Why you should use brand storytelling
Each brand is unique and has its own story to tell. Indeed, this uniqueness is a key part of differentiating yourself from your competitors. You might try and accentuate your specialty through your branding colours, messaging, and even marketing tactics. However, an important part of your brand identity is your brand story.
A good brand story communicates and represents your brand. It acts as the bridge between your brand identity elements and your marketing campaigns. When done well, brand storytelling can help evoke a deeper and more meaningful connection with your audience.
What is brand storytelling?
Brand storytelling is the unique narrative of your brand’s mission, values, personality and tone of voice. It expresses the unique brand persona through written and visual mediums, which work to set you apart from your competitors. Ultimately, brand storytelling works to create trust, form emotional connections and build brand loyalty.
Why it’s important
A strong brand story will help build your brand.
Humans love stories. Storytelling has often been used throughout human lives for many various occasions. It is used to explain important religious events, and we even teach our children important lessons through fables and fairytales.
Emotions and stories
Stories have been proven to create and foster stronger emotional relationships. They lead to a better sense of understanding, trust, comprehension, and receptivity. This is because the best stories create emotions within us; we laugh and cry along with the narrative, and we sympathize with the main characters. All of this creates trust.
A face to a brand
Taking the time to build your brand story also allows your audience to delve deeper into your brand. Not only are they putting a face to your brand, but they are also getting to understand the human behind it too. In this way, they get to see your brand as more than a faceless business, but rather a humanised version with personal stories to tell.
Furthermore, a good brand story focuses on the “why” of your brand. The brand’s mission and purpose for existing should be clearly outlined in all stories they tell. This helps to make it compelling and engaging, as well as relevant to the brand.
The end...or is it?
Stories live on, even after they’re told. A story continues to keep on giving and connecting with people by being shared and retold countless times. The authorship of your brand story is not a one-way communication between your brand to your audience. In today’s age, a brand can communicate to its audience, who can then reshare and retell the brand story in their own way, whilst also communicating directly with the brand itself. Therefore, the power of a good story can help form a strong relationship with your audience.
Therefore the best brand stories are the ones that elicit strong emotional reactions. Not only does it build trust with the audience, but it also helps to foster a sense of familiarity and relatability with the brand which creates stronger brand loyalty.
The storytelling framework
How can you craft a compelling and effective brand story?
I have developed the S.A.M.E method to craft a great brand story.
Simple
Ask yourself: what do you want people to think/feel/do when they encounter your story? Make sure to focus on this one message consistently. Every decision should reinforce this message.
Authentic
Be genuine and honest. The audience can easily spot a fake story and being insincere would leave a bad impression.
Meaningful
Every story must provide value for your audience. It should be engaging and relevant for them; otherwise, they may not bother to invest the time to read your stories.
Emotional
Evoking an emotion will result in greater value; both for you and your audience. There should be a trigger of a key emotion in the first few paragraphs of text or seconds of video.
The Power of Visual Storytelling
Visuals + Words = A Powerful Combination
You might believe that storytelling is told through written and verbal communication. However, combining your story with visuals creates a uniquely exciting opportunity for effective storytelling.
“A picture is worth a thousands words.”
The human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Using visuals helps aid understanding and engagement.
Considerations for Using Visuals in Storytelling
Using visuals can bring your story to life. Here are some things to keep in mind so you can express your story in the best way possible:
Icons - using symbols helps convey complex ideas into a simpler form. Be aware of the possible different meanings of a symbol across cultures.
Colour and Typography - using certain colours and typefaces can carry psychological connotations. Colour especially, can help influence the audience's emotional experience when diving into the narrative.
Rhythm - the visual structure can greatly influence how someone interprets the story. Angled lines and sharp edges can evoke a progressive and futuristic outlook whereas circular elements might suggest a more full-circle narrative.
Examples of brand storytelling
AirBNB
As an online marketplace built on connection and belonging, AirBNB is a classic example of brand storytelling done right. They are an alternative to traditional hotels, which offer homeowners to offer their properties to travelers for rent. AirBNB understands that the consumers are the most important - they are both the hosts and the guests.
Therefore, their brand storytelling centers around an inclusive community built around customer experiences. From the socials to their websites, AirBNB focuses extensively on user-generated content. The entire foundation and philosophy of this brand are literally built upon storytelling.
Nike
As a sporting brand, Nike’s mission is “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” Nike is another brand that has always used storytelling as a powerful tool for their brand.
As a Hero archetype, this brand focuses on competitiveness and self-determination within its audience. Their storytelling revolves around a narrative of pursuing one’s potential and leaving a lasting legacy. From their slogan to their Equality campaign, Nike’s storytelling focuses on a strong drive for sport and nurturing one’s capability. They focus on the individual athlete and develop narratives to bring out the best in each athlete.
Starbucks
As a brand focused on becoming The Third Place, Starbucks focuses on the story narrative of creating a comfortable and sophisticated atmosphere. They have built their brand based on a sense of belonging and creating a relaxing environment for their customers.
Indeed, their new Upstanders is a film series focusing on the lives of ordinary people who do inspirational acts that encourage people to be more engaged with their communities. These stories involve building a strong emotional connection to the community, and not about advertisements to sell their products.
Starbucks was able to take a product and charge more than what customers were previously paying. This is because the story narrative of a sophisticated and enthusiastic location proved to be valuable to their customers. Thus, customers were willing to pay more for the value of this atmosphere and the cultural value of their coffee.
Conclusion
Brand storytelling is a great way to strengthen your relationship with your audience. While it might seem like a time-consuming task, the most valuable stories will connect your brand to your audience. These stories act as a building block for trust and leave a lasting impact on your audience.