How to Build a Brand Story that Connects With Customers
Since the very start of human life, we have told stories. From cave paintings to traditional tales to Netflix series, we love to hear people talk about highs, lows, adventures and more. And that is why the biggest brands understand the power of a brand story.
If you connect a tale to your business it makes it more accessible for people. They become more invested, more connected and more likely to want to spend their money with you. They’re not just there for the great service or well-made products, they are there because they buy into who you are and what you do.
The good thing is that having a brand story is certainly not limited to major corporations. In fact, it might be better suited to smaller businesses as it can seem more genuine and people want to feel that they can trust you. This article tells you how to develop a brand story that connects with customers.
What is a Brand Story?
Your brand story is a narrative that you create to tell people how your business reached where it is and what it stands for. It should not be just a straight retelling of your story, but should inspire people to feel the emotion of the journey, just like in a traditional fiction story.
Your story feeds into what your website looks like, how you write your content, what you share on social media, what you feature in your newsletters and how you create videos and other content.
1) Add personality sparkle to your origin story
The brand story is essentially the origin story of your company. It’s not about you as an individual, but it is about the road your business took as told by you. Add that sparkle into the mix and give it a human touch, but remember it’s all about the business brand, not your personal brand.
It is a fine line to tread. Just remember, the story should star all the people and elements that affected your business growth and how the organisation responded, adapted and grew.
2) Don’t add too much to the mix
Yes, the point of a brand story is to grab and hold attention, but you are also trying to sell to the reader. Never forget that. By adding in too much detail, you may risk people forgetting why they are there. They could be left having enjoyed the story but still not understanding why they need to buy your product or use your service.
Keep it simple and tell them about the problem that they have, how you solved it with the thing you are trying to sell and what a success it has been for your existing customers. Then tell them to buy.
If I was to really condense my brand story, you could say the problem was that there were no greetings cards for people of African heritage, so I created them myself and now stockists such as Waterstones carry them because they understand they need to serve this previously neglected audience. Problem, solution, success.
3) Connect with your target audience
My brand story connects with my target audience because it is all about vibrance and the celebration of the African continent. I invite my audience to “come and explore the vibrant colours and receive a little insight into the beauty of the Motherland.” And this appeals to people who have those strong bonds to Africa, whether they were born there or they grew up hearing the stories of their African parents or grandparents.
Think about who you want to sell to and consider their needs, wishes and aspirations so you can shape your brand story to appeal to that.
4) Crowdsource brand story communication
Once you have your brand story and your target audience, you can start to share it. But best of all, you can get your advocates to share it too. The powerful effect of an engaging brand story is that people want to tell others about it too.
As well as sharing your story in social posts, blogs, videos and more, encourage your audience to tell their friends about it. Provide them with shareable content that they can pass to their loved ones with a similar problem that you can fix.
Have them write reviews and testimonials for you. They will naturally tell people why they bought from you and, in those messages, they will light the spark for people in the same boat as them. Communicating your story is essential, but you can ask for help from happy customers!
Ready to Write Your Brand Story?
Your brand story doesn’t necessarily all need to relate to just your products. Remember that when you are creating your brand story. You might have other aspects to add in. If you want to see what I mean, take a look at my blog. Part of my brand story is that I not only create gifts and stationery, but I also offer advice to other small business owners on running their companies. There are a number of articles there that could help you develop your business, based on my experience doing just that. I hope you find some useful information that helps solve a problem you have right now.