Related: Why 2014 Was the Year of the Story. Your business should, too. And though she now likely feels the urge to say, “I told you so” to me on a daily basis, I like to think we were both right because, yes, since that moment, stories have been my life; they are what I do, they are what I know, they are how I earn my income and how I make my difference. At their core, stories are about overcoming adversity. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I’d like to have one on one coach to teach me how to tell my story to my client.

If you need an example to crystalize brand story structure in your mind, let’s go over the actual Little Red Riding Hood story, as well as some brands who are nailing their brand stories right now. How do you establish that credibility?

Focus on developing your messaging instead. A message architecture, according to Bloomstein, is a way to transform vague goals into substantive concepts with context and priority. You can get an MBA in digital marketing just by studying these guides. You can also subscribe without commenting. Your current business story is driven by your elevator pitch. I was 12 years old, traveling north with my family down rural Minnesota roads on the way to our small lake cabin for the weekend. That’s because there’s no conflict. Authenticity is crucial to copywriting. Nothing’s perfect. My mom made my brother remove the tape from his Walkman, my dad reluctantly turned off the game, and we played the tape from the beginning for the whole van to hear. That’s what Clarity did. Your business has a multitude of stories to tell. Collaborate. We are at a renaissance moment in eCommerce-land. It is no longer enough for us to simply acquire our audience's attention. Write about the challenges you had building your business and what inspired you to keep going. However, since we’ve spent the majority of our careers optimizing content for algorithms, it can be challenging to flex a creative muscle that’s slowly withered away from inactivity and, in turn, move people emotionally and sear your brand into their memories. We imagine our lives as a story, and doing so gives us meaning and purpose. Resolution: Sound comes first. Tell your story through blog posts, customer help centers, about pages, videos, or infographics. It takes careful strategic planning to position your strategic planning. What was the first product or service you sold? Indeed, while talking about storytelling for businesses, the question I get asked most often is:  “what story to tell?” If done right, storytelling has a far-reaching impact, and it offers excellent brand building benefits – something imperative in today's competitive landscape. Stories are what make us tick as human beings. A story about results. If ever you are trying to sell—whether it’s a product, a service or an idea—and your message keeps falling flat, it’s possible you are suffering from TTT Syndrome. At the end of the day, you’re dealing with people — your company is solving problems, alleviating pain points, and providing delightful customer experiences. Start Rewriting Your Story. I sometimes cycle through this series of statements multiple times in a day. They then fill the wolf’s body with heavy stones, and when he wakes up and tries to run away, he topples over and dies. It’s a key to great leadership, too. Your email address will not be published. That's because your customers aren't interested in your business goals, or the threats you see on the horizon. How did you hit on the final recipe for your hand-crafted soap, or what did the first glowing email you received from a customer say? But more than that, all sustainable business models are based on helping customers overcome challenges in their own lives. Clarity of message is critical to the effective use of storytelling in business. Storytelling is more than what you say explicitly. Take screenshots of any tweets or Facebook posts where customers explain how you've helped them. Status Quo: The crux of content marketing is treating people like humans.

We're committed to your privacy. Enterprise CRM Salesforce hosts customer success videos on its Pinterest page. What was she even talking about? Again, we've got a helpful guide on creating case studies for your business. In this tutorial, I'll guide you through two key ways of telling your business story.
Tone: What emotions should come across after somebody reads this story or section of your website? Perhaps best coined be TED speaker sensation Simon Sinek, “Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do.”. Great storytelling is becoming decentralized both inside and outside the organization. Position yourself that way, and your customers will feel like you get them. And in exchange for adding value to their lives, customers are likely to return the favor with their attention, trust, and action. Trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Whether you’re publishing your brand story on your website or using it to inform your overall mission, make sure it’s fact, not fiction.

Think about the people who have influenced you. Check out our interpretation of their brand story to find out. Even though the company’s blog and help center, for instance, are managed by two different people — a customer service lead and marketing consultant, the same brand story will always shine through. Today, we’ve built a passionate community of inbound marketers, expanded our inbound marketing approach to the sales and customer service industries, and strengthened the inbound movement more than ever before. Your effectiveness as a leader is entirely dependent on how quickly and thoroughly you can satisfy these demands. Who or what inspires you? Now you’re at the part where most small businesses begin their stories: how you help your customers. No longer will you have only a bottle of distilled passion, but a constant well-spring of inspiration. Authentic storytelling is key to gaining consumer trust. See all integrations. The concept is simple — when you wait too long to connect with an interested prospect, your company risks losing his or her business.
Conflict: In a market where every headphone brand has an enormous advertising budget, state-of-the-art facilities, and high-tech machines that can churn out as much product as they want, all of which we don’t have, why do we choose to not conform? This may sound counterintuitive, but it’s the key to successful marketing. Revenue is something that happens as a byproduct of a sound business model and a positive customer experience. Others neglect to tell a story at all, concentrating only on their product’s benefit and features. I tried to bury any hint of desperation in my upbeat tone. Startup How to Tell Your Company's Story A well-honed founding story can help you connect with investors, employees, and consumers -- and, with any luck, keep them listening. When Little Red Riding Hood gets to her grandmother’s house, she notices some subtle changes in her grandmother appearance but ultimately ignores them and hops into bed with her. Business is all about facing challenges. ‘Character consists of what you do on the third and fou... We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We’re here to help you grow your business online and get more traffic. Strangely enough, most companies don’t use this as a way to engage and connect with readers. Share your strengths, weaknesses, and how you arrived at where you are today. Even though they were initially anxious about getting rid of a lead generation machine, they knew ungating every piece of content on their website would allow them to align with their mission, put their customers first, and offer as much value as possible, which would produce better long-term results. Copyright © 2020 Entrepreneur Media, Inc. All rights reserved. As an older sister, it was my job to be disinterested in whatever my little brother was doing, but this simply couldn’t be ignored. While knowing your story is one thing, knowing what makes your story stand out is a different thing. It’s like the story I told you at the beginning of this article. They're easy for current customers to write, and quick for potential customers to read. To begin the process of story-fying your messages, think first about the message you’re trying to deliver. Because people love to hear a well-told story more than just cold hard facts. Anchor your stories through real people, and you’ll see a big difference in your storytelling. It’s how you communicate your messaging. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, '814dd420-0d49-40e0-b59c-f01066e186c1', {}); A brand story recounts the series of events that sparked your company’s inception and expresses how that narrative still drives your mission today. Your email address will not be published. They're here for you. Conflict isn’t the only thing you should focus on when crafting your brand story. So are we actually being customer-centric?