With the onslaught of content crowding the digital world, it’s increasingly difficult for brands to connect emotionally with their audiences. Consumers are desensitized to salesy and promotion, so they put their attention on brands that offer genuine value.
Storytelling is a powerful tool that can build connection with the audience through a powerful narrative that elicits an emotional response. From a brand perspective, storytelling can influence the consumer perception, turning them into loyal brand advocates long after the sale.
Share Your Origin Story
Every brand has a unique story to tell for how they brought their business idea to life. Consumers want to understand the human behind the brand, and sharing your story can humanize your business and build trust.
Maybe you have a good story for how you got your business idea. Was it inspired by a personal experience or a market gap? For example, Uqora was founded by a chronic urinary tract infection (UTI) sufferer and inspired her and her partner to create UTI relief products and proactive supplements to help others.
Did you have early struggles or challenges in your business when you were getting it off the ground? These moments can create a compelling narrative. In fact, hit Hollywood films have been made about the struggles of entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs or unlikely success stories like Tetris.
While your story may not be as big as Apple, you still have a narrative worth sharing. Think about what makes your business unique or what part of your brand journey is relatable to people.
Highlight Employee Stories
Behind every brand are the people that make it successful. Sharing your employee stories with your audience builds authenticity and relatability. You can feature employees’ unique skills and contributions or share “day-in-the-life” videos or profiles that highlight team ’ personal journeys.
Depending on the size of your team, consider making a recurring social media series that introduces employees with fun stories or Q&A sessions. This is a great opportunity for your team to advocate for your brand as an employee. For example, if you have a restaurant brand, showcase an employee developing the new menu options and their inspiration.
Embrace Customer Testimonials
The voice of the customer acts as excellent word-of-mouth advertising. They can be credible advocates for your brand, connecting with a customer in a way that a polished ad never could.
Customer testimonials are a great way to showcase your brand and products, but they must be honest and transparent. Allow your customers to share their true experience, not one that’s scripted. Consider using testimonials from diverse customers to highlight different product or service benefits.
For example, if you have a fitness brand, you could share transformation stories from customers with before-and-after photos, personal reflections, and clips.
Use the Power of Visual Storytelling
Storytelling is most impactful when it takes the form of visual content. Vivid imagery and video can grab attention and foster emotional connections.
While many smartphones and apps have the capabilities to create high-quality images and videos, you could invest in professional photography and videography that works for your brand. Just to keep it authentic. If you polish your visuals too much, you’re getting into “professional ad” territory.
Show Vulnerability and Authenticity
Being transparent about your business challenges fosters genuine customer relationships. Don’t be afraid to be honest about difficult experiences or setbacks you’ve had along the way, including the solutions you used to overcome them. For example, a tech company could share a story about failures in the initial product development and the lessons learned that led to the successful, shelf-ready product.
Every brand falters sometimes. If you make a mistake, acknowledge it. Talk about what happened, what you did to fix it, and how you’ll prevent it in the future. The public opinion of a brand that’s honest and forthright tends to be much better than those that hide their mistakes and scandals.
Define Your Brand Values
Clear values guide your brand’s actions and resonate with customers. With so many choices, modern consumers are interested in finding brands that not only offer the best products and prices, but the ones that align with their values and principles.
Share the principles that shape your company’s culture and operations, then demonstrate how these values influence your business decisions. One of the best examples of this approach in action is Patagonia, which not only eats, sleeps, breathes the outdoors, but s initiatives that address environmental issues.
Use Archetypes and Metaphors
All stories follow some established storytelling techniques – and so should yours. Archetypes and metaphors have value to your brand story and help the audience build an emotional connection.
You’ve likely seen some of the common archetypes in entertainment, such as the “quest” or the “rags to riches” story. Identify archetypes that align with your brand persona, such as “Explorer” for an adventure gear brand. Archetypes tap into universally understood roles or symbols, making your brand easier to recognize and connect with.
Metaphors are also important for simplifying complex ideas, creating emotional depth, and making your story more engaging. For example, a health brand may use a metaphor of a phoenix to symbolize renewal and growth through transformation.
Find Your Brand Voice
Your brand voice should be apparent in all your stories. Consistency in tone and style creates a cohesive brand identity and personality, which could be playful, humorous, professional, authoritative, friendly, irreverent – or whatever fits your brand best.
Once you establish your brand voice, make sure it’s used consistently across all platforms, from social media to customer service to internal communications. Eventually, this voice is what your customers will come to associate with your brand and the experience they expect.
Tell Your Brand Story
Modern consumers are spoiled for choice. It’s up to you to give them a compelling reason to engage with your brand, which starts with a story that creates an emotional connection and a more memorable experience for your audience.
Author Information:
Chris Bretschger
Chris Bretschger, Managing Partner at Bastion Agency, is a seasoned marketer with over 20 years of experience in integrated marketing. He has developed brand strategies, managed media campaigns, and built analytics tools for clients like Mazda, Adidas, Jenny Craig, and Kia. When not leading Bastion, Chris enjoys superyacht regatta racing on the open seas.
