Drafting brand storytelling to appeal to everyone is a sure-fire way to talk to no one person in particular.

AH! No! In the fledgling days of Ashlyn Writes, every time someone said this on a podcast or workshop, I ignored it.

“Oh, but not me.” I thought. “I can’t miss business because I’m brand new, and that’s just stupid.”

And then an entrepreneur I really look up to said she felt like that, too, at first.

And that I needed to get over it, because writing to one person? It actually works.

At the end of the day, your brand storytelling is to communicate three things: what/why you offer what you do, how it will help, how to buy. Looking back at our examples, recall Apple. Apple shoots for the people-person loving life and looking for a way to experience it with greater ease and simplicity. All of Apple.com communicates this, and that’s the very brand story you feel when walking into an Apple store.

Reason #1 it works: Clarity is king.

Remember that clarity attracts and confusion doesn’t One of my favorite facts Don Miller cites is that physiologically, the brain’s wired for two tasks: trying to survive, and counting calories. For example, this is why your brain doesn’t count chairs when you walk in a room, but stores where the entrances and exits are. When you write, remember that brains will be working to quickly digest what you’re offering.Can someone click on your website and describe what you do and sell within 5 seconds? In an oversaturated market, we’re hard-wired to form a community around and purchase what we understand the fastest.

Reason #2 it works: Authenticity really matters today.

Before the influx of masterful digital media strategies, marketing depended on unique value. Who was doing that fantastic thing no one knew about? But now, hello Google: we can find a a round-up of similar minded brands. Now, trust is the new currency. Audiences have multiple options in the marketplace for nearly everything, and can access them all with a simple click. Why are you different? Write true to your voice and style. Write true to your core values. Yes, writing authentically means being opinionated at times, and you’ll do so with grace — but remember that today’s marketing savvy crowd is ad-averse and can spot a cheesy sales pitch from a mile away. Write remembering you’re a human, writing to a human — not to a screen.

Capeesh?

For your takeaway today, here are two ways you can start writing to ONE person today in your marketing copywriting:
1. Write your mass emails to one person. I draft my email marketing copy starting “Hey, Elisabeth” — I backspace later, of course, but this trick reminds me to write to the woman that’s an ideal target for me.
2. Write down fans. Secondly, I keep a sticky note with 10 names on it stuck near my screen — those are the 10 targets that I want to reach. I trust there are more profiles just like them out there looking for my offerings, and guess what, there are.