What is A Brand Story? What is it and why you need one? (+Tips and Examples)
As humans, we're built to comprehend our world through stories . We learn to communicate and connect by sharing stories to each other. Your brand's marketing strategy is no the same. If you're looking to engage your customers and establish more of a connection it is essential to create the story of your brand.
Find out more about an effective brand story, including the essential elements of a good brand story, and a worksheet to assist to write your own.
Discover more information about the top marketing methods to promote your business. Sign to our Free Webinar Course on Sales Funnel.
What's a branding tale?
A brand story tells a narrative of how your brand began. It encompasses the emotions, motivations, and vision that led you to begin your business and how all of those things shaped it to become the company that it has become currently.
The best brand stories combine emotions and facts in a compelling narrative. Additionally, they feature strong characters, challenges, as well as conflict. Think of your brand narrative as your company's beginning story. It tells how your company came to be what it is today.
How do brand stories work?
The reason that brand stories are so successful is because they appeal to your audience's feelings. When we judge something in our minds, we use 20% logic and 80 percent emotion. Our emotions drive our decision-making processes and logic in turn supports that decision and helps us to rationalize and justify it.
If you're able to draw the emotions of your customers, you'll be able to convince your audience to buy into your brand in a more durable and lasting way. Brand stories simplify the complicated tale of your company into a simple and succinct story that people can become engaged in. If you tell the right story, you can win your audience's hearts and minds and turn your customers into loyal ones.
What is the brand's story
Your own personal story about your brand is a unique process.
The best brand storytelling elements are rooted in your own experience of starting your business as well as the people that pushed you to talk the plunge. If you're wondering what is an effective brand story consider the path that you've taken to get started as an Entrepreneur.
You can try answering these five questions:
- Why did you decide to launch this company?
- What brought you to this point?
- What difficulties faced you during the course of your journey?
- What purpose or requirement does your service/product fulfill?
- What makes your service/product unique?
These questions can provide the basis for your brand story. It is important to find the core of why you set up your company and the people the product or service you offer is created for.
What's a story for a brand? 4 essential elements
The most successful brand stories contain some key elements that allow your customers to feel connected with your brand. If you are looking to create an effective brand story take these suggestions in mind.
Your mission should be defined.
What lies at the core of a good brand narrative is the mission of your brand. This is essentially how you intend to aid people and make the world an even better place. Your mission statement for your brand is based on your ultimate vision for your company. In a perfect world how would you like to be able to
When you're writing your mission, try to keep it short, informative, and inspiring.
Here are some instances:
- Starbucks "To inspire and nurture humanity - one cup of coffee, one person and one community at a moment."
- Oxfam "A world without poverty"
- Typeform "Really are you familiar with people"
What these brand stories share is a simple, idealized vision of what they hope to accomplish with their businesses.
Mark any issues or barriers
The best brand stories also contain some form of challenge or conflict. Beginning a new business isn't plain sailing so when you're crafting your brand's story, make sure you also include the challenges you faced. It's a crucial move to assist your readers build an emotional connection with the brand.
What is a brand story? It is the series of events that led to your starting your own business. This includes the good as well as the bad.
What challenges did you face?
Every good story has obstacles or challenges which prevents the main character from successfully completing their goal in the first chapter. While writing your own branding story, you should reflect on the difficulties you've overcome.
Below are some tips for you to start:
- Limited resources
- Strong competitors
- Cultural pressure or resistance
- Personal struggles
This will also be individual to you as well as your experience as an entrepreneur. What challenges did you have to go up against when you started your venture? What obstacles stood in your way of achievement? In bringing out the tension in your story it will entice your readers and inspire them to be more involved with your company's image.
A good example of a brand's conflict-driven story
One of the most famous brands of the current generation is Apple.
Apple's brand story is an excellent example of entrepreneurs overcoming immense challenges to bring their product to market and transform their business into a multi-billion-dollar success.
