Brand storytelling is the cohesive narrative that weaves together the facts and emotions that your brand evokes. In addition to giving your customers reasons why they should buy a product or service, businesses need to start sharing the story behind their brand, why it exists, and why this matters, consistently across all communication.

Storytelling will not only increase your brand favorability in your audience’s eyes, it can also be up to 22 times more memorable than facts.

Why Brand Story is a must-have

There are tens of millions of content being created, and even more being shared every day. Businesses are spending billions of dollars worldwide fighting for seconds of attention from audiences that are being bombarded with similar messaging. The internet has democratized marketing by making it accessible, but in the midst of this, it’s also made it very difficult for quality brands to stand out. Instead of throwing facts, statistics, and testimonials at your audience, focus on making your brand thoughtful, memorable, and real. Wrap your message into a story that transports people, simplifies information, and provokes an emotional response. Use narrative to share your brand’s history, challenges, successes, and value propositions -- no other brand can copy YOUR story

What is a Brand Story?

When crafting your messaging, think about what your audiences truly need from you (in addition to a product or service.)

Take Apple, for example. They sell technology, but from the beginning, their audience needed to feel that it was okay (and even encouraged) to be brave, bold, and think differently from the crowd. Their ‘Think Different’ campaign didn’t feature a single product…it sold a story. ‘If you think differently, you can change the world.’ Apple were offering themselves as the facilitators for maverick thinkers to change the world. Anyone who identified as a maverick with something to say, were drawn to buy from them. Tesla’s customers need to feel that it’s worthwhile to support the environment and sustainable energy.

How do you Build a Brand Story?

If your brand was a person, how would you describe their personality? On what grounds would you build a relationship. For a brand to take off, it needs to become so much more than your product and service -- and that’s where storytelling comes in. Think about what emotions, values, and ideas you can offer your audience. Use your story to create a deep emotional connection: start conversations, ask for engagement (no strings attached), involve your audience in what you do as a business. Once your audience knows, trusts, and likes you, they will more likely buy from you.

Why Story is Important to the Modern Consumer

Consumers are increasingly demanding for companies to prove how their efforts are making an impact, supporting a cause, and achieving results beyond just profit. Ironically, knowing that a company cares about something other than their own profit is the incentive that consumers need to buy more. Your mission matters. A desire to “change the world” is no longer cliche so long as brands are actually acting according to their values (currently, only 10% of organizations are doing this), and consumers gravitate towards brands that feel more human

Why Story?

Storytelling is the most ancient and powerful tool for effective education. We are genetically wired to love and respond to stories, and a memorable brand story is exactly what people need to feel connected to your business, have a lasting positive impression of who you are and what you stand for, and become loyal clients.