Powerful brand storytelling has become an essential part of an effective marketing strategy. So, what is brand storytelling, and why is it so important?
Storytelling is not intended to be a “selling” tool. It’s a method of building strong relationships with your customers and a thriving community of loyalists over time.
A good story can tell people who you are, what you value, and what you do to have an impact on the lives of others. Your story identifies what your passions are and should serve as the foundation for all your future content developments.
Here are some reasons storytelling has grown in importance:
Powerful brand storytelling … marketplace has changed
Certainly, you have noticed the tremendous abundance of choice in the marketplace today. No needs go wanting, do they? Consumers have everything they need and therefore their decisions are based on what they want. And what they want is driven by what they believe.
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Why stories and storytelling
Facts often can be boring and overwhelming, can’t they? Stories, though, not nearly as much.
They are much easier to understand and much more entertaining. Therefore they are much better at spreading ideas.
Change your life
Wonder if stories can change your life? They can if people believe they can.
Facts are mostly non-relevant. What matters is what people think and believe.
Story/storytelling characteristics
Awesome stories and the storytelling used to tell them:
Are authentic and people should never question this.
They make a promise that has some meaning to the community.
Are targeted to a particular community.
They make subtle points … and are not overwhelming.
They are a trusted marketing tool.
Stories and storytelling appeal to our senses and not to logic.
And most importantly they are told with a heart to appeal to emotions.
The choice
Keep this in mind about consumer choices. They are not purchasing a physical product or service.
They are purchasing feelings associated with those products and services.
Secrets of success
To be most successful, stories and storytelling must play to these secrets:
They must reinforce existing popular views.
Call attention to something new.
Focus on first impressions.
Tell only what YOU believe.
Be authentic
Business brand storytelling combines five essential aspects.
Let’s look at a piece of content that exemplifies each of these aspects:
Who you are
Use your story to communicate with your customers and potential employees exactly who you are, what got you to where you are and what is important to you.
When people feel like they know you, they become emotionally invested in your company. Your goals become their goals. They share a sense of pride in seeing you succeed.
One great example of this is Harpoon Brewery. Harpoon tells the story of who they were in the very beginning and how they have grown into who they are now.
Everyone loves an origin story. Harpoon does a great job of telling theirs, which is one of friendship and passion. Then they take it a step further by inviting you to become a part of that friendship and joining them for a beer.
Instantly you feel a personal connection with the company and its founders. This comradeship is even apparent in their employee ownership program.
How you solve problems
Your story should explain to your customers exactly how you create solutions that meet their ever-changing needs. It isn’t enough to show how you can solve one immediate problem.
You need to tell them how you continue to work to anticipate and create solutions for potential problems.
99designs is committed to their community of designers and customers, which is apparent in every piece of content they create.
They do a great job of using their story to communicate how they solve problems by highlighting the creativity and ingenuity of their community.
What you specifically do
Using your story to tell what you specifically do communicates what your product or service is. Beyond that, it also communicates your commitment to that product or service.
You can emphasize the impact you are trying to make in the lives of your customers and the larger community.
FTD Flowers does a great job of this. This company has been around for over 100 years.
They have services around the world and their commitment to excellence is constantly evident. FTD communicates their understanding that flowers are an expression of love and must be of the highest quality to accurately represent those feelings.
And they not only make this apparent on their about page. It is on their sales pages as well.
Learn from their example! Your story should be evident across all your sales and marketing assets.
How you add value and care
You can use your story to quickly communicate how you care about your customers, their needs and our world.
At the same time, you can explain how you add value to the lives of others.
Poo-Pourri has done an excellent job of quickly, and with a lot of tasteful humor, explaining that they care about you, your family and our planet.
They communicate all of this and give you a sense of who they are, what they specifically do and how they are solving problems, all in just one quick paragraph.
How you engage
Take your story a step further to help your clientele understand how you engage with the community around you and those that you serve.
You can do this by discussing issues you and your company are passionate about.
Another way is to focus your story on the members that allow your organization to thrive.
Mesa Rim is a local rock climbing gym and is deeply committed to their members and the community they call home. Their storytelling includes monthly member spotlights, which allow their members to voice their story through the brand.
Additionally, they host a monthly volunteer event for both staff and members to attend. This serves as a way to promote through their website and social media channels.
Consumers are becoming more socially conscious. And by integrating these endeavors into their story, Mesa Rim can connect with their customers on an even deeper level.
The bottom line
Storytelling is a great way to let your clientele know exactly who you are, what you are committed to and what you are passionate about – both in your company and in our world.
Brand storytelling helps your customers create a personal connection, build a relationship, and ultimately loyalty to your brand.
Telling your story will help you to stand out from your competitors and be memorable to your customers.
So what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is there is no conclusion. There is only the next step. And that next step is completely up to you. But believe in the effectiveness of word of mouth marketing created by remarkable customer service. And put it to good use.
It’s up to you to keep improving your creative marketing strategies. Lessons are all around you. In this case, your competitor may be providing the ideas and or inspiration. But the key is in knowing that it is within you already.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new lessons.
When things go wrong, what’s most important is your next step.
Try. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy improving your marketing, branding, and advertising?
Do you have a lesson about making your marketing strategy better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.
More reading on marketing strategy from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
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7 Secrets to the Lego Blog Marketing Campaigns … Effective Marketing?
14 Jaw-Dropping Guerilla Marketing Lessons and Examples
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.