It is said that two college dropouts - Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak - set up Apple in their garage. Together, the two faced off against Microsoft which was a well-established company that was at the time, in order to create an innovative product distinct, inventive and unique. In the present, Apple still retains that creative spirit of ingenuity that dates back to two guys working in their garages.
Apple's popularity as a cult brand is thanks in part to this compelling brand story.
Though it is now the largest brand in the world with more than 1 billion faithful fans, they have managed to remain in a tight emotional connection with their audience by rooting their business on the story of two normal guys.
Set a resolution
What's a story about a brand without a happy end? In order to create a successful narrative for your brand, you must provide your customers with a resolution. Once you have set up your conflict, it's time to finish the story.
What happened the next day? How did it all work out? What are you most looking towards in the coming years?
The conclusion is at the end of the story of superheroes, following the epic fight against aliens when the main characters meet again and discuss their hilarious one-liners. The moment that the audience let out a sigh of relief that the enemy has ended its war and we can see our heroes back home safe and in their everyday lives.
This is the chance to give your brand story a secure, satisfying ending.
An example of Wallbreakers' brand story: Wallbreakers Brand Story:
"Today, candidates receive the certifications they need to be noticed by the top employers. Companies are able to rest assured that their new talent is trained to meet their specific needs. It's a win-win."
Do not fret with the idea that the business's tale isn't over - it's the same for each business. It's just a matter of providing your audience with a happy ending for the story.
Condense it
The most memorable brand stories are short and easy to remember.
After you've created your story about your brand It's time to distill it down into the essential parts, and the most emotional particulars.
The audience you are targeting doesn't have the time to go through an essay. Your brand is at possibility of losing attention when your story about your brand is lengthy or unclear. For a powerful narrative for your brand, you should make your story short and informative.
Ideally, you'll be able to write your story in only 2 or 3 paragraphs.
was conceived when co-founder as well as CEO Greg Smith decided to take his LSAT course online along with the brother Matt Smith to reach more students. For Greg having his LSAT course online meant an opportunity to expand the reach of his students, and to generate more income and more independence.
The revenues of his online course quickly surpassed his corporate law practice and, as the course grew and helped more students, other business owners and entrepreneurs reached out asking how they could achieve exactly the same. They wanted to sell their own course on their site and promote business growth under their own brand, with full control over their content, data, and business. Thus, Greg and Matt as well as co-founders Miranda Lievers and Matt Payne began to create the ideal platform for creators of courses and businesses.
The story of the brand distills the complex series of events that led up to the development and expansion of the company into a clear tale that is easy for anyone to comprehend. It's simple, concise, and highlights the key elements of the brand's journey.
Tips: When you're creating your brand's story Make it retellable - the best brand stories are ones that people are motivated to share with their friends.
Example of a brand story
If you're looking for ideas for your personal brand It can be an enormous help to look at some of the most well-known brands to get ideas.
Social media can be an excellent place to start finding inspiration for your brand story. The short, informal structure of social media is the ideal place for brands to showcase their company's stories.
Look at these illustrations of fantastic brand stories from the course's creators.
The SuperLearner Academy
Levi's inspirational personal tale about how he conquered his own challenges with learning is at the center of the SuperLearner brand's story.
The SuperLearner Academy utilizes this powerful branding story in the primary landing page for the site:
Levi even features his high school report card as well as a picture of him as a teen to make an emotional bond with the audience.
Tori Swanson
An artist, entrepreneur as well as an educator Tori Swanson has put her personal journey at the heart of her brand story.
Here's an example of how her dynamic brand story can help promote her brand on Twitter as well as YouTube:
Miss Excel
Norton decided to make Excel enjoyable and accessible for anyone to be an Excel expert.
This is an illustration of her story about her brand on Instagram:
Norton illustrates her general purpose for the brand and highlights her personal commitment to her involvement with the Miss Excel brand, encouraging others to be the same.
What's your company's narrative?
If you now know what a story for your brand is and the best way to create your own. Download the Your Business's Brand Workbook, and enroll in Neil Patel's FREE Webinar sales funnel online course to learn more tips and strategies.