There are many moving parts to successfully marketing your business. It’s easy to get distracted with the technical content creation and marketing techniques that are said to make the difference. What’s often forgotten is that consumers appreciate authenticity. They want to know more about the businesses they buy from. The demand for a sense of human connection is back. Using a brand story is the ideal way to create this invisible thread between you and your consumers.
First of all, what is a Brand Story?
One of the common mistakes in brand storytelling is making the assumption that you must deliver a neatly packaged linear narrative. The word ‘story’ can be misleading, especially if you’re new to the marketing world. The first thing to understand about your brand story is the purpose it serves. Your brand story should communicate the essence of your business, service, and/or product.
Nevertheless, communicating the essence of your business in a way that will get through to consumers does include a basic formula. This is what you need to share through your brand story:
The Who
The first thing consumers want to learn about is who you are. They want to know where you started, what culture and values you embrace, and what mission you live by. It’s not only about you, of course. Exploring the Who also involves making it clear who you are trying to help through your business.
Answer these questions:
- Who are your target customers?
- Why are you the right person to help?
The What
Don’t leave consumers guessing or trying to fill in any gaps. Make it explicitly clear what service or product you provide. It’s critical to portray your business and product for what it is. This helps create trust and loyalty from consumers.
Answer this question:
What’s your sales pitch, how do you sell your business?
The Why
You can take the time to share your driving vision with consumers. They will want to know what made you start the journey to provide your service or product. Just make sure that you focus mainly on why it benefits them.
Answer this question:
-
- What problem are you solving?
The Where
Sharing your ideas for future growth with your consumers will give them the sense that they are investing in something bigger than themselves. Your ‘where’ should be practical yet visionary. You want consumers to feel like they are supporting an important cause.
Answer this question:
-
- Where are you going and why?
The How
Consumer loyalty is one of the most important parts of building and growing your brand. Give your followers an inside look into your brand story by allowing them access to details about the process that goes into creating your product or service.
Answer this question:
-
- How (and why) are you different/better than your competition?
Outline Your Audience
Before you start telling your brand story, get clear on your target audience. You need to be thinking about your potential customer as someone you would have a normal conversation with. Think about your audience as individuals and ask yourself questions about them.
- What are their hobbies?
- What does a standard day in their life look like?
- What type of media do they use?
- What common ‘problems’ might they be trying to solve?
- What’s their income range and education level?
Fostering a specific image of your ideal customer will help you fine tune your brand story. When you think about this specific customer, you will be inspired to think about new ways your service or product can address their concerns.
You can then use your brand story to tell your audience that you are aiming to help them.
Authenticity and Originality
Let go of the need to create a spectacle. Authenticity is what modern consumers are after. Your brand story should dig deep into the depths of the truth of what prompted your business and deliver the real story to consumers.
Don’t leave out any of the real people, situations, emotions, and facts that were involved in creating and growing your business. Telling your brand story from genuine truth will create the human connection your potential customers want.
The Human Connection
Once you establish the human connection through the truth of your brand story, you need to maintain it. How can you do that? By reminding consumers how your business touches the lives of real people like them.
Using examples of other consumers is an effective strategy. But only if it’s done in an authentic way! Focus on keeping examples about people who are specific but still universally relevant.
Embrace your brand story as a tool you can use to spark interest in your business and develop a long-lasting relationship with consumers. Stick to truth and connection and you’ll build a loyal following.
Sources:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232069
https://www.columnfivemedia.com/6-ways-tell-brand-story-piece-content
https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/marketing-tips-how-to-tell-a-brand-story-people-will-love/
