February 15, 2021 6 min read
The opinions expressed by the entrepreneur’s contributors are their own.
Now what if I asked you what your company is doing? And what if I told you that you only have 30 seconds to land that perfect elevator distance? Would you make it
If you hesitated, let me tell you that this is not uncommon. You are part of a large group that cannot explain what their business is doing in a way that others can understand. “No news” is widespread. The good news is that, like other “less” disorders, there is a cure.
And what’s the cure you ask? A healthy dose of brand story marketing.
In a world where we compete with all kinds of brands, nailing your message down is crucial. Having a brand story means taking your prospect on an emotional journey. It sets you apart and leaves a lasting impression – an open invitation to make a connection (a fan) for life.
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What does this mean for your company?
How do people connect? We meet, we exchange ideas, opinions, beliefs and anecdotes. Then we tell each other exactly what we did. In short, we share stories. It is a primal instinct to do this when we meet new people and when we connect with other people. We test whether we share the same values, likes and dislikes or beliefs. to know if we belong to the same clique.
Same goes for business. Telling and relating each other’s stories is a foolproof way of cultivating a lasting and memorable bond between your brand and your customers. A brand story tells them how your company can help them in a way that attracts everyone with the same values.
According to a study by Headstream, if people love your brand story, 55% of people will buy your product in the future, 44% share your account, and 15% will buy your product right away. That’s how important your brand story is.
To tell a great brand story, you need to understand the basics of storytelling first. Everyone knows that every great story has a beginning, a middle and an end. “What most of us don’t know is what’s going where. Even fewer people know what is going on in each of these sections. May these great story architects guide us on our journey to tell a great story.
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1. The Hero’s Journey, Joseph Campbell
“The Hero’s Journey” or “Monomyth” is a standard template for world-famous stories based on Joseph Campbell’s book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”.
Essentially, it refers to a broad category of stories in which a character (your client) sets out to get what they need, faces conflict, and ultimately triumphs over adversity, is led by your brand and then comes home changed or transformed.
The Hero’s Journey has become a staple of Hollywood movies, adventure books, and stories. This framework reflects both our personal and business travels and how we see ourselves.
The hero with a thousand faces has inspired writers from literature, music, films and video games. Perhaps best known is that George Lucas attributed Campbell to influencing the structure of the Star Wars films.
The hero of your brand story is your customer. You are at the center of a meaningful journey that your company is taking you. You take them out of their ordinary world and return with them, new knowledge in hand and forever changed for the better.
By using the Hero’s Journey template to create your story, your company can create a narrative that your customers will never forget.
2. The Story Circle, Dan Harmon
Dan Harmon’s Story Circle, a condensed version of Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey, is a story structure that is divided into eight different parts according to a protagonist’s journey. In broad terms, it’s always about a character going out to get what they need and then coming back after they’ve changed.
The Story Circle Framework uses a narrative arc found in myths from around the world and emphasizes how cyclical almost all forms of storytelling are.
If you ever want to analyze this paradigm, you’ve come to the right place at Community, Rick and Morty, The Simpsons, and even Doctor Strange. It’s an approach that many other writers have taken, including IT crowd developer Graham Linehan.
The Story Circle framework helps you put the customer first. From there, they can relate to your brand and company and imagine what they can accomplish with your products.
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3. StoryBrand Framework, Donald Miller
In his book Building a StoryBrand, Donald Miller describes the StoryBrand framework, a marketing messaging tool that business leaders use to clarify their message using a seven-part method that harnesses the power of the story.
Miller suggests using a Hero’s Journey framework for your marketing message and your company’s branding experience. This can help make your business an invaluable asset in your customers’ lives, if used correctly. Companies can use it to simplify their brand message by taking a history-steeped communication approach that puts the customer first.
Clarifying your message through the StoryBrand formula will, as Miller puts it, “organize your thinking, reduce your marketing effort, remove confusion, scare competition and finally make your business grow again”.
Tell your authentic story
You have all the ingredients – now tell your story. Whether you’re using it to create new content or make the first impression, make sure you get real and tell your truth. Be honest about the adversity you have faced and how you work to overcome it. People will not relate to your continued success. It is the challenging journey of pursuing your goals, getting knocked down and ultimately finding a path to success. Clarify your company’s message to connect personally with your customers while growing your business and creating fans.
Embracing the structure of story frameworks can be your superpower. The next time the elevator door opens, you’ll have an epic story – a story with a compelling narrative that puts your customer first – a story with emotional experiences. Now you can spread it across your customers’ journey to improve their lives and get business results.
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