📣 You know it when you hear it

‍

We all know a good story when we hear one. From our childhood favorites to watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster, the elements of a captivating story are largely the same.

‍

• Layered characters
• Conflicts
• Rising action
• Climax
• Conclusion

‍

Telling a personable story isn’t easy. This is especially true for a for-profit brand. So, how are we to use our brand’s story to connect with our customers and drive our sales? 

‍

Make the customer the star of the show!

‍

🧑 Now it’s personal

‍

If you’re the founder of the brand, circle back to the reason why you created the brand in the first place. Ask yourself the question: Which of my pain points did my product solve?

‍

That problem you were looking to solve for yourself is likely one that your customers face too. Instead of focusing on product details, unique selling points (USPs), and data, think of how your brand might benefit the customer in more sociable terms. With your product:

‍

• Do consumers have more time for the important stuff in life? 
• Will consumers feel better about their bodies or minds? 
• Are your consumers contributing to a noble cause by supporting you?

‍

Answering yes to any of these questions means that you have a compelling reason for consumers to invest in your product. These answers are also what consumers truly care about when looking to purchase a product. 

‍

🙌 Solutions people care about

‍

Your product should be the reason for the resolution in your story and not the resolution itself. 

‍

For example, if you sell watches, your narrative could be:

‍

❌ “Our watch tells the time down to the exact millisecond.” 

‍

This isn’t compelling and frames your brand as pushing your product solely for profit and not for the consumer’s benefit.  

‍

Compare that angle to something like:

‍

📗 “You'll never be late for an event again, no matter the conditions you face while wearing this watch.”

‍

Profit is the goal in both narratives but the approach to profit makes all the difference in how your consumers perceive your brand. 

‍

Situational and emotional angles are far more impactful than stating your watch is built with carbon-fiber, NASA-approved hex mesh. 😒

‍

📚 There’s an art to it 

‍

If you need to brush up on your storytelling skills, check out this Masterclass blog post for a few tips.

‍

Conflict, central message, and structure all play vital roles in conventional stories and it’s no different for your brand’s story. 

‍

Emotional weight, consequences, and morals can all help emphasize the importance and value of your brand in a consumer’s daily routine. 

‍

⚖️ The happy medium

‍

Use a format that connects with your audience. Take note of your most active platform and start there. 

‍

If your brand amassed a huge Twitter/X following, use threads and include images to pack a punch in bite-sized content. 

‍

Platforms like blogs (or even Instagram’s 2.2K character limit!) allow you to provide a bit more context around who you are and why you do what you do.

‍

Cater to your audience's reading preference to ensure they actually read your story. An avid Twitter/X user isn’t going to sit down to read a 2K-word blog post about how you found the brand. 

‍

🙌 Where to preach?

‍

Brand stories are often located on ‘About Us’ pages and only benefit your sitemap when search engines crawl it and push your site to results pages.  

‍

Brand stories also can be found on social media posts, blog entries, or even as short as a bio! 

‍

Wherever your story is, you need to convey why supporting your brand’s vision is important and beneficial to your customer.