it on a time lapse or whatever. And [00:13:50] just show people what you’re working on. Because also, if you are showing something you are creating, you’re also [00:13:55] creating hype for that product. People are starting to think like, oh, what’s that? Oh, that’s a cool fabric, or that’s a cool [00:14:00] design.

And that in itself becomes sales content essentially, but in a very non [00:14:05] salesy way. And you know, just sharing those stories that we have day to day. Like [00:14:10] what you’re doing or anything that happened in the business or even getting people like into part of [00:14:15] making that story.

So getting people involved in decisions. Like, oh, I don’t know [00:14:20] whether to choose this fabric or this one. What do you think? Put it as a poll on stories. But instead of [00:14:25] thinking like oh, I’m gonna think of a poll. What should I do? Use your audience to actually help [00:14:30] you with the decisions that you genuinely have in your business.

And then actually your [00:14:35] business is getting all this amazing data from people and it’s in itself [00:14:40] creating its own content. So anything that you can just share what you are doing, share in [00:14:45] your journey. Something that I like to get people to do as well is write down their business [00:14:50] journey, but almost like do it line by line.

So start at the start. I [00:14:55] always struggled finding a product that did this, so I thought maybe I could be [00:15:00] part of that solution. Or my mum gave me this really great idea one day. Well I read this quote that [00:15:05] said, and it really sparked something in me. Breaking down your story line by line [00:15:10] is really great way of now having you’ve got this big stash. So you could be just like, maybe one of those [00:15:15] things is like I was really inspired by a friend who did such and such.

You [00:15:20] can then use that as a piece of content. So if you can keep a list of [00:15:25] things that happen in your, even at end of the day, just write down one thing that happened today. [00:15:30] And next time you need, you think like, oh God ’cause you know what it’s like you go to write an email and [00:15:35] you think, I’d like to start this with a bit of a story. But can’t think of a single thing you’re staring at a blank [00:15:40] screen.

But if you’ve got this little stash of things that, because it doesn’t have to be something you literally did [00:15:45] today. Like I think people sometimes get hung up on, oh, I didn’t actually do that today, but that’s okay. [00:15:50] Like did it last week. It doesn’t matter, you did it. But if you’ve got this little stash of things that [00:15:55] you’ve done, just little one-liners about a decision you were trying to make, or maybe you were trying to [00:16:00] get the cut of something and you just couldn’t do it and you were struggling or doing the development.

Or you were [00:16:05] trying to curate your collection, whatever it might be, just writing down these little things and then you’ve always got this [00:16:10] stash of stories to go back to and these little snippets that you can then bring into your [00:16:15] content and it just makes it so much easier when you come to.

Catherine Erdly: So much easier. Yeah and [00:16:20] that’s such a great point as well. Because also I think that the one thing that I really find [00:16:25] that small business owners don’t do enough of is that they [00:16:30] put everything heart and soul into selecting their products, [00:16:35] whether they’re curating them or whether they’re creating them.

So whether [00:16:40] they’re searching around for suppliers who meet all of their criteria. Or they’re working with [00:16:45] the factory or they’re making the product themselves. But they spend hours and [00:16:50] hours know, researching, right? Are they using Biodegradable plastic [00:16:55] film, for example. Or not plastic, you know what I mean? Like the film. Is it corn starch based or can I get [00:17:00] them to reduce their packaging. Or they’ll be really obsessed [00:17:05] with the quality of the ingredients. So they’ll spend absolutely hours [00:17:10] testing you know, hundreds of different base oils, carrier oils, to [00:17:15] make sure they get the one that’s absolutely the best that it can be and has the biggest impact.

And they’ll have [00:17:20] all of these reasons for all of doing all of these things. Which also then plays [00:17:25] into the price, right? Often people have to charge a certain amount of money for things because [00:17:30] they’ve made all of these incredible decisions, yet then they just don’t ever say anything about it.[00:17:35] 

Char Dixon: Yeah, absolutely. And it’s something that I talk about a lot actually. It’s this idea [00:17:40] of silent value and every time that we are sharing this, and this is why sharing behind the [00:17:45] scenes stuff is so important because every time, like you say. Oh, you know, I got this prototype, [00:17:50] but it just wasn’t good enough.

