Brand storytelling: what is it and why do you need to know?

As the world continues to compact in size with social media and smart technology making information more and more accessible, consumers are becoming ever more savvy to traditional sales, marketing and promotional techniques.

It’s getting harder to penetrate their personal space with traditional styled advertising campaigns thanks to ad blockers (removing online advertising from a browser), Netflix (replacing TV) and Spotify (replacing radio) for example.

Not just that, the changing trends in information consumption means people are more discerning about what they consume, they’re highly alert to their ever-decreasing leisure time and making snapshot decisions based, in many cases, on the concept of curiosity.

Why Is Storytelling Important for Your Brand

The days of a business merely providing a product or a service without a justifiable purpose are gone. Today every brand is expected to have a story behind it, a reason to exist, and a vision they’re working to achieve.

Businesses have to be motivated by profit to some degree, however, consumers want to know that something else drives you - they want to know your “story”.

By integrating storytelling into your brand marketing you can find new ways to connect with your customers on a personal level. By connecting and engaging with your story customers will gain a better understanding of your values, allowing them to make deeper emotional decisions about their purchases.

Not just that, by letting your customer into your story you are giving them the opportunity to embed themselves in an immersive experience which will ultimately give them a better overall experience and leave lasting memories.

What is brand storytelling?

Brand storytelling is more than just an element of your marketing strategy. According to Kaitlin Loyal, a brand journalist and content strategist at Scribewise, 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.”

What that means is that when shaping the “story” of your business it is important to think about how it weaves in everything from characters, setting and location to what ties you to the local area, heritage and culture. In some cases this will be heavily weighed on your own personal story and your back story. In others it will be steeped in the historic significance of the area in which your business exists. It could even be a myth or legend of the land around you.

When creating your brand story it is important to ensure you weave it through the following marketing elements of your business:

• Company ‘about us’ or description
• About you (the owner)
• Company history
• Mission statement and values
• Your vision and ambitions
• Your aim and the aim of the company
• Your unique selling proposition
• Website
• Social media channels
• On-site marketing
• Any other online marketing channels such as Discover NI, Council website, Tripadvisor etc… 

Ask yourself:

• How are we different?
• How will we make the world a better place?
• How will we leave a lasting impression on our visitors?
• What are the things people always want to know more about?
• How do we add value to people’s lives?
• How do we solve a problem for our visitors?
• How will we authentically reach people?
• How will we build an emotional connection with our visitors?
• How do we gain and retain their trust?

If you make your story as simple and as compelling as possible others will tell it for you.

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Why is storytelling vital for your business

A brand narrative used to be something only a small percentage of businesses made an effort to cultivate. Regardless of whether they know it or not, all businesses have a story to tell.

For some companies the story is immediately obvious whilst for others there’s a bit of digging to be done.

Brands and businesses who have had a clear vision from the beginning find it much easier to roll out storytelling throughout their marketing. In many cases it has already helped to mould their very identity.

By spending time on weaving your story into your brand identity and your marketing or using it to create a brand identity will give you something to focus on that allows you to stand out from your competitors.

This story makes it easier for you to show how you differentiate yourself from the offerings around you. It helps you to stand out and be noticed in a sea of choice allowing the consumer to make emotional decisions based on how they have connected with you and how your brand resonated with them.

How to cultivate your own brand story

The first thing you need to do is ask yourself “what is my story?” All businesses started somewhere with an idea or a vision - what is yours?

If someone made a movie about your business how would it play out? Can you imagine the movie trailer guy giving the synopsis. It’s a strange exercise but creating a movie trailer script for your business can often force you to think differently about what is worthy of your story and what isn’t.

Think about whether or not you want to highlight the challenges the business has overcome (or you have personally). Do you have a unique connection to the land that sets your business apart from others? Maybe you have a fairy tree or an ancient stone in your grounds that people will be intrigued by or maybe you have a generational story of how your family has been doing what you do for 3/4/5 generations.

Whatever your story is, make sure you talk to people outside of your inner circle. It’s easy to take your story for granted and make assumptions that people won’t be interested in something that is as normal as breathing for you.

When crafting the story think about how you can appeal to all the senses:

• What will they feel
• What will they see
• What will they hear
• What will they smell
• What will they taste

Think about how you can connect the heart of your customer to the soul of your brand.

Then ask yourself, what element of the business is the story you are crafting about? For example:

• The production
• The people
• The past
• The region
• The product
• Ingredients
• Packaging
• Where is your brand going?
• What has it overcome?
• What does it stand for?
• Is there a backstory?

Creating your brand story isn’t just about the end user. Remember you want to be able to communicate your story to other people who you can work with in partnership.

Try to ensure your brand story is memorable, give it legs of it own and let it grow with you and the business.

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