Brand stories allow businesses to connect to their audience on a deeper level, and now more than ever, buyers crave a deeper connection in addition to a brand visual identity.
In fact, according to a study by Headstream, if people love a brand story, 55% are more likely to buy a product in the future, 44% will share the story, and 15% will buy the product immediately.”
Why? Because stories resonate. Stories are memorable. Stories last. And that’s exactly what you want to create for your business. But what exactly is a brand story?
What is a Brand Story?
A brand story shares the inception and motivation of your business and why your customer should care in the first place.
Not only does it allow your customers to connect with you, but it also helps them get to know the person/people behind the brand. Thus, trust is born.
Marketing isn’t all about sales and finding the next dollar, it’s about building genuine relationships with customers and creating brand loyalty. One of the best ways to do this is through a brand story.
Here’s an example → Why are movies like Harry Potter, Marvel, and Star Wars so popular? Their brand is powerful.
Think about it. Fans of Captain America want to know how he became who he is, what he stands for, and how he intends to make it happen. Here’s the plot twist… They don’t expect him to be perfect. Why? Because he’s human at the end of the day.
The same is true when you’re thinking about your own brand story. It doesn’t need to be a perfect inception. It just needs to be true to you.
How to Write the Brand Story
Writing a brand story isn’t as easy as creating a simple graphic. It takes time to decide what you want to include, leave out, and develop over time.
Here are a few questions to get you thinking:
- What inspired you to create your brand/business? Was there something that led you to that moment?
- What do you hope to achieve through your brand/business?
- When did you realize your business was starting to gain traction?
Like I mentioned above, your brand story isn’t that far off from Marvel or Harry Potter…
Now before you think, “Okay, I’m not a wizard.”
No, but you don’t have to be. But the elements are the same. Check it out.
Plot → Conflict → Climax → Resolution
These are all elements you can use to create your own brand story… and they’re not so different from the questions asked above.
How to Use Storytelling in Marketing and Messaging
The great thing about your brand story is its ability to be used in all aspects of your marketing. From social media, to your website, to blog posts, you can incorporate aspects of it in everything.
Think of your brand story as the tree trunk and all the stories you can tell as the tree branches. They’re all derived from the same origin story, but you can expand on it in different ways.
I’ll give you a visual… Because who doesn’t love a good visual?
Let’s use Marvel as an example again. The original Thor movie introduces a clever character known as Loki. Although the audience knows quite a bit about Loki throughout the marvel movies, they don’t know everything.
And to expand from the trunk (the brand story), Marvel creators made a show Loki to tell even more stories (the branches).
The branches allow you to expand. Here are a few examples of how you can do this.
Instagram posts → Use a particular element of your brand story and hone in on that (ie. the trenches of becoming a business owner).
Instagram stories → Letting people in on your day-to-day operations and how it’s helping you reach the overall goal.
Blog posts → Teaching a particular topic based on your expertise to build authority (a bit like this blog).
Emails → Use everyday experiences to build a stronger connection with your audience.
Need help creating a welcome sequence for your email list? Head over to this blog to learn how to write one. → How to Write a Welcome Sequence for Your Personal Brand.
About The Author
Rachel Gogos is a multi-passionate entrepreneur with a strong desire to help people by creating strong personal brands and businesses. She’s personally launched dozens of books, e-products, and services; and hundreds of products and services with her clients. She started her career at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, where she helped create the look and feel for the organization’s first website.
Today, in her current role running brandiD, Rachel channels over 15 years of marketing and communications experience into each and every website for brandiD’s clients.
And check out her book, Build Your Brand: The Distinctive Guide to Soul-Based Marketing. It will help you uncover your personal brand.
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