How to Create a Powerful Brand Story
With outsiders likely driving conversations about your company, it’s more important than ever to build strong brand messaging that permeates your marketing materials.
Does your company have control over its brand?
Most organizations make an effort to influence the perception of their brand through social media, various marketing efforts, and customer service. However, not everyone fully appreciates how quickly brands are made and remade in the public eye.
Thanks to a combination of social media and the ubiquity of Yelp-style reviews on all services and products, information asymmetry has taken a nosedive over the last few years. On the other side of that coin, many companies aren’t initiating — or even participating in — the majority of the conversations about themselves.
With outsiders likely driving conversations about your company, it’s more important than ever to build strong brand messaging that permeates your marketing materials, user experience, internal communications, and more.
That’s where a brand story comes in.
Brand stories are an extension of your company’s core messaging. Beyond values and mission statement, they include your history, challenges, and triumphs. In short, they put your messaging into a linear narrative format.
Why stories?
Good storytelling doesn’t only hold your attention. It affects you physically and chemically. There’s evidence that hearing a well-told story releases oxytocin, a hormone responsible for feelings of human connection. It also activates mirror neurons, which tell your brain that you and another person have performed similar actions.
In simpler terms, storytelling literally creates empathy.
For companies with a well-defined brand story that permeates their communications, customers who interact with those communications will feel a sense of being part of the story. They’re not just customers or users; they’re a part of something larger than themselves.
Of course, defining your brand story and understanding where to apply it is no easy task. Good storytelling is a talent many people toil their entire lives to perfect. Luckily, all the best brand stories — and stories in general — include a handful of common elements. When you learn to recognize and include these, you’ll be well on your way.
Here are the four elements of a powerful brand story.
1. The hero’s journey
The hero’s journey is a concept as old as writing itself. Classically, it involves a central hero embarking on some journey, facing a number of ordeals, winning a decisive crisis, and finally returning home forever changed.
There are many variations, but the vast majority of great stories throughout history involve the hero’s journey in one way or another.
In your brand story, you can think of the brand itself and your team as the collective hero. Your brand’s inception was the call to adventure, and helping the world to access and benefit from the services you offer is the challenge the hero confronts.
An important difference between this hero’s journey and the classical one is that you shouldn’t think of your brand journey as complete. You want to situate yourself in the middle of the action (in medias res, to use the literary term) so that your audience feels the excitement of your story unfolding.
This brings us to the next important element.
2. Putting your users in the story
The point of developing your core messaging as a story is to create empathy among users and make them feel they are a part of the adventure.
To facilitate this, it’s important to weave them into the fabric of your narrative. Your users can be either heroes or allies to the hero, as long as they are active participants in the action. This should be present throughout your UX and marketing copy.
The image above provides a great example. Regardless of the specific space theme, notice how the company shows the users as taking an adventure and working together to execute their mission.
If the challenge of the hero’s journey is helping the world to gain the benefits of your service, center the copy around users realizing those benefits and helping others to as well. Talk about them in the second person and celebrate the small steps they take in their journey. For example, if you sell project management software, assigning and completing tasks are small steps in accomplishing your mission. Celebrate users who do that as part of your story.
3. Well defined values
Details are what makes a story great. Even when the plot isn’t entirely original, a story with three-dimensional characters and detailed scenes will stick in readers’ collective memory.
The details through which your brand distinguishes itself are your brand values. Even companies that do very similar things are distinct because of the values they emphasize. Companies that don’t clearly understand and communicate their values fail to stand out.
How you define your values affects the central challenges of the hero’s journey, as well as what user actions you emphasize in your story.
What value does your product or service provide? What problems are you proudest to solve for your customers? How would the world look with everyone using your tool? These questions lead you to the values you need to communicate.
4. Strong, memorable presentation
What good is defining your brand story if you don’t know how to present it in a way that people will read and remember?
As we mentioned earlier, pieces of your story should be present throughout your marketing materials, UX copy, and internal communications. You can include your story details in your slides templates for Google Slides which will customize them to suit your needs when you use them. In addition, the story lives in its complete, contiguous form somewhere accessible.
If a coworker asks you where to find the brand story, you should be able to tell them.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that someone will actually read that story — or any of the communications that make use of it. There is evidence that the average human attention span has shrunk to less than that of a goldfish. Beyond the other elements of good storytelling mentioned here, any piece of content needs to be linear, visually impressive, and snackable if it’s to be read and remembered.
