Brand storytelling is a way of connecting your business to your customers by letting them know what your brand stands for and the values that you share with your customers. Through branding you can share a story with your customers using a narrative, welcoming the customer along on a journey to understand your business and why they should trust you above your competitors.
At the heart of your story is the customer and around that you want people to identify what your business values are. The values represent the characteristics of your business such as how your employees come across to the customer and how you want people to perceive your business. Story telling is becoming ever more important as businesses are facing increased competition so you shouldn’t be forcing sales, instead focus on why your business exists and what you stand for so you can help to build a loyal customer base.
Be authentic: Don’t exaggerate, be honest about what your brand stands for as this will help to build up rapport and turn potential customers into long life loyal customers. People are more likely to relate to a brand that is authentic, than one that has values that appear to be unrealistic.
Simplicity is key: Nowadays our attentions spans are a lot shorter, so people don’t want to spend a long time reading what a business’s values are. Try and stick to a short and key message that you want people to take away when discovering your business.
Think creatively: When coming up with a story for your brand try and think outside of the box. We live in a digital world where there is there is so much competition so to stand out you need to be prepared to take risks and be bold.
Consider the language you are using: People are more likely to remember your brand if you use emotive and engaging language that connects you to the end consumer. Try and make your brand sound like a human that people can relate to and connect with.
Plan: Planning your story is important, you want to have a clear beginning, middle, and end that is easy to understand and not too complicated. If the story is too complicated to follow, you’ll disengage potential customers which could have long term damage on your business.
Before you start to create a story for your brand, check out the following links to see some of the best brand stories available which may inspire some of your own ideas!
https://medium.com/nicely-said/11-of-the-best-brand-story-examples-af098e4ea911
https://blog.gwi.com/marketing/brand-storytelling/
For more information about storytelling visit the Marketing Insider Group:
What Is Brand Storytelling?