There’s always more to every story.
A narrative may seem linear, but it often has many layers, and depending on who you rely on to tell the story, multiple perspectives.
International Women’s Day is a great time for remembering stories about the trailblazing women on whose shoulders we stand today. Among the many stories, facts and figures, tributes, and plights for the long way we still have to go in terms of women’s rights, one specific story caught my attention.
Her name was Margaret Sanger.
Sanger was an American activist born in 1879. She gave voice to a topic no one would dare to talk about in 1920s America: the right of every woman to take charge of their reproductive health and family planning. The modern-day birth control movement owes a lot to Margaret Sanger.
But as I said, there’s more to every story.
Many consider Margaret Sanger’s legacy a conflicting one. On the one hand, she was a champion for women’s rights; on the other, a eugenics enthusiast who saw the practice as a good way to “breed more desirable traits into the population.”
What does this have to do with you, your business, and how you communicate with your potential clients?
While controversial, her views on one topic don’t invalidate her contribution to the birth control movement, which empowered many women to live better, more fulfilling lives. But the flip side of her story makes it a very complicated narrative for many historians and women’s rights advocates today.
Most of us are not dealing at the forefront of controversy like Sanger. Still, our stories are deeply layered with incredible highs and disappointing lows. Many entrepreneurs tend to go in a highly curated direction when it comes to marketing, often equating the lows with almost the same gravity as the darker side of Margaret Sanger.
Brilliant, accomplished individuals I worked with always grappled with the idea of being perceived remotely inadequate.
However, the lows can also provide great teachable moments that can benefit your potential client.
Maybe you are a caterer who dealt with terrible logistics issues at your last event. Now you have invaluable advice to share with your potential client on how to avoid those same issues.
Or perhaps you are a coach who had to work with clients that were not ready for change. Now that work can give future clients great insight on getting prepared and making the best out of your programs.
For me, it was a client who could not trust my expertise and feedback and demanded I go in a direction I knew was not right. But I was so scared to lose the gig, I tried to please them to the point of burning out. And guess what? I still lost the gig. But I learned how to set boundaries and realistic expectations with future clients.
Your business mission is to help your clients overcome specific challenges with your expertise and support. You can’t get to that level with glowing reviews and remarkable success only. There is extraordinary value in the lessons learned from the not-so-stellar moments.
Give your audience more than one side of the story. You never know which side will turn visitors into partners.
Is it worth it for entrepreneurs to do poke bowl content marketing?
Build your “pantry” first with smaller pieces of content that you can publish regularly. This approach will build up your credibility in a more robust manner and check the pulse of your audience’s needs.
You can always do the poke bowl later. Right now, your audience may only want the fish.
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