Module 2: Build Your Brand
Your Signature Story
You’ve done all the thought work that leads up to connecting emotionally with your target market. Now, you’ll build your Signature Story for the topic you write about on your blog.
Your Signature Story (6:50)
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Brainstorm Your Signature Story (10:08)
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Pull Your Signature Story Together (6:43)
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Examples: Signature Stories
Rachel Norman, A Mother Far From Home:
“Before becoming a mother I was independent, efficient, and confident and our days were pleasantly predictable and fun. Then after only 9 months of marriage… we got pregnant. It didn’t fit “the plan.” All of a sudden, my entire life felt at the mercy of an infant who couldn’t even tell me what she wanted! I read everything I could get my hands on and talked to wiser older women with experience. I put foundational habits into our home life and was amazed. Even after adding more and more children to the fold our family continued to thrive. Yours can too, and I can help.”
Kristen Smith, A Better Way to Thrive:
The only thing I was certain of when I became a mom was that this brand new baby depended on me completely, and I had no idea if I could meet her needs. In time our family grew and my responsibilities multiplied. Healthy living was suddenly on my radar as I dabbled in the world of natural remedies, whole foods, and nontoxic homemaking so my family could be as healthy as possible.
With so much to balance, that nagging question remained: Could I really do all of this?
Little by little, step by step, I overcame my fears and insecurities and launched out into the brave world of confident motherhood. I read and researched and learned until I became an herbalist and aromatherapist, able to keep my home and care for my family naturally. I tuned out the voices telling me what I should do and tuned in to the people in my home, finding simple solutions to my family’s needs.
Our home may not perfect, but by God’s grace, it is thriving.
Danielle Rye, Live Well, Bake Often:
At one point, I felt like being able to bake was a gift that some people were born with and I just didn’t have it. I was inexperienced, lost, and tired of my cookies always turning out flat or my cupcakes tasting more like dense muffins.
Eventually I knew that if I wanted to learn to bake, I had to take the time to do just that. I spent as much time as I could reading through cookbooks and researching online. I began to understand the process, why to use certain ingredients instead of others, and I used that knowledge to create recipes through trial and error in my own kitchen.
Now, those flat cookies, dense cupcakes, and sad excuses for brownies are a thing of the past. I’ve learned that being able to bake isn’t a gift people are born with, but something that can easily be learned.
Jen Grice, Surviving + Thriving After Divorce:
In 2013, I was served with divorce papers. At the time I saw it as an ending. You see, I had lost myself in the process of trying to save an abusive marriage. I felt like I had wasted my whole life trying to defend and worship someone else – a husband and even family members. But after my own Christian mentor explained to me… this was not the end but new beginning, a new chapter to learn to walk with my Father. Out of oppression into a better place… with hope and a future.
It was then that I started looking for healing. I wanted to find peace and redemption from everything that I had been through. I wanted God to give the devastation, purpose. And I wanted to be emotionally healthy going into the future.
I read, and highlighted, every book I could get my hands on. I drew from my college courses in psychology, as I learned. I sought help from those who had traveled this road before me. In my journey to healing, I implemented tough boundaries and stopped people-pleasing. In the process, I reclaimed my hope, emotional healing, and found the peace that was lost. I went from merely surviving to thriving.
Rachel Ballard, Feast and Farm:
As a young woman, I tried really hard to make my family and friends smile by putting an elaborate meal on the table. I spent those early years cutting my fingers and learning how to fry over the phone (thanks mom). I made cooking harder than it had to be by trying recipes that used every pot in the house and took hours of my time. It was exhausting and frustrating. Today I still carry the desire to make people happy, but I’ve learned that using everyday ingredients and techniques really can create the food that connects me to the people I want to share it with–without all the hassle. I feel a surge of pride and success when I know my friends and family enjoy my food.
Ana Dziengel, Babble Dabble Do:
When we had children I knew there were two values I wanted to instill in them: intense curiosity and a creative spirit. I saw hands-on projects as a way to spend time with my kids and nurture these values. So we started making stuff, a lot of stuff. There were many duds and Pinterest fails at the beginning, so many that I wondered if we would ever have fun making things together.
It was at this point that I decided to scrap the adult led crafts and try process art and wacky science experiments instead. I let my kids explore without interference (I had to bite my lip a lot while I learned to back off) and we began to connect more positively as a family: babbling, dabbling, and doing things TOGETHER.
Dena Norton, Back to the Book Nutrition:
After an intensely stressful season of having a second baby, writing a book, and launching a new business, my health crashed. My monthly cycles were out of whack; my brain was so foggy, I often had trouble finding my words and finishing tasks; I had headaches like never before; I was falling asleep before my kids; and my heart had started skipping beats. In a matter of months, I went from healthy, vibrant, and confident to exhausted, overwhelmed, and terrified that something serious was affecting my health.
But I struggled to find a doctor who would truly listen to me.
I put my formal nutrition background to work and sought out holistic health professionals to help me uncover what was really causing my symptoms. Once I identified my primary issue as HPA Axis Dysregulation (aka: adrenal fatigue), and discovered natural and effective approaches to overcome it, I got started right away. I made significant changes to my already healthy diet, got on a supplement regimen, and carved out more time for sleep, leisure, and time with the Lord. Today, I’m thankful to say that I feel like myself again! Not only do I have my health back, but I’ve gained a new passion for helping other women identify and overcome root health issues and feel better than ever!
Resources
Checklist: Your Signature Story
- Is this story a bite-sized snapshot?
- Does it cover ONLY where your story overlaps with your target market’s story?
- Do you have a clear beginning, middle, and end?
- How can you edit your story to make it pop?
- Is it three paragraphs or less?