What Is a Brand Story? 7 Keys To Marketing That Wins Big

Effective marketing in 2023 is so much more than just having a fancy website or catchy ads. And it’s not enough to simply broadcast your name and contact info and then wait for customers to roll in. When you discover the answer to “What is a brand story?” — you’ll discover a proven way to win customers. 

Thanks to how integrated social media is into our everyday lives, everything today seems to revolve around stories. (Instagram even use that as the name of one of their main features!)

Having a brand story in your business can put you way ahead of the pack in your marketing. You need a strong narrative that positions the customer as the hero and you as the guide who can help them get what they want.

“What is a brand story?” This post will provide answers that will guide you to a new level of marketing success.

Why B2B Marketers Need to Understand Brand Story

Picture your family. Or your circle of friends. More than likely, you can think of someone you know who is a fantastic storyteller. 

When they start talking, people stop and listen. And they hang on to that person’s every word. 

Why is that?

People who can captivate a room with their stories are people who are able to make a strong emotional connection with their audience. Something about the way they talk makes people lean in and feel like they’re part of the narrative. Instead of tuning out, they want to hear more.

That’s why marketers and business owners (even those working in the B2B world) need to master brand storytelling. It can move your messaging from “talking to” to “engaging with.” As a result, you can grow your business.

Whether you may have spent lots of money building a beautiful website. Or you may have an incredible logo that you’ve strategically placed on vehicles, commercials, and billboards. You may even be the expert in your field. 

But unless your customers believe that you are the one who can help them solve their problem, they couldn’t care less how slick your marketing is.

Having a good brand story can make it so you start connecting with customers who want to give you their money!

What Is a Brand Story? And How Is It Different From Traditional Advertising Methods?

In traditional advertising, the message is all about the business. “Here’s who we are. Here’s what we do. We’re really good at it. You should shop here.”

Brand story goes beyond that. It taps into the way we naturally communicate and places your customer and their problems in the spotlight. Then it positions you as the authority who understands their problem and has the ability to guide them to a winning solution. 

In fact, our brains are wired to understand story. With this in mind, when you start to implement brand storytelling with your customers (whether on your website, social media, or in an elevator), you tap into something that automatically makes them take notice.

Without it, your messaging just becomes more background noise in a world filled with ordinary advertising.

Your Brand is the Guide — Not the Hero

We’ve mentioned that already, but it’s worth repeating because it’s the thing everything else hinges on. Your customer is the hero!  They do not care about how impressive your business is or how your great-grandfather started it from his garage. Their #1 need is to solve their problem (no matter what it is) as quickly and easily as possible. While it’s tempting to talk about yourself, that is to say if you make your marketing and brand narrative about you, they simply aren’t interested.

A Marketing Strategy Built on a Proven Framework

Successful authors and folks in Hollywood have understood for a long, long time. (That family storyteller you were thinking of earlier probably knows this intuitively too.) Every great story is a variation on a hero’s journey and can be broken down into a simple, dependable framework.

For years, we’ve used a story based framework with our clients that goes like this:

• There is a character who wants something.
• But they run into a problem.
• At some point, they meet a guide who understands their situation.
• The guide gives them a plan.
• And calls them to action
• Which either results in success —
• Or failure.

(If you’d like to learn more, you can read the book Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller.)

A perfect example of this is the plot of the original Star Wars movie (Episode IV: “A New Hope”). Luke Skywalker is going about his life as a moisture farmer until his Aunt and Uncle are killed by Galactic Empire stormtroopers. He meets Obi Wan (and later Yoda) who help him understand that he has unique Jedi powers. They train him, give him a plan, and call him to action. When he accepts the challenge to help destroy the evil Empire, it’s not clear if he’ll succeed or fail. (Thankfully, he does.) 

We’ll be unpacking this brand story framework in upcoming posts, so be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email. You don’t want to miss out!

What Are The Benefits of Using Brand Story in B2B Marketing?

A brand story isn’t just a way to develop a good movie plot or sell things to customers on the street. It’s a great solution even for B2B companies. 

You didn’t get into business to struggle to find leads and sales every month. And trying to convince other companies to do business with you is exhausting. 

The problem is that your messaging and brand storytelling isn’t clear. 

The most important part of your marketing is clarity! In other words, your customers simply don’t understand how doing business with you can solve their problem and help grow their business too!

When you use brand story in your messaging, you automatically

• Build trust.

• Set yourself apart.

• Make a human/emotional connection to your brand.

• Increase loyalty (repeat customers, referrals, etc.)

• Improve sales & ROI

If you’re tired of throwing away good money buying advertising that isn’t getting results, brand storytelling could be the solution you’re looking for.

4 Tips For Integrating Brand Story Into Your Existing Marketing Efforts

Without doubt, if your marketing isn’t working, it’s because your messaging isn’t clear.

The good news, though, is that brand story works every single time it’s applied. Best of all, integrating it into your existing marketing is easy! Here are 4 ways you can do it:

1. Website – Rather than confusing visitors with unnecessary information, brand story guides them to a clear call to action in a way they naturally understand.
2. Emails – Move from SPAM to ham and make your emails something they actually look forward to opening and taking action on.
3. Marketing materials – Instead of a boring brochure or newsletter, brand story lets you draw readers in so that they actually want to learn more about you
4. Sales pitches – When you make your audiences lean in by presenting your solutions the same way blockbuster movies do (no special effects required), you’ll win customers.

Ready to Create An Effective Brand Story?

If you’re ready for marketing that actually works and helps you grow your business, discover how a good brand story can make all the difference.

We’ve helped lots of small business owners just like you outperform their competitors and win more customers. Schedule a quick discovery call today to find out what a brand story guide can do for you too.