We all love a great story. That certain kind of story that keeps us glued to our seats, holding our breaths in anticipation for more, that kind of story that moves us from one emotion to another without losing its flow. Story telling has been a part of our cultures and part of us from a very young age. It is ingrained in each one of us. So what has a story got to do with your brand? Story telling helps you connect to your target audience, it helps you move from just selling a product or service to an actual connection. What really is a great story? Well for starters it needs to be universal; everyone should be able to identify with it, it needs to have a clear structure and purpose (What is it that you are hoping to achieve?), it needs to appeal to our deepest emotions and lastly it needs to be simple and focused. When it comes to your brand, a story will help you connect with your audience beyond just selling or marketing your product or service. It will help you connect emotionally on a deeper level with your readers, clients and create a sense of belonging. How do you create a great story for your brand?
The hook
What is this problem that needs attention? What is this situation that seems to be bothering your audience? You hook them from the start such that they are held in anticipation of how you are going to solve their issue. How do you come up with the hook? Remember this is where you either capture your audience attention or drop the ball. Start with knowing your audience, who is your target audience (remember when you talk to everyone you are talking to no one). When you identify your audience you can be able to create a hook that is suitable for them. What is it that you hope to achieve? What is your goal? To get more leads? More sign ups? More subscribers? More orders? More traffic? Whatever your intention is, it has to be clear from the start. As an added bonus you can present some philosophical statements, this will help you connect with your audience both intellectually and emotionally. So what exactly is your product or service offering to do?
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Branding is no longer just about the physical aspects (the logo, slogan, colors or the name) – I am not saying they aren’t as important because for the totality of your brand to fit, the physical attributes play an important role (topic for another day). How your clients or consumers view your brand and talk about your brand when you are not in the room is important to the success of your brand. Your brand needs to stand out from the competition; you being able to sell the same service or product in a unique way and speak volumes to your clients or consumers. Sometimes a brand needs re-branding; but how do you know it’s time to invest in re-branding?
This dissatisfaction could be either through face to face or social media; with technology and social media platforms a single dissatisfied customer or client can create an irreversible damage to your brand. The complaint only needs to go viral and before you know it hundreds of people are airing their own set of complains and other thousands of people are re-posting, re-tweeting and sharing the contents on various media platforms. Therefore you need to evaluate; if your customers or clients are complaining, what are the levels of complains? Is it an everyday occurrence? If it is then may be its time you went back to the drawing board.
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