Brand Storytelling: How important is it to your business?

If you’re a business owner trying to leverage the online space, you might have heard of the term ‘brand storytelling’. What does it mean?

Have you ever felt like you’re a part of a brand?

You connect with what they do, you know their processes, you buy into their vision and you love what they do with their products or services.

Often times, you find yourself talking about them anytime someone asks you about a product or service in their niche.

That brand is probably doing an awesome job with its brand storytelling and they have successfully gotten you to feel like you’re a part of them, which builds trust and loyalty.

What is brand storytelling?

There are several definitions of brand storytelling but there’s one I like more that better captures what it’s truly about and it’s the definition by Marketing Insider Group

Brand Storytelling is using a narrative to connect your brand to customers, with a focus on linking what you stand for to the values you share with your customers

Brand storytelling is being able to get your customers to connect with your brand and the purpose of your brand by telling a story.

A great way to do this is by telling your brand story and making it clear the things you stand for; the things you value as a brand.

Brand storytelling is more than putting a good story in a piece of content. It shows your audience/prospects why they should partner with (or choose) you whenever they need a product you sell.

With content marketing, brand storytelling helps you do a better job at building that trust with your customers and building a community of people that love what you do.

You get to connect with your customers on a deeper and emotional level, which is the best type of connection.

Why is brand storytelling important?

Buyers now have a choice when it comes to what to buy and so, you need to give them a reason to pick you. One of the ways to do so is through brand storytelling.

With brand storytelling, you connect with the audience/prospects that share the same values as your business.

That way, a customer gets to identify with your brand and wants to be a part of the awesome thing you’re doing.

People like to feel like they are a part of something impactful, something good and different. Brand storytelling is a great way to connect with these people and bring them to your side.

Brand storytelling not only gets you to connect with your customers, but with other stakeholders as well. These include investors, partners and even your employees.

These people get to see what you stand for and buy into the vision of the brand. They see how consistent you are with all you do and that makes them know if they would like to be a part of your brand.

This is good because you attract passionate people who share your values and repel those who don’t.

Brand storytelling has a way of bringing your brand story to life and it provides an avenue to engage with your audience about your products or services. It’s a great way to get your customers to be loyal to you.

People connect more with stories, especially one they can relate to. Why not take advantage of brand storytelling to showcase your brand.

Getting started with brand storytelling

Now you know what brand storytelling is and why you need to use it for your brand. The next question is how do you get started? What’s involved in brand storytelling?

Before you think of using brand storytelling in your marketing efforts, there are two (2) key things you need to know and understand.

You should know who your brand is and what it stands for.

This point is so important not just for brand storytelling but for any type of marketing effort.

Who is your brand? Why was your business created? Is there a story behind it? What values does your business have? Is it integrity, transparency, excellence, empathy?

How can you connect the answers to these questions to what you do and the products or services you offer?

All these questions are important and the answers will help you get started when using brand storytelling in your marketing efforts.

You need to understand who your customers are

You know what your business is about, why it started, it’s values and how it communicates these things with its products/services.

However, you also need to understand who these products/services are for and why these set of people are the ones for your products/services.

Knowing this will let you know the best ways you can connect these prospects to your brand story.

What values do these people have in common with what your brand stands for? What are these people passionate about and why?

That way, your brand can craft its messaging in such a way that it appeals to these set of people.

How can your brand storytelling be seen?

When it comes to brand storytelling, consistency is key.

Consistency here refers to how you communicate your brand’s value in all that you do; whether it’s from how you position your brand to why you chose to sponsor an event or collaborate with that brand. It should be consistent with what you stand for as a brand.

Below are a few ways in which you can consistently communicate your values and what makes you unique.

Positioning

As a brand, how have you positioned yourself to serve your ideal market?

Let’s say you sell shoes, what is different about your shoes?

For example, it could be that your shoes are made from locally sourced materials and therefore promotes the local people. This is something that stands out and people who love to promote or bring visibility to what the locals do, will most likely buy shoes from you because it’s more that just buying shoes.

It’s similar to the eco-friendly, preserve-the-earth movement. Many people were able to identify with that and so stood with brands that supported it.

Messaging

Apart from how you position yourself as a brand, your messaging should communicate your brand story.

How do you talk about your products? What ways do you let your customers get involved in what you’re doing? What is the personality and tone of the brand?

Using the example of locally sourced raw materials for shoes, when talking about their products on social media or any content distribution platform, they can show customers places they source their shoe materials from. They can talk about the history of some of the raw materials or even share the story of one of the local and how the company was able to produce such beautiful shoes from what they sold.

You can see it’s not just about selling your shoes, it’s now more than the shoes, it’s something bigger and impactful.

Customers love things like these and it gets them to connect with you more. It makes them feel like they are doing a good thing when they patronize you, because they truly are. It also shows how human the brand is.

Branding

Your brand image should reflect what you stand for as a brand.

This has to show in your logo, social media, packaging and basically anything that a customer can attribute to you.

Still using the same example, that shoe company will most likely have a social media that is warm and prioritizes community.

Their packaging and delivery is going to reflect some of the things they believe in, whether it’s a note or gift they give you when you purchase something or a card with a short story of one of the locals written on it. It has to be something that has the potential to connect a customer to you.

A great brand storytelling seeps into customer experience.

Arami Essentials is a brand that utilizes brand storytelling. Looking at their social media space, website and products, you already know what they are about.

They are a beauty and wellness brand that believes in the wholeness of the mind, body and soul. Their brand is minimalist and has an aura of peace and serenity.

This shows in their packaging and delivery. It also shows in the things they get involved with.

When you get a package from Arami, they have these cards called promise cards that encourages and affirms you. Rather than a thank you card only, the promise card speaks to the wellness they believe in; it speaks to their values.

I believe it’s a beautiful way to connect with their customers and it clearly displays who they are and what they stand for.

In conclusion,

Brand storytelling is a very powerful tool and one every business should utilize. When done right, your brand can make beautiful connections with its audience and potential customers. It fosters trust and loyalty.