Blog post by: Kyra Kronberg, Baer Performance Marketing Intern
Over the last couple of years, storytelling has become one of the biggest and most powerful marketing tactics for all kinds of businesses. Not too long ago, it was all about price and quality, but now brands are finding success in developing more of an emotional connection with customers!
What is a brand?
A brand can be a lot of things—a name, tagline, design, or anything that distinguishes an organization or product from competitors. Its purpose is to communicate the positive attributes of a business.
Every brand has a story
Your business didn’t just pop out of thin air. Whether it’s how you started or what pushed you to launch a business within your industry, there’s always a story to tell. Storytelling inspires, empowers and elicits recall. And because every brand has a story, it’s all about crafting yours to make consumers feel as if they are a part of it when they invest in a product or service.
Crafting the story: Keep it simple
Problem, Solution, Success. Keep those three words in mind. The problem starts off the story, typically an origin. It should be focused on the business owner seeing a problem, want, or need in a group or community and being inspired to start the business to solve the “problem.” This is where you work the “why” into the story.
After that, how the “solution” was developed and where it brought the company should be explained. The success is where you get to show off the good you’ve done by providing your solution.
A great example of this is Toms shoes: Their “One for One” tagline communicates that with every pair of shoes they sell, they give a pair to somebody in need. Toms saw a problem, came up with a solution, and now they get to tell the story about how they’ve provided thousands of shoes for those less fortunate, building empathy and trust in their product.
Communicate effectively
Be sure to mold your story to your audience. Customers want something to which they can relate or apply to their own lives. So, if you sell hiking equipment, keep in mind you are talking to an adventure-seeking demographic. If you sell baby clothes, you will be talking to parents, etc. Know who you’re communicating to, what they want to hear, and build that desired trust.
Your story is one of the strongest weapons in your marketing arsenal… Use it.
