Brand storytelling is simply using stories to connect your audience with your brand in a way that makes them feel like they'd love to grab a cup of coffee with you.
You're a Brand Storyteller If...
Odds are, you’re already a brand storyteller for your business and you don’t even know it. Let’s look at why this might be:
If you tell a story on your website about how a customer has used your product or service to do something amazing (or to just make their life a bit
easier), you’re a brand storyteller.
If you tell a story in a blog post about something that happened to you and then relate it to something your audience cares about, you’re a brand storyteller.
If you share behind-the-scenes photos or videos on social media showing how your business makes something, you’re a brand storyteller.
If you talk about the values your business represents — from sustainability to integrity to equity — and how they come through in everything your business does, you’re a brand storyteller.
Brand storytelling isn’t new. In one form or another, it’s something businesses have done for centuries. The concept of “brand” has been around since 2000 B.C. and storytelling has been with us even longer — dating back 30,000 years ago to cave drawings found in France.
So, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that brand storytelling is some newfangled marketing strategy that only super slick ad agencies can do. I’m calling B.S. on that. (And, no, B.S. doesn’t mean brand storytelling in this context.)
"But Where Do Brand Stories Come From?"
Your Job is to Connect the Story Dots — One Dot at a Time.
For a while now, I’ve tried to explain to other business owners how to find stories to share with their audiences.
And, by George, I think I’ve finally figured it out!
Like you did when you were a kid, you just connect the dots until a picture is created. You might not even know what the picture will be at first. But it becomes clearer with every dot you connect.
Here’s the framework I’ve put together for developing content that will be fun for you to create and interesting for your audience to read:
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting information about each step of the Connect the Story Dots framework. But, for now, here’s the TL;DR:
Be Curious
Entrepreneurs tend to be curious folks. So, this should be SUPER easy for all of us.
Look around.
Seek experiences.
Dive in.
Soak it up.
In other words, GET OUT OF YOUR BUBBLE!!
If you don’t continue to expand your world, it’s going to be tough to be, well, interesting. Dare to go beyond your comfort zone. You’ll be surprised at what you find…and learn.
Open Your Mind
As you learn and experience new things (refer back to Be Curious), pay attention to any memories that pop up or thoughts that come to mind.
Every interaction you have — whether it’s with a great book, with an interesting
person, with a fun event — is an opportunity to find stories to share. Be open to allowing those stories to seep in.
Look for Connections
Once a thought or memory has been triggered (because you’ve opened your mind!), look to see if or how it connects to what your customers need, what they’re interested in, or what might help them in the moment.
Is it an example of great customer service? Does an experience mirror a challenge your audience has? Will the story help explain a complicated topic?
It’s up to you to make the connection clear.
Build the Story
Decide where you want to take your audience on this story journey (once you’ve found the connection). What do you want them to do? How do you want them to feel? What value will they receive?
Map out a compelling beginning, middle, and end — because that’s how stories work, right?
Then, build your story as a blog post, video, podcast episode, social media post,
or any other format. Again, a story is a story no matter where you tell it.
Share the Story
You’ve worked hard to create A FANTASTIC story for your audience. Now it’s time to share it far and wide!
Don’t be afraid to repurpose your story on multiple platforms.
For example, if you’re telling the story using a blog post, make specific quotes tweetable, share the post as an article on LinkedIn, use parts of it in an e-newsletter, etc.
In the end, make your story easy for your audience to find. They’re probably not looking for it. So, put it out there in places where they’ll pretty much trip over it. (Figuratively, of course.)
Next Steps
I’ll be publishing blog posts that look more closely at each step of the Connect the Story Dots framework.
In the meantime, PLEASE let me know if you have any questions about it. That’s the only way we can make the framework even stronger. I see it as a living thing that will continue to evolve. It’s not carved into a stone tablet. (Honestly, I wouldn’t even know how to do that in the first place. I can barely use pen and paper.)
Now, let’s go connect some story dots!
