Brands Must Tell A Story
Have you ever put a little kid to sleep and had him ask for a bedtime story? Or maybe your friend says, “Listen to this story! You won’t believe what happened to me!” As humans, we love a good story. We sit for hours to watch fictional stories on Netflix. Every song on the radio is telling a story of love, hate, frustration, or passion. So why should your brand be any different?
The world is looking for your brand’s story; for the narrative of how your brand relates to people’s lives. In my personal theory, people post on social media for two main reasons, both of which seek validation and emotional connection, and most people’s feeds are a mix of both:
1. Showing off their “perfect” life
2. Sharing with others that life is actually really messy
For example, a person on Facebook posts a selfie in a new outfit, but then shares a meme about having nothing to wear in her closet. Does she actually lack clothing to wear? I doubt that. She is looking for the reassurance and “likes” to know she is not alone in her feelings.
Now apply this theory to brands. Projecting the “everything is perfect” perception is easy. The latter is trickier. So why are brands not acting like their consumers? Maybe the best way to obtain and retain brand loyal followers is to develop a deep emotional connection while validating both sides of their lives. Take a look at how Chick-fil-a dealt with replacing the recipe of its BBQ sauce. Chick-fil-a realized its mistake, showed honesty, and found a solution.
How do you go about telling your brand’s story?
1. List all things tied to your brand. What are the colors? What product/service does it provide? What does your brand do that makes it special?
2. Define the personality of your brand. If your brand was a living being, what would its personality be like? How would it take its coffee? Where would it buy its clothes? How does it deal with conflict?
3. Establish your brand’s voice guidelines. These are a set of rules to stick to when thinking about how to tell your story.
4. Keep a consistent message. Strict guidelines are set so your brand does not have an off day and decide it wants to be goth when it is really a hippy. When the storyline is inconsistent, attention declines.
5. Keep innovating. The platforms for pushing out content are always morphing and so should your story. Learn what is new and how you can be ahead of the curve.
6. Do not copy other’s stories. People will find out that you are a fake, and there is no easier way to lose followers than lying to them. Be honest.
7. Don’t be afraid to tell it like it is. Perfection is impossible, but honesty is not. Like I said before, life is messy so why not show it?
So go out and build your brand’s narrative! I will be anxiously awaiting story time.
