Your boring task is my personal fascination
(or how to tell tiny stories to build trust in you as a business owner)
I have a filthy little secret.
I had absolutely no idea how to arrange a linen closet until I saw someone else’s. I WAS IN MY THIRTIES.
I have an intensive fascination with how people people do things
And if it’s a banal, small thing you take for granted, and think it’s nothing interesting at all
WELL. I’m going to lap up that as great content any day of the week.
This is one of the secret parts of incredible content for anyone, but in particular for small businesses. It’s a peek behind the curtain, a showing the journey and process trick that helps people feel more connected with you, trust you a little more and work out if they like your kind of “boring weird” , or at least can live with it.
I know I’m not alone in my fascination with the boring.
Here’s why it’s a win for you as content:
It feeds our social curiosity.
Many of us enjoy watching the ordinary habits of others because it helps us map out our own social habits too. It can help us feel either the beautiful “sameness”, the “ah so that’s how” or the “well I’d have done that completely differently”
We love seeing how others live, and the choices they make (this is creepily called social surveillance. No I’m not creepy.. YOU ARE)
It’s comforting and regulating
Watching someone in the rhythm of a routine can help calm our nervous symptoms. Yes your habits make me feel better without me having to do them myself! My brain syncs to yours. Your viewers feel safe when they see you dining something familiar. So this helps them build trust.
We also love structure of everyday habits like making a hot drink,, getting dressed, doing the dishes, or getting ready for work. It helps us feel like no matter what is going on around us HERE is NORMALITY.
The tiny stories captivate more that the big ones
It might not feel like a story to you as you tell it, but your little display of your habit or routine is seen as a story to our brains. This comes under the idea of ‘narrative psychology”
When my daughters were little their favourite bedtime story was the Princess Story - which was us just telling our day, walking through it as the Queen (me) and the three princesses (my daughters)
Seeing other people’s “princess stories” helps people also observe little things they are curious about. They might comment ‘Where did you get that mug from” or “anyone notice her glasses?” or “I’d love to know what you were looking at outside that window”
All of this comes as part of our increased desire to create para-social connections with you as we watch your experiences, habits and routines in your life and business.
You make us feel less isolated
I work from home, and often work in an office right at he other end of the house from my husband. I know I feel more connected and more understood when I watch other small business owners showing me insight to their work life
Our peek into your life helps us feel a little less alone when it’s just us and our phone or laptop.
We see reflections of ourselves
Watching you helps us to feel less “weird” if we’re similar to you. It can help us feel better about our own choices, routine sor habits. We can see commonalities, and feel more comfortable in admitting our own habits and routines
Alternatively your viewswers could be a bit like me and the laundry closest - and learn from your walk through, trying out a new way of doing things…
These both fall under the umbrella of microlearning, of absorbing the skills, habits and hacks from just watching other people share how they live.
(By the way - I’m currently giving this content for free. It remains open to everyone for a few weeks then becomes subscriber only content If you would like to have access to all the back pieces of teaching and have access to subscriber only content I’d love you o consider joining my paid subscription at $5 a month to help me invest more time into giving you more marketing insights each week)
This is how we used it this week in my group coaching session
(we went deeper into formats, content planning, caption writing, hooks and how to plan it out in detail but here’s a few starter points to get you thinking…)
If you are stuck on what sort of thing you could show in your work here’s some general ideas:
Packing an order
Prepping your workspace
Making a product
Writing a post
Getting ready for a client call
Cleaning up after a job
A part of your daily routine
The idea is to visually show your process, either through short video clips (ideal) or photos, and pair it with something you write or say that gives us insight into how or why you do it.
If you’re keen to give this a go here’s the steps you need to take:
STEP ONE: Choose What to Show
Write done a few ideas. My suggestion to my coaching group was to become aware of your routine over the next week and jot down things you do every day you could document.
The choose the first one you are going to focus on
STEP TWO: Break It Into a Visual Story
You can use photos or video to record your process - planning makes sure you remember to record yourself doing all the essential parts.
Every good visual has a beginning, middle, and end.
Use this plan:
WHAT AM I PLANNING TO SHOW
(e.g. setting up a treatment space)
WHY IT MATTERS:
(e.g. I want people to see how much care I take)
BEGINNING:
(e.g. gathering what I need)
MIDDLE:
(e.g. setting things out and lighting the candle)
END:
(e.g. finished room, soft music playing)
WHAT I WANT THEM TO THINK/FEEL:
(e.g. “I’d feel safe and calm here.”)
Then… you’re ready to create!
PS: I also call this “goat in a tree” content… So in doing this you officially become a top notch GOAT IN A TREE business owner!