And I’m going back again. I’m now on prototype 23. [00:17:55] That is sowing in the silent value to say, oh my God, they’re going to the ends of the earth to make sure that this [00:18:00] product is perfect. Or you’d like you say in about, packaging. It’s not just like, oh, we’re a [00:18:05] sustainable brand. Yes, you could say that, but actually.

What are all the stories behind that? Like you say, [00:18:10] making sure that our suppliers are this, and today we’re gonna meet with someone and this is our criteria. And then [00:18:15] like you say, when it comes to the point of them buying. There’s no [00:18:20] justification of the price. They can clearly see they have sub subconsciously taken in all of [00:18:25] these little details to see all the time, the effort, the care, attention. All the [00:18:30] details that goes on behind what you are creating.

You now have this huge point [00:18:35] of difference versus big brands, stuck in a factory, whatever. You are sharing, you are [00:18:40] showing all of the silent value through your stories. That makes it the [00:18:45] easiest decision to make when they come to buy. They have all of this trust. They know that it’s great quality, [00:18:50] and you’re doing that all by these little snippets of stories.

So sometimes, even if a [00:18:55] post totally flops and you are feeling downhearted, like know [00:19:00] that. That’s still subconsciously going in. Even if no one’s necessarily engaged with that piece of content, whatever. It’s all [00:19:05] like this mosaic that builds up this bigger picture that gives people this [00:19:10] confidence to buy over time and that they understand the prices, they understand the quality without you having to [00:19:15] necessarily say a word.

It’s just all coming to be the back of these stories.

Catherine Erdly: Yeah, [00:19:20] completely. And again, like independent retailers who will have really strict [00:19:25] criteria and they’ll be like, oh, I couldn’t find another perfume brand that met like, tick tick, tick, tick, [00:19:30] tick. Like you say, they might say, oh, we are a sustainable lifestyle store. But [00:19:35] nowhere does it say we’ve spent 6,000 hours [00:19:40] researching.

Char Dixon: Yeah, yeah.

Catherine Erdly: You know that this is free of parabens and [00:19:45] microplastics and you know, like so on and so forth. Going back to what you said about the magic in the mundane, [00:19:50] people tend to think that just because they’ve done something or they’ve spent a lot of time and effort on [00:19:55] something that it’s maybe everybody knows about it as well.

They just think, oh, well, everyone must know that’s what we do. But [00:20:00] do they?

Why it’s OK to repeat yourself

Char Dixon: No, and you’re right. I think we need to, or they might have mentioned [00:20:05] it once and these are the stories as well. Don’t feel like, just [00:20:10] ’cause you’ve told this story once, you can’t tell it again. These are the stories, we need a set of brand [00:20:15] stories that we tell on repeat.

‘Cause again, it’s going back to this repetition, recognition. People [00:20:20] remembering you and you having these stories that you can go back to time and time again and we [00:20:25] should be repeating these stories. Just ’cause it happened a year ago doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it today. We [00:20:30] should be carrying on with these stories because then they’re gonna be remembered [00:20:35] much more than if we mention it one time. So, absolutely. Keep [00:20:40] telling those stories, keep telling different parts of those stories and it [00:20:45] all does add up into something like pretty magical.

Catherine Erdly: So if you’re listening to [00:20:50] this podcast and you think, okay, Char. I get it, I’m gonna do more [00:20:55] stories, maybe then you can start collecting your kind of content bank and your line by line. I [00:21:00] love that idea of going line by line through your business origin story. [00:21:05] But let’s say you’re just sitting there and you’re thinking, okay, well I just, how do I start? How do I start weaving it [00:21:10] in?

Is it like everything has to be a story or you just start with one a week or [00:21:15] what? What’s your kind of best way to get started?

Char Dixon: So best way to get [00:21:20] started is just go, go and do that. Like I said, that line by line, go and just [00:21:25] write down a few things that you can talk about in your business. And then just think like the easiest thing is to just [00:21:30] document today, right? So what happened? Or this week, just think of like something this week that you [00:21:35] can talk about and just take a picture of it in your stories and just say, something [00:21:40] like today working at today’s plans, working on X. It can literally be that [00:21:45] simple.

If you think of one idea like that, just maybe think, right? If I could turn it into a [00:21:50] story, maybe I could turn it into a carousel. Maybe I could turn it into a reel. One idea, one [00:21:55] story, and you’ve already, you’ve tripled the output. Don’t overthink it. Just don’t [00:22:00] think, you know, is this good enough?

