Sales and marketing are about one thing, driving revenue. In order to do that you need to win the hearts and minds of your buyer. One of the most effective ways to do that is to tell a story!
you are your most important asset, it’s the person you trust
1. Use premise to communicate your business purpose. Now that you’ve admitted there’s someone out there selling the exact same thing you are, you have a chance to persuade a customer to choose you over that company in other ways. It’s all about creating an emotional connection to what you’re doing, where you’re going and why. Why did you start your company? How do you do what you do better than anyone else? The entire object of a good story is to build a case for the premise, and yours should be to build a case for your purpose. When you’re setting your narrative, it’s all up to you to set the stage for your business and how consumers understand it.
Consider the example of Toms. They don’t just sell shoes, fair trade coffee and sunglasses – they sell the ability to do social good and to take a stand for something. They’re customers know exactly where they stand and that’s because every element of their branding reminds customers of that mission. Toms takes every opportunity to seed that part of the story. Just take a look at one of their catalogues – stories of social good are woven throughout product pages featuring their latest fashions.
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1. Use premise to communicate your business purpose. Now that you’ve admitted there’s someone out there selling the exact same thing you are, you have a chance to persuade a customer to choose you over that company in other ways. It’s all about creating an emotional connection to what you’re doing, where you’re going and why. Why did you start your company? How do you do what you do better than anyone else? The entire object of a good story is to build a case for the premise, and yours should be to build a case for your purpose. When you’re setting your narrative, it’s all up to you to set the stage for your business and how consumers understand it.
Consider the example of Toms. They don’t just sell shoes, fair trade coffee and sunglasses – they sell the ability to do social good and to take a stand for something. They’re customers know exactly where they stand and that’s because every element of their branding reminds customers of that mission. Toms takes every opportunity to seed that part of the story. Just take a look at one of their catalogues – stories of social good are woven throughout product pages featuring their latest fashions.
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2. Make your hero (the customer) the center of the story. Part of an effective positioning statement addresses what you do, but more importantly addresses who you do it for. Your branding should communicate how well you know and understand your hero and their struggle, and empathize with them. Demonstrate that you are alongside them in this fight to overcome the problem you are solving.
Mailchimp does this well. They’ve taken the time to map out how their users feel at different points throughout their interaction with the app. For instance, when an email campaign has been completed and is ready to be sent, Mailchimp developed messaging that gives a virtual pat on the back to its user. They understand the user is likely feeling happy and relieved, and they try to encourage those feelings through their messaging. “Fine piece of work! You deserve a raise.” I’d say that does the trick.
3. Communicate how you help the hero overcome the antagonist. Your position should also communicate to the hero how you help them slay the dragon, save the girl, or simply overcome the antagonist. How do you solve their problem better than the competition?
Airbnb does this well through the messaging on their website. Images and copy appeal to the users’ need for comfort with words like “welcome home” over videos of people dining and laughing together, hugging and relaxing. It appeals to that sense of adventure and aspiration by highlighting unique places to stay all over the world. Finally, it communicates a sense of belonging with a video about Airbnb hosts. Let your customers experience, through copy, microcopy and visuals, how you help them achieve a desired outcome.
4. Satisfy your customers with change. The arc is perhaps the most satisfying part of a good story. It’s the event in which everyone or everything changes. Usually this is the point where the powerful villain becomes weak, or the office peon becomes the leader of the company.
Toms creates this satisfaction for its customers by showing the positive change their mission is creating. They depict this part of their story through images and stories of smiling children, and running tallies on the number of people they’ve helped restore vision for – and they credit this all to purchases made by the hero. Do you think that creates repeat purchases? I do.
Bottom line, consumers have no shortage of options and the only way to become the leader in their mind is to build narrative into your brand. Make sure your purpose is clear, your position is compelling, your hero (your customer) is the star of the show, and you demonstrate the definitive change your solution provides.