6 Profitable Stories Your Brand Should Be Telling
Everyday, from the moment we first open our inbox, to scrolling our social media feeds, to consuming billboards and radio ads on our way to work - we're immersed in storytelling.
And everyday, your business has the opportunity to become part of that experience - to draw someone into a story and show them how your product or service makes life better, easier, more enjoyable, or a million other desirable options.
While nailing your brand story isn’t something that happens overnight, understanding the options is a great place to start.
Here are the top six brand stories you can adopt to start creating genuine connections with your audience and start seeing more dolla’ dolla’ bills in your bank account:
1) The Transformative Brand Story
The transformative brand story shows your audience how your product or service will get them from one reality to another. That can mean helping them transform physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, financially, etc.
This brand story is most effective when your language creates a vivid picture from a negative state of being to a positive state of being. Use verbiage that takes your audience from visualizations of their current reality {i.e. “Are you tired of spending endless hours doing/being/struggling with {insert current reality}” or “Do you know you were built to do/be/have more but don’t feel like you have the right tools to make it happen?”} to visualizations of the reality they COULD have with your product/service in their life {i.e. “What would it mean to you if/to have/to be...” or “Imagine waking up everyday to {insert better reality}".
2) The Mission & Legacy Brand Story
The mission and legacy brand story pulls on the heart strings of your audience by highlighting how your product or service serves a greater purpose. This brand story is most effective when you put the spotlight on the “other” {i.e. whatever or whoever it is your mission helps}.
Be sure to give your audience a clear, easy-to-follow system for HOW your product or service fulfills the mission or legacy you’ve highlighted. For a “buy one, give one” type of business, that might look as simple as: “Step 1: Shop our blanket collection. Step 2: Pick your pattern & checkout. Step 3: We donate a blanket to a homeless shelter.”.
3) The People-Focused Brand Story
The people-focused brand story uses the humanity of your organization to create relatability and inspire support and connection from your audience. This brand story is most effective when using REAL stories from REAL people in your organization to show your audience the down-to-earth likability of your business.
That means giving your audience more face-time with your company and its employees - including you {sorry, shy people!}. Work to tap into your company’s unique personality to create a “collective” feeling of belonging that your audience wants to be a part of and/or help support.
4) The Pain Point Brand Story
The pain point brand story focuses on a problem, then shows your audience how your product or service solves that problem. This brand story is most effective when using language that highlights the frustration, confusion or anxiety your audience feels around the problem.
Your goal should be to bring the pain point into sharp focus, and then immediately introduce relief and solutions via your product/service. Our brains are wired to avoid pain, which means the transition from pain point to solution is a natural progression our instincts tell us to follow {yay for you!}. If done correctly, the pain point brand story will inevitably lead to sales and growth.
5) The Aspirational Identity Brand Story
The aspirational identity brand story gives your audience a glimpse of how your product or service will help them become the person they want to be. This can be as high-level as helping someone become the best mountain climber in the world by selling incomparable climbing and outdoor gear or it can be as simple as helping someone become a better wine connoisseur by selling them a monthly wine subscription.
This story is most effective when it allows your audience to imagine themselves already owning an identity they covet - rather than focusing on the current lack or problem like you would in a pain point brand story.
For example, if you had a service for custom-fitted mens suits, you might use verbiage like: “Pay homage to your inner Bond” on your website to tap into an aspirational identity.
6) The Inner Child Brand Story
The inner child brand story awakens the playful side of your target audience by appealing to their desire for fun, spontaneity and laughter {or a similarly "feel-good" emotion}. This brand story works well for companies selling an experience {such as Disneyland, Sandals Resorts, or a tour service}, or companies selling products that are either normally regarded as boring {like deodorant} or are purely for pleasure {like throw pillows}.
This story is most effective when it connects with your target audience's sense of humor or delight by appealing to their senses, employing their imagination, giving them an exciting experience or helping them see something simple in a new way.
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