How to Craft a Brand Story That Attracts Customers

You just launched a big promotion. Some people bought, but there were also a lot of people who passed on your offer.  You can’t help wondering why… 

The products and services you sell are top-notch and you really felt like you nailed your marketing message.

Or did you you?

Let’s take a step back. (I know that’s hard to do in today’s world of pushing content at break-neck speed, but it saves you so much time and money down the road.) I want you to think about the last important buying decision you had to make.

How did you first learn about that company or person? Maybe you discovered them through word-of-mouth, a podcast, blog post, LinkedIn article or Google Search.  You landed on their web site.  Their home page was clear on what they do.  But like most people, you wanted to know a little more, so you hopped on over to their About page. 

Then there’s your About page. 

The About page (one of the places your brand story lives) is the second most viewed page on your website. (HubSpot). What does yours say about you?  

Could your brand story be why you don’t have as many clients as you’d like?

What is a brand story? 

A simplified definition of a brand story is the narrative about your business — it can include what was going on before your business was started, the transformation or challenge that occurred to create your business and now, and what your business stands for. But if we stopped there, we’d miss the true essence of what a brand story is and how it can help your business be more successful. 

See, a brand story is about making a connection with your audience. It’s tying the “how your business came to be and what you do” to “who you help and why.” 

Your brand story includes the transformation you help create in your customers and the challenges you can help them overcome. 

 When we visit your About page, we’re looking for your story. We want to know:

·      How do you help people like me accomplish my goals? 

·      Can you solve my problem?

·      What kind of challenges have you overcome?

·      What makes you an expert? 

·      Why are you in this business?

·      Who are you, what do you believe, and what’s important to you? 

As you’ll notice…

These questions are not about you and your business.  They focus on the prospective customer. When you tell your brand story correctly, you help the prospect see why YOU are uniquely qualified to solve their problem. 

If you’re simply writing the history of the company and where you’re located or the awards you’ve won - as you see many businesses do, you’ve missed the mark. Of course, we want to know how successful you are but we want to know that because it helps answer an even more important question we have… 

How can you make ME successful? 

How do you de-commoditize your business? 

If you don’t clearly understand your story, you’ll struggle to differentiate yourself. You’ll be a commodity with the same products and services as the next company. 

None of us want that. 

So, what’s the most important aspect of telling your story? 

We’re talking about telling YOUR story so this might seem counterintuitive, but the most important part of deciding how and what parts of your story to tell, starts with your audience.

Who are they and what part of your story will resonate with them? 

Knowing that and then mirroring back their experience through your story will put you light years ahead of your competitors in terms of making a connection with your target market. 

They need to see themselves in your story. Make it matter. 

 Find your ideal customer and speak directly to them in your marketing. 

Once you’re crystal clear about what your customers care about, then you can show them that you truly understand their situation and can be their guide to the other side.

With the competitive landscape of today, you want to leverage the ONE THING that differentiates you from everyone else and that’s your story - told well. It’s your competitive advantage. 

Also, you want to think long and hard to get past facts and figures to the emotionally compelling elements of your story to inspire your prospective customer. 

The format for telling your brand story

After you’ve brainstormed and put pen to paper to get this all down, you’re ready to put your brand story on your website and in your marketing materials. 

This is a process you can do internally by inviting sales, marketing, customer service and, depending on the type of business, production, to a brainstorming session.    

Following a brand story format can not only help you wrangle your thoughts but also have your story lead to more sales from happy customers.  

In an upcoming blog post, I will discuss the elements of a brand story format.   Watch for it soon!

Happy Branding!   - Kris