Some of the world’s most valuable brands have one thing in common: they know how to tell a story. From Nike to Apple and Ben & Jerry’s, established brands have the ability to come up with clear images that customers can associate with their businesses.
This is because these companies have a unique and compelling story to tell – all of which elegant detail the history and philosophy of their business. Through this strategy, you can build a strong relationship with your customers and turn them into loyal patrons. You may think that creating a brand story can be as simple as writing on a blank comic strip, but it actually a lot of research and similar efforts to arrive at a thought-provoking idea.
Find meaning in your business
You can’t create a story if you don’t even know or understand your brand. To start, you need to know what your business is doing, why you do what you do, and why it matters in society. You have to identify your core principles, which cover your purpose, values, mission, vision, and philosophy. When you know the reason for your business’ existence, it will be much easier for you to articulate your brand messaging, including the tagline, value proposition, and manifesto.
Make sure it’s personal
The good thing about brand stories is that you can choose your own tone. You can be funny, entertaining, and even inspirational. However, you need to understand that regardless of the tone, your story should be personal. Your goal here is to connect to your audience, and what better way to do it than telling them how your brand can help them improve their personal lives. You’ve got to make sure that the emotions you will put into the story are authentic.
Don’t make it up!
You’d be surprised by how many brands and businesses are making up stories to draw the audience in. You are not supposed to lie. Don’t over-glamorize or romanticize the story of your brand. Your brand may not have started in a garage, and you don’t have to make it appear that way. You can talk about the greatest challenges that your business has faced and tell a story about how you have overcome them. Again, the main takeaway here is that you need to make sure that your story’s detail is true and correct.
Tell something about your operations
For your tactical and sales-based campaigns, you can tell a brand story via your procedures and operations. It’s a means of opening up to your customers by showing them how their beloved products or services are designed and built. Fashion powerhouse Chanel has been successful with it through their Inside Chanel campaign; one of their videos elegantly talks about the painstaking process of creating the iconic Chanel jacket.
Go out and share your story with the world!
Your story will not matter when people do not hear about it. So spend time spreading it around. Employ media strategies to reach your target audience and prospective leads.