Our posts are just iterations of the next. No post is perfect. [00:22:05] No post is gonna do everything. I would just start to get in this habit of just [00:22:10] documenting, sharing. Get in the habit of putting your tripod on, getting your camera rolling. [00:22:15] Just as you are doing what you are doing and then we don’t have to force this.

[00:22:20] What am I gonna say? You can just share what you are doing, what you have done this week. What has been [00:22:25] in your mind, what’s been in your thoughts? What’s been, how are you feeling this week in the [00:22:30] business? And actually we often think about, we’re told to be authentic and genuine in our [00:22:35] content.

And we’re often left thinking, well, what the hell does that mean? But when we’re documenting our business and [00:22:40] just showing up and sharing what we’re doing, there is no more genuine or authentic [00:22:45] content than that. So just start by just sharing. So just [00:22:50] today, like anyone who’s listening to this today. Just think like, right, what can I share from [00:22:55] today? That I can share with my audience?

And it can literally just be a photo in stories. And [00:23:00] 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 [00:23:05] everything. But you know, even just you in your emails, for example, go back to that [00:23:10] list of all your stories that you’ve been stashing down.

See if you can just open it with a story, [00:23:15] just one line. Like I was thinking this week about dah, dah, dah, dah, [00:23:20] dah. Because often that just brings us in in a warm, welcoming way, [00:23:25] rather than just like, I’ve got this to sell. So the more you can just add a little line of a [00:23:30] story and just weave it through. It doesn’t have to be in absolutely everything. But you know, [00:23:35] the more that you can share your perspective.

That’s what’s gonna really make [00:23:40] people connect and really make you stand out. The more you can weave it in. But it doesn’t have to be [00:23:45] all singing, all dancing, day in the life reels that are really complicated and complex. [00:23:50] Start small and as you get confident in documenting, just add something else in and [00:23:55] add something else in.

You know, just try. Get inspiration, [00:24:00] have a go, have a practice. We only get better at the stuff that we practice. So yeah, just go and have a [00:24:05] try and see how you get on.

How one story led to 500k views and 2k new followers

Catherine Erdly: I was just thinking about the [00:24:10] time. So Helen from Disco Kids, who I know listens to the podcast. So if you’re listening, [00:24:15] Helen, then hi. I always think about this time if you are thinking, is this interesting enough for my [00:24:20] customers? A couple of years ago, she had a post. It was like one of her most engaged [00:24:25] posts ever, and she was basically like, I need a new vacuum cleaner for the unit.

And to [00:24:30] be fair, she did put a very cool picture of a disco. A disco henry up as well, which was very [00:24:35] cool. But it was like everybody just wanted to talk about what was the best Hoover, [00:24:40] you know? I think that, like you say, you can really overthink it. And think, right, I need to tell this [00:24:45] big life changing story about overcoming adversity and actually.

Like what did you [00:24:50] do? What ‘d you make for lunch? Or like kind of connection point. But that’s really [00:24:55] great advice, so thank you for that. And do you have any examples where you can say, [00:25:00] oh, storytelling definitely led to more sales. Have you seen that yourself, either with the people you work with or over [00:25:05] the years?

Char Dixon: Yeah, totally. I was literally just talking in my membership yesterday about a [00:25:10] reel that I had posted and it was talking about a [00:25:15] time when I got a phone through my head by owner. The founder [00:25:20] of a big retail store. And you know, I’d led on this reel with you [00:25:25] know, this story of having a phone thrown at my head and I’d gone on to say about the [00:25:30] different brands I’d worked with and stuff, and.

It had like 500,000 [00:25:35] views and it had like, I got nearly 2000 followers just from that one reel loan. [00:25:40] And it just goes to show that storytelling, and I find that a lot. When I tell these stories [00:25:45] from my marketing backgrounds and stuff, they really connect and I know that people then [00:25:50] go on to work with me because these stories are, people remember them. And people [00:25:55] often talk about these things more than if people don’t remember when you’ve just given them top tips [00:26:00] or whatever, how tos and stuff like that. But these are the things that actually, they get a human [00:26:05] reaction.

