Step-By-Step Guide To Using Storytelling To Communicate Your Brand Message — (3) The Guide
In this blog series, I will tell you exactly how to apply a storytelling structure to your brand message, to your business.
When you understand the structure of a story, how it is used to compel a human brain just like how screenwriters use it in movies, your brand message will be very powerful.
In step (2), we discussed the key to a compelling story is that you must define the story gap at the beginning (i.e. what is preventing the hero from getting what they want). Only until you have clearly identified the story gap then you have a story that audiences want to read on.
If you missed that article and would like to read it, you can find it here.
Alternatively if you would like to read the blog series from the start, you can find it here.
In this 3rd article of the blog series, we will discuss how your brand should position itself as the guide to help customers overcome their challenges.
Guides In Movies
The transformation journey of a hero is what makes a story compelling, it is an emotional experience which people can relate to. Imagine if Bruce Wayne from Batman never encountered any problem in his journey to save Gotham from injustice, audiences probably would not have enjoyed the movie as much. In the Batman Begin movie, Bruce Wayne's guide is Lucius.
In popular movies, most if not all hero are weak, unconfident and lacks what it takes to succeed (at least at the start) so in their journey to they meet guides who help them grow into a stronger character. These guides give them the support and motivation, tell them they have what it takes to face their challenge.
Qualities Of A Guide
Most guides demonstrate these 2 qualities: (1) Empathy and (2) Authority
When a hero meets a guide it is not necessary to re-tell the whole story or problem because the guide had been there and understand of both the outer and inner emotional problem that the hero faced.
‘I’d been there and I understand how it feels.’
The guide not only give the hero emotional support, he also demonstrate authority on the subject matter meaning he is in a position to provide a plan to help the hero grows into a stronger character.
What does that mean for your business?
Customers are looking for a guide, not another hero
Your brand must position itself as the guide to help your customers solve their problems, in order to do that you must demonstrate both empathy and authority over the subject matter.
Real empathy is when customers know that we see them just as ourselves, ‘we are just the same’. Indeed, customers do not know you care about them until you tell them so you should show empathy to your customers in your marketing. Today people like to have a deeper connection with the brand, such as its value, mission and philosophy, the best way to build that bond is through empathy.
Does your brand communication speak in a language that your customers can understand and relate to? That when they read your empathy statement it immediately resonate with them to the extent they will say ‘Yes thank you I am one of them’.
Steve Jobs demonstrated great empathy in his philosophy.
‘You have to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology.’
Apple products show the empathy, this is probably the reason why their products are so good-looking because they understand technology should be a natural extension of an individual so they should not look dull and boring.
Once we created that bond with customers, the next thing we need to do is to tell our customers that they can trust us for completing the job. Note that we have yet to talk about how our product instead we are only at the stage of showing them who we are and that we have the ability to help them solve their problems.
There are 4 ways to demonstrate authority: (1) Testimonials, (2) Statistics, (3) Logos and (4) Awards.
The best way to demonstrate authority is from the review of happy customers, logos of companies you have worked with in the past. Let them do the talking rather than yourself because it could feel like you are hard-selling and people don’t like to be sold. Additionally, can you come up with a simple statistic (for example number of customers, satisfaction or success rate) so that when customers read they feel more comfortable trusting you.
Your Action Today
Do you have an empathy statement and do you have it written anywhere in your marketing material?
Have you collected reviews and testimonials from happy customers in the past? Why did they trust you?
Can you come up with a simple statistic that is easy-to-understand and help customers trust you?
Are these information clearly presented in your website?
This is a blog series on ‘Step-By-Step Guide To Using Storytelling To Communicate Your Brand Message’, stay tuned for the next one.
Soft Skills Academy is a communication-based consultancy, we can help you clarify your brand message using the power of storytelling so you can attract more customers and grow your company much faster.
To get you started, download our PDF on ‘How To Stop Wasting Money On Marketing’.
If you think you will benefit from one-on-one coaching with Sam, visit: http://www.softskillsacademy-hk.com or email us at info@softskillsacademy-hk.com
