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? ​The Leading character Your audience is the protagonist – they are the one in need. Their character should be the center of your story! They need help, they are searching for help, and they are completely lost just then your product or service saves the day! Your product or service should be the solution your target audience seeks. With a great story the character has to have a strong voice. This is how the character views the world, what is their overall character? How do they respond to situations in which they are placed? A great story should start with the leading character (this is the target audience) facing a problem, how are they going to solve it – they set out looking for a solution, they face hurdles but in the end they find a solution (from your product or service) and they emerge happy and satisfied. The problem, the help and lastly the solution. ​
Emotional connection
A great story cannot be told without emotions. We make choices based on our emotions. We feel, so we connect. Therefore your brand story should be able to connect on an emotional level with your target audience. What is it that you want your audience to feel in connection to you brand? Happiness? Loyalty? Love? Endearment? Patriotism? Protected? Secure? A brand that uses emotional connection leaves the audience hooked; a good example would be my all-time favorite Safaricom advert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIBHuqeis3U this particular advert from the start it has you captured emotionally, you feel the sense of belonging to a wonderful and beautiful country. They do this by showing the magnificence of Kenya. Cut after cut the advert takes you to different parts of the country and emotionally bind you – Such that you associate your love, patriotism and loyalty to this particular brand. All this is cleverly done with the same message of love, patriotism and loyalty in a beautifully done song!!! ​ ​"Branding has moved from just marketing or just advertising your product or service it has to be an integral part of your audiences’ life." ​Branding has moved from just marketing or just advertising your product or service it has to be an integral part of your audiences’ life. Story telling enables your audience to understand and connect to your brand. It helps them move from just a point of ‘this is just another product or service’ to identifying with your brand more. In your experience during brand marketing what has worked for you?
24 Comments
Jubilee D Meyer
1/28/2019 08:41:56 am
This is such a great guide! It can be easy to just make posts quickly, but it is so important to make sure we think about how it will impact our audience and try to connect with them on an emotional level. I've found that my posts that do that, get much better engagement!
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Fiorella
1/28/2019 11:02:39 am
This post is exactly what I was looking for about storytelling! Very precise with the questions to fill it up and build my own storytelling for my brand. Thanks!
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Camille Arter
1/28/2019 03:04:54 pm
This is a good way to think about writing a post. Thanks for this!
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1/30/2019 03:14:48 pm
I want to add up some story telling tab in my blog. I will save this for my reference.
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1/31/2019 09:08:16 am
Such a great reference tool in the blog world, branding is a really important part these days.
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1/31/2019 10:24:27 am
These are great things to remember. It's so important to know your audience.
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1/31/2019 12:31:16 pm
I totally needed this and am pinning it to use later. I am so guilty of this and need to do a better job,
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Brie
2/3/2019 07:11:39 am
Great blogging tips. I'll implement some .also on the look for ways to improve.
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