And we know that 95% of purchase decisions are based on emotion. [00:26:10] So the more that you can add in emotion and emotion, by default comes [00:26:15] into our stories. If you can make people feel something, we know that there’s a huge connection with actually [00:26:20] converting those as well.

Using customer stories to increase sales

Char Dixon: And from clients that I’ve worked with, small business owners that I’ve worked with. [00:26:25] When they have told stories, customer stories, for example. That kind of [00:26:30] content is brilliant for conversion. For example, say somebody really struggles to [00:26:35] find a pair of trousers that will fluctuate with their body throughout the month, for example.

This is a [00:26:40] real problem in their life. They’re struggling to be comfortable and feel good at work or whatever. [00:26:45] And say a brand has this really great fit that actually combines [00:26:50] that style, comfort. All of these great things. Actually showing that journey. This customer [00:26:55] came to me, they were really struggling with this.

I actually made this for them. Or this was the [00:27:00] collection that you know, that I’ve created to solve exactly this kind of problem. And I can help you with this as [00:27:05] well. It’s almost like taking your reviews, which are kind of boring [00:27:10] content just as they are and turning them into stories.

So you could even start there like, [00:27:15] take one of your reviews and see if you can turn it into this [00:27:20] transformation story for one of your customers. This is really great conversion stuff [00:27:25] because people think like, oh, you know that I have that problem. So maybe. [00:27:30] So I’ve seen a lot of this kind of content working really well in [00:27:35] terms of like conversion and bringing these little moments to life about, [00:27:40] we often think oh, we’re just selling candles or dresses and we’re not really solving a problem or we are not [00:27:45] really changing lives here.

But you know what you actually are because if someone feels really [00:27:50] confident to, I dunno, show up at a wedding that they know that X is gonna be there or to go [00:27:55] to an important meeting if you’re going to, to feel confident or maybe you are [00:28:00] sort of like rediscovering yourself after having a baby or whatever it might be.

Reclaiming these [00:28:05] little pockets of me time by lighting a candle and being able to lock the door in the bathroom for five minutes of the [00:28:10] day. Actually these kind of like stories that then you can create in people’s minds.

You can [00:28:15] have this too, actually. It brings your products to life in a much less salesy [00:28:20] way. But I’m now thinking like, oh my God, I want that. I want that 10 minutes of me time on my own where I’m [00:28:25] locked in the bathroom and you know, you putting people in that scenario. Now I can [00:28:30] imagine myself using your product.

And the lifestyle around which they [00:28:35] exist because we don’t wanna just be talking about our products. But the products actually sit [00:28:40] inside of a much bigger conversation, a much bigger context of the lifestyle that goes around them, right? [00:28:45] What is that lifestyle and how can we tell stories within that?

But yes, if you can show that [00:28:50] transformation and it really will help you convert [00:28:55] and show how your products are really helping people on a deeper [00:29:00] level than this is just a dress.

Catherine Erdly: Yes. Yeah, amazing. Well, thank you so [00:29:05] much. This is a great message to close on. And do you wanna tell everyone where they could find out more about you and your [00:29:10] membership?

Char Dixon: Yeah, absolutely. So come find me over on Instagram [00:29:15] @loudmouthcontent or loudmouthcontent.com. And yes, I have a sort of [00:29:20] monthly marketing content marketing membership where I help small business owners with their content so it’s less [00:29:25] chaotic, a bit more calm. So yes, if you’d like to find out more, come and give me a shout. And I’d [00:29:30] love to help you out.

Catherine Erdly: Thank you so much for tuning in. Thank you Char, for sharing all of your golden [00:29:35] insights. If you are a member of my membership group Resilient Retail Club, then [00:29:40] you will be enjoying a super practical hands-on workshop with Char in the [00:29:45] middle of June, all about using storytelling for sales in your business, where she’s gonna go into more [00:29:50] detail about how you can apply it every day.

If you want to join the membership, head over to [00:29:55] resilientretailclub.com and you can sign up if you have a moment to like [00:30:00] and review the podcast. That would make a huge difference in terms of getting it out in front of more [00:30:05] people. 

You can rate the podcast inside Apple Podcast. You can also write the review [00:30:10] there, and you can rate the podcast as well inside the Spotify app. And of [00:30:15] course, if you like, follow or subscribe to the podcast, you’ll be the first to know about each new episode when it comes [00:30:20] out on a Thursday morning. I’ll see you next week. 

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