The Impact of Authentic Storytelling with Heather Cherry | Evolution of Brand EP007

The Goods From Heather Cherry

Connect with Heather on her website heathercherry.com

Check out the first chapter of Market Your A$$ Off

Here’s How Being An Underdog Can Work For You and Create Better Resilience | Read Here

Find Heather on: Linked In | Instagram | Facebook

Top 3 Takeaways From This Value-Packed Conversation

Brands who implement authentic storytelling and build a strong connection with their customers stand a much better chance of standing out and growing
Don’t market at your customers. Instead, have conversations and solve problems.
You have much less time to grab someone’s attention via today’s popular advertising means. When they do turn to you, be sure you’re resonating with them in every way possible so your brand is front of mind when a buying decision is ready to be made

Show Notes

1:27 – A time in Heather’s life where she listened to herself instead of what others told her was right and it led to a major accomplishment

2:02 – How copywriting and freelancing practices have evolved over the years

3:38 – The power of authentic storytelling for a brand
     – When brands can convey how they can help a customer in a way that resonates with them, it shows the brand is putting themselves in their customer’s shoes and relating to their problems
     – Marketing used to just talk at us; now, businesses are taking the time to talk to us
     – Authentic storytelling removes the sales element and helps a consumer become more intertwined with the brand

6:27 – Brands that solve problems are appealing to consumers
     – “Here is your problem, here is our product, and here is how your life will improve if you use it.”
     – Marketing is becoming “movie-like” – consumers have an emotional response to it
     – Companies have had to find new ways to connect with the audience – your “hook” is approximately TWO SECONDS because people are scrolling and you have to get their attention much faster
     – Building that connection makes you the authority and will put you front of mind for consumers when they are ready to make a buying decision

9:30 – Who can benefit from picking up a copy of Market Your A$$ Off?
     – Small businesses and owners
     – Entrepreneurs and solo-preneurs
     – Marketing and business students
     – Check out the first chapter of Market Your A$$ Off!

12:56 – How Heather became a featured writer on Forbes.com
– Discover Heather’s featured articles here

18:16 – A problem Heather has solved that’s added value to her community

19:47 – How to implement authentic storytelling into your practices
     – Have a good understanding of your values as a brand – goals, what you offer
     – Determine who your target audience is and how you want to resonate with them. Study them deeply and truly get to know who they are
     – Know who you are solving the problem for

21:14 – Heather’s approach to writing copy for herself and her clients
     – Process is project-dependent
     – Always have a good understanding of the purpose of the content – knowing what the content is for will help you put the proper voice and tone to the copy
     – Start with the most important point, then build from there. Do intro later because it may change many times
     – Treat each project individually, even if it’s for the same client, so message doesn’t get lost from one piece of content to the next

25:20 – Why do we struggle so much to proofread our content?
     – Autocorrect has led to us not devoting as much attention to correcting mistakes manually
     – The speed of the world “demands” we get messages out faster, thus leading to a lack of proofreading
     – Grammar training happens early in life, but not as much as we get older and it makes us less aware
      – Has texting led to an inability to have a real conversation with someone?

30:12 – Proofreading tips
      – Write content one day, edit at least one day later. Give your brain a break from the copy!
      – Read your copy out loud – to yourself, a colleague, or a family member. You will catch a TON of mistakes executing this step
      – Try not to push yourself right up against a submission deadline so you can give yourself enough time to proofread accordingly
      – Read your content out loud BACKWARDS