Why I Write So Much About Consistently Telling Your Story Online
Over the past few months, I’ve talked about consistently telling your story online a lot. I talked about it here. And here. And don’t forget here.
I make all those shameless plugs to reinforce how important I believe it is to commit yourself to sharing your brand story on social media once a day, every day.
The power of consistently telling your story online isn’t found in virality. If you’re just starting out, odds are your Facebook post about your idea, project, or business isn’t going to go viral. But the more you tell that story, the more opportunities you give people to get behind it.
And that’s the key.
It’s easier and way more sustainable to meaningfully reach one person and make him/her a fan rather than trying to convert thousands of people into fans.
I believe it’s way more valuable to focus on reaching one person rather than trying to break the Internet because, as the subtitle says, one person can change everything. You never know who the person you’re reaching might know or what kind of opportunities they’re connected to.
The most pivotal moments for the growth of Car Window Poetry have all happened because of one person. I’ve shared before how one friend following my posts about CWP resulted in him pitching a story about the project to his bosses at NBC Nightly News and them airing CWP’s first national news feature.
But there’s another moment that happened more recently that reminded me of the power of one person.
A month into me starting Car Window Poetry, a friend sent me a message on Facebook and simply said:
I was blown away by my friend’s message because (1) I started Car Window Poetry as a small, local art project in Colorado, so it was crazy to me that someone in another state wanted to be a part, and (2) this friend and I have never met in person. We met through a mutual friend on Twitter, and she only knew about Car Window Poetry through what I was posting online — yet she still wanted to contribute!
As I was still in the process of getting started, I didn’t have a clear idea of how my friend could jump in and help, but we stayed in contact because I knew she was someone who could be incredibly valuable once we figured out her sweet spot. How she ended up helping Car Window Poetry, though, was greater than I could’ve ever imagined.
A month after her first message, my friend emailed me and told me how she works as a designer for YouVersion, the #1 rated mobile Bible app with over 277 million smartphone and tablet users, and how she believed Car Window Poetry could be a great avenue for a Bible reading plan about the power of words and the impact our words can have on the world.
Because my friend works for YouVersion, she was able to connect me with the exact person I needed to talk to, and it turned out that, at the time, YouVersion didn’t have a Bible reading plan focused on poetry. It was perfect. Then, a few months later, we launched the first-ever Car Window Poetry Bible reading plan on the world’s largest mobile Bible app.
Yesterday, I checked out the plan on YouVersion’s Bible App and realized that, since January, Car Window Poetry’s “Words Matter” Bible reading plan has been completed over 10,000 times. That’s over 10,000 people who have had a chance to learn about Car Window Poetry, be encouraged, and also be empowered to make a big difference in their communities through small acts of love. And it all started with one person’s belief in the Car Window Poetry story and willingness to help.
That’s why I’m so adamant about encouraging people to consistently tell their story online. My daily posts about Car Window Poetry prompted one person to reach out, and that one person’s invitation opened up the door for over 10,000 people around the world to learn about Car Window Poetry. And many of CWP’s poetry card downloads and Local Chapter Leaders have come through the YouVersion Bible reading plan.
I share all that to say this: I believe you have a story worth sharing. A story that people want to get behind. But they’re not going to know that story and have a chance to fall in love with it unless you tell it.
So, go forth. Tell your story. Tell it daily. And give people the opportunity to get behind it. You never know how one person’s connection with your story could carry it further than you could ever imagine.
