The power of EQ: How to enhance your brand online through storytelling

Right, so you’ve stumbled across the term EQ.

You've heard it used here and there in the past and know it has something to do with people, since Mary from HR fired through a personality test at work once and then pinned your entire team's results to the lunchroom wall.

Yours described the goal-oriented, analytical type with a knack for team building. Your colleague Sam's included things like resilience and empathy and you vaguely recall him rattling off something about having high EQ. But you were too busy administering multiple tasks at once to pay real attention.

Now here you are, scrolling an article about how EQ could help your brand thrive online. If you’re a forward-thinking business owner or entrepreneur, you’re likely interested in learning new and exciting ways to enhance your brand profile and might be asking,

What exactly is EQ again?

EQ is the abbreviation for Emotional Quotient, which is the measure of emotional intelligence. You have IQ and then there’s EQ. In short, EQ is the ability to relate to and connect with people from all walks of life. It's a sparkling bundle of empathy, curiosity, street smarts, introspection and effective communication.

Think of it a little like this:

Scenario A)

You grew up in a quiet beach town in a modest single-story home your parents owned, with a couple of handmade tyre swings to keep you occupied when you weren’t climbing fruit trees (yes, it was me). Years later, you bump into a socialite at a work event, e.g. someone with zero affiliation to the shoddy school holiday jobs you suffered through as a teen to save for a concert ticket. You greet them and despite the obvious parallels - aka chalk and a really fine cheese - you manage to slip into conversation and watch with curiosity as they maneuver the big city party scene. As they talk loudly about their new online business selling fat burners, you contemplate the deep vulnerability behind their glistening persona and glossy pout. You nod attentively, as talk turns from Instagram follows to that time they hit rock bottom. They begin pouring their heart out to you, a stranger from another world, between sips of Aperol Spritz.

Scenario B)

Another day you’re asked to cover a news story and find yourself at the entrance of a garage behind a house, in the city’s lowest socio-economic suburb. Three kids rush out of the crammed garage-turned-home and their father emerges holding a newborn. You feel his guard’s up and you drop your own, knowing kindness is all this bereaved dad needs right now. The kids shriek and dash about beside you, one girl hugging your leg. You joke with the guy about your own daughter’s antics and he lets down his guard an inch. Eventually, he’s talking to you about the absolute heartbreak of losing his partner during childbirth. Suddenly, her grieving mother emerges from the house in a dressing gown, taking in the unfamiliar site of a magazine team. The rawness is confronting but you hold her gaze and smile gently, offering your condolences. She breaks into sobs and without a thought, walks in for a hug. “My girl, my girl,” she tells you. “She was only 24.”

EQ can be great for capturing life as it is, which takes me to my next point:

Genuine Storytelling is important if you want readers to truly engage.

You see what I did there, in the scenarios above? I showed you the information I wanted to share with you, in hope a quick visual scene would give you a taste for the type of work I do. I wanted you to see what EQ Storytelling is all about, rather than simply telling you, ‘I’m a writer who does interviews and I’m OK at it because I like people and find them interesting’.

I wanted to pull you in and keep you reading. To create something quick and fun, or heartfelt. You see, content doesn’t have to be generic black and white words on a page for it to be credible.

Sometimes the greatest results come from the subtle information and messages weaved into an engaging piece of content. Don’t be afraid to shape a brand story that’s honest, personable, fresh and a real reflection of you.