Crafting An Effective Brand Story
The years go by and one thing remains true - Success really is all about who you know. Networking, climbing the corporate ladder, forming strategic partnerships, nurturing relationships that serve you, and cutting off the ones that don’t.
Branding is all about relationships, too. You define the ideal partners for your brand by identifying customer personas, you nurture the relationship with marketing funnels and content creation, and you hope that one day your brand rounds the corner from being someone they’ve heard of to someone they connect with, even love.
The story you tell with your brand is the heart of your business. It’s what turns casual visitors into loyal, die hard customers. By crafting a narrative that connects on an emotional level. Because logic says, "I don’t need a hat," but emotion sweeps in with, "I don't really need a hat now, but I absolutely love it and can't resist!"
Elements of an Effective Brand Story
To weave a brand story that connects, focus on -
AUTHENTICITY
Be genuine about your journey. We’re all sick of the fake fluff, we want REAL LIFE.
RELATABILITY
Make sure your audience can see themselves in your story. You don’t want to come off as out of touch, you want to be relatable to them where they’re at. A lot of celebrities miss the mark on this (remember the “just hang out in a wing of your house that you don’t normally visit” tips during Covid lol).
VISION AND MISSION
Clearly articulate your purpose. Your brand foundation should be a guiding light for the story you build.
CHALLENGES AND TRIUMPHS
In line with being authentic, people are sick of just seeing everyone’s highlight reels online. They want to learn about the highs AND the lows of your brand’s journey.
Crafting Your Brand Story
Well, where do we start?
IDENTIFY YOUR CORE VALUES & MISSION
It all starts with brand foundation. Understand and define what drives your brand and your core beliefs.
DEFINE THE PROBLEM YOU SOLVE
Understand your audience’s pain points and how you address them.
SHARE YOUR JOURNEY
Talk about your beginnings, challenges faced, and success stories.
HIGHLIGHT YOUR IMPACT
Share how your brand has made a difference in your customers’ lives.
A Strong Brand Story
JUST DO IT.
The fact that I don’t even have to tell you what brand I’m talking about is a prime example of the power of a brand story. Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan was created in 1987. They’ve been long weaving their brand story of overcoming obstacles and striving for greatness.
The latest saga in their brand story, and in her brand story, is Sha'Carri Richardson. I have been obsessed with following the epic journey that this amazing woman has been on. People around the entire world feel emotionally connected to her journey - because they’ve been able to witness her highs and her lows via the media.
We collectively saw her make history qualifying for the Olympics, be knocked down and disqualified, bounce back a little rough, and then launch forward with a vengeance and grit like no other. I guarantee her story connects with more people now because of the fact that there are highs AND lows. We are invested in this story.
& she just signed a $20M 5-year deal with Nike because they recognize the power that her brand has and the value it brings to furthering their brand story.
Tips For Crafting Your Brand Story
Let’s dive deeper!
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Avoid jargon. Make your story easy for your audience to understand.
BE HONEST
Authenticity + Transparency = Trust
MAKE CUSTOMERS YOUR HEROES
Show how your brand helps them achieve their goals.
USE VISUALS
Enhance your story with compelling images and videos.
Storytelling is a powerful tool to connect your brand with the right audience and make meaningful connections. Start sharing your story today and watch how it transforms your brand.
