We’ve shared six guidelines on how to build a personal brand. Now we’d like to dive a notch deeper and answer: How do you actually build a personal brand story?
The Brand Narrative is a story that energizes and engages people to take action and drives them to achieve the destination. It prompts the emotional benefits that the brand promises to deliver to the audience. It features a hero, and in this case, the hero should be the audience (not the brand). It is delivered with “ruthless consistency” and focus - every communication and experience is aligned to enhance the audience’s understanding of the unique story of the personal brand.
Why Destination Planning?
The most successful businesses don’t reach that status by accident
They deliberately choose their destination in advance and work toward it in everything they do
Businesses without a clear destination jump reactively from one opportunity to another without any consistent strategy, alignment or clarity
A clear business destination sets the foundational direction for all activity in the company, and specifically determines all marketing and sales communications and initiatives
The destination outlines the business model, key strategies, and provides a clear lens through which to make operational decisions to achieve success and create the right path and map to the target destination
The effective positioning of a value proposition must ensure that it is based on the brand story and narrative, that the language is contextually appropriate, precise and accurate, and designed to reflect and reach the Destination
These concepts and ideas must be boiled down, within the destination process, into the “6 Second Story” that provides the hook for the “so what” question. In today’s environment of instant and total media saturation, 6 seconds is all you have to cut through the clutter and noise and to create interest in what you do and why you do it.
Start with the Mind of Your Target Audience
Your brand story must be simple, clear and aligned with your audience’s needs and wants. It must be bold and encourage exploration.
Simplify a Complicated Issue or Problem
Simplify the essence of “Why” your personal brand matters, or what is the value that you bring to the audience. Most people have neither the time nor the inclination to try to figure this out on their own, which is why this question needs to be answered through the simplicity of a great story.
Stir Emotion in You Audience’s Mind
Give people a reason to care, a reason to pick you, and a reason to stay. People don’t buy from making logical, rational buying decisions. They make emotional decisions and then justify those decisions by rationalizing them with facts. There is a huge difference in whether your audience views your story as just another transactional relationship or a story that emotionally connects with their professional or personal journey.
“Good marketers tell brand stories; great marketers tell them with purpose.”
- Dave Sutton, TopRight
Strike a Chord that Prompts an Internal Question or Reflection
What do you want people to think when they see or hear your brand story? People will be more engaged if they can relate to you story rather than listening to fact-laden statements about all of your credentials, accomplishments and the “wonders of you”.
Make your Audience the Hero of Your Story
Compelling stories resonates when the audience can put themselves at the center of the story. We must make the audience the hero, while the brand assumes the role of a mentor. When your goal becomes participation, rather than control, the hero is more likely to let you into their world [and their story]. You can start by focusing on experience-based efforts for better engagement with your audience.