We’ve learned that including visual elements such as full-screen background videos grow engagement by up to 400%. Personalizing content based on data about the reader’s industry, location, and demographics increases reading time by 71% and social shares by 75%. These are two strong examples of why you should present your content in a jaw-dropping, memorable way.
Conclusion
Every communication, every piece of marketing collateral you produce is colored by your brand’s messaging. With the way online conversations about brands happen today, that messaging is a continually evolving story. For the health of your company, it’s important to remain the protagonist of that story.
Luckily, by understanding the elements of good storytelling and using them to your advantage, you will have a lot more control over the outcome. By telling your story well and consistently, you lower the chances that someone else will tell it instead.
FAQ
What is a brand story, and why is it important for businesses?
A brand story is a narrative that conveys a company’s values, mission, and personality. It’s crucial because it humanizes the brand and connects with customers on a deeper level.
How can a brand identify its unique story and voice in the market?
Brands can identify their unique story by reflecting on their history, values, and the problems they aim to solve. Finding their voice involves defining a consistent tone and style.
What elements should be included in a compelling brand story?
A compelling brand story should include the brand’s origin, its mission, the problem it addresses, its values, and the emotional impact it seeks to create.
How can storytelling techniques, such as the hero’s journey, be applied to crafting a brand narrative?
Brands can use storytelling frameworks like the hero’s journey to create a relatable and engaging brand story where the customer is the hero and the brand is the guide.
What role does authenticity play in a brand story, and how can brands maintain authenticity in their storytelling?
Authenticity is crucial as it builds trust. Brands should stay true to their values, be transparent, and avoid exaggeration or insincerity in their storytelling.
How can visuals and multimedia elements enhance a brand story?
Visuals and multimedia elements like videos, images, and infographics can make a brand story more captivating and memorable, helping to convey the message effectively.
How can a brand story be integrated into various marketing channels, including social media and content marketing?
Brands can share their story through consistent messaging and visuals across social media, blog posts, videos, and other content to reinforce their narrative.
What are some examples of businesses with powerful brand stories that have resonated with consumers?
Notable examples include brands like Apple, Nike, and TOMS, which have effectively communicated their values and missions through compelling brand stories.
How can small businesses and startups create impactful brand stories on a limited budget?
Small businesses can leverage storytelling in their marketing, share personal anecdotes, and use user-generated content to create meaningful brand narratives.
What metrics can be used to measure the effectiveness of a brand story in building brand loyalty and customer engagement?
Metrics like customer retention, brand mentions, engagement rates, and surveys can help measure the impact of a brand story on brand loyalty and engagement.
How can storytelling be used to differentiate a brand in a competitive market?
Storytelling allows a brand to stand out by highlighting its unique values, experiences, and perspectives that competitors may not possess.
What tips can businesses follow to make their brand story memorable to customers?
To make a brand story memorable, use relatable characters, evoke emotions, maintain consistency, and focus on a central message or theme.
What is the role of customer testimonials and success stories in reinforcing a brand’s narrative?
Customer testimonials and success stories provide real-life examples that validate a brand’s claims and make the narrative more convincing.
How can a brand story evolve and adapt to changes in the business environment or market trends?
A brand story should be flexible and adaptable, allowing it to incorporate new developments while staying true to the core values and mission.
What are the ethical considerations when crafting a brand story, especially in industries like health or environmental conservation?
In sensitive industries, brands must ensure that their storytelling is honest, avoids misinformation, and aligns with ethical standards and regulations.
How can storytelling be used in crisis management and reputation repair for a brand?
Storytelling can help a brand navigate crises by addressing issues transparently, taking responsibility, and outlining plans for improvement.
Are there any common pitfalls to avoid when creating a brand story?
Common pitfalls include overcomplicating the story, lacking authenticity, neglecting customer input, and failing to adapt to changing market dynamics.
Can nonprofit organizations benefit from crafting compelling brand stories, and if so, how?
Nonprofits can benefit by using brand stories to connect with donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries, effectively conveying their impact and mission.
What are some creative approaches to sharing a brand’s history and evolution in its storytelling?
Brands can use timelines, vintage imagery, and anecdotes from their journey to engage audiences in their history and evolution.
How can businesses leverage user-generated content and community stories to enhance their brand narrative?
Encouraging customers and communities to share their experiences and stories related to the brand can create a sense of belonging and authenticity.
Author bio
Ritesh is a digital marketing manager with years of experience in driving growth. He’s currently the director of inbound marketing at Foleon. You can find more about him on his LinkedIn profile.
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