How to tell your brand story
A brand story is a narrative that paints a clear, distinct and detailed picture of what the organization is all about. As a marketing technique, brand stories go beyond the traditional show and tell methods that have been used so rampantly in the past; they delve deeper into what the company is at its core- its very soul. Therefore, a brand story is not just a marketing tool, but rather an all encompassing account of the company’s aspirations and tribulations. Such stories humanize the brand by giving it a unique persona, allowing people to relate to it in a deeply emotional way.
Here’s what you need to tell your own brand story:
Know your story
You can’t tell an effective brand story if you don’t have a clear grasp of it in the first place. Your company’s story is more than just the products you are trying to sell. It starts from the very idea behind the foundation of the business and covers the ups and downs on the journey to the present, as well as where the organization aims to be in the future, and the people that have been and will be a part of it.
Your story should explain what your brand is, why it was created and for whom, while also explaining how the product itself is made and where to find it.
Authenticity is paramount here. It does no good to lie about your story because in this digital age, sooner or later, the truth will come out. Moreover, the point of sharing your story is to build a lasting bond between your brand and its consumers, and it is highly unlikely that they would remain loyal after realizing that they’ve been duped.
Know your audience
Brand stories aim to foster deep and meaningful relationships between the brand and its consumers. It would be very difficult to successfully market a competitive brand to the whole world, or even just one country, given how different people’s tastes and preferences are. As such, targeted advertising usually provides much better results when it comes to overall sales and customer loyalty.
By targeting a select demographic with narratives showcasing your brand’s unique capabilities in solving their specific problems, you will foster the growth of a long-lasting emotional bond between the consumers and your company. The only way to do this successfully is to learn as much as you possibly can about your audience- their day to day lives and struggles, their consumer trends, their finances, their hopes and dreams- really anything that will help you find a narrative they can relate to.
Craft your narrative
Once you know your story and the audience you are going to share it with, it is time to craft your narrative. All it takes for a brand story to be good is making sure it is loaded with emotional value. The story needs to be completely unique to your brand and easily relatable for your target audience.
Simplicity will serve you well in the making of your story. Audiences are more likely to respond to a straight-forward account of how effective your brand is against their specific problems, such as using your own customers to illustrate how the product satisfied their needs in the past, and how their lives are better for it. A story like this, presented in visuals and dialogue, will feel very real to the audience and will in effect leave a distinct impression in their minds that will last a long time.
Share your brand story
For your story to have the desired effect, it needs to reach as wide an audience as possible. Make sure the story is easy to access and share by spreading it across any and all platforms possible in as many formats as you can. Actively encourage people to share your story by engaging them in conversations about the brand, which will also serve to make them feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves.
Brand story example
Take Airbnb as a case study.
Airbnb is an online market where, among other activities, homeowners can offer their property up for rent to travellers. The company doesn’t own any properties itself, but rather acts as a platform for other people to offer up their own. As such, Airbnb makes their customers their central marketing point through the personal stories they share on their travels.
The company started with its three founders renting out a mattress on the floor to earn some extra cash for bills. They began by first telling their story as one of a service where travellers can find homes to stay in, not just accommodations. After holding interviews with hosts and travellers all around the world, their story evolved into one of simply belonging and created the tagline “Belong anywhere”. The company’s brand now revolves around the central mission of creating a world where people can belong anywhere.
While undertaking these interviews, Airbnb realized that the best and most credible information about their operations lay with the people who used it every day. These people were able to share their travel experiences in so many different and genuine ways, not to mention it was a lot cheaper than sending people to all their hosted properties to collect information. Having different people sharing their own personal stories about Airbnb also helped the company reach a wider range of people since different aspects of a place appeal to different kinds of people.
These shared stories use stunning high quality content to showcase different travel experiences around the world and help introduce the property owners to potential renters who would be hesitant to stay in a stranger’s home. Without its brand of storytelling, Airbnb would not be as successful as it is today.
Here are some more real brand stories to help you get started on your storytelling journey.
Conclusion
Recent years have seen a tremendous change in how people relate with the brands they use. Consumers are not only searching for solutions to their problems but also genuine human connections while they do it. With the advent of new technologies and multiple social media platforms, companies have been steadily realizing the importance of a good brand story. People forget mission statements and logos but not a good story that they can relate to and once people form an emotional connection with your brand they become loyal customers for life. Therefore, a good brand story is essential if you want your company to succeed in the 21st century.