Page 10 - HC B2B Spring 2020

TELLING YOUR
BRAND STORY
By Deanna Johnson
You need a widget. You could get it at store A, or store B. The product is the same either place. Store A is even a little closer to you, but store B is owned by Bob, who grew up a few doors down from you. Where do you go to buy a widget?
Consumers, if it is an option, will tend
to do business with someone they have a relationship with. So, what if it is not an option? This is where your brand story comes in. A specific story of why you do what you do or how your product has solved a real problem helps your customer get to know you. Studies have shown that people will spend more when the product or service is paired with a story. Similarly, a 2014 study by neuroeconomist Paul Zak found that a character-driven story caused people to donate 56% more money
to charity.
business with
someone
they have a
relationship
with.
go through your buyer’s journey or even just their day, identifying their frustrations and pain points that are solved by your product.
Vet Your Ideas
You can vet your ideas hypothetically with your personas, but ultimately those will be clouded in your own personal experiences. You want to make sure that your brand story is accurately illustrating the value of your product/service and has a clear takeaway.
Craft Your Story
Think back to school. Remember Freytag’s Story Pyramid? Your brand story will be most effective if it has a beginning, climax, and resolution. Before/after, problem/solution, personal stories, even tutorials can have that type of structure.
Also, make sure you’re crafting your story with your brand voice. Don’t try to be silly if your brand voice is professional. Let your brand’s personality shine through!
Document, Test, and Adjust
People will respond differently to different formats, stories, and media. Document how, where, when you released a brand story. If possible, track it digitally with traffic and engagement metrics. As you do, you will start to see what people are responding to with real facts and numbers instead of just a feeling
of how you think it went. Then, do more of whatever it is they liked.
There are books, seminars, workshops, even college courses on how to develop a brand story, so it is easy to get overwhelmed and fall into the 48% of businesses who don’t. But you run a business – you have been overwhelmed before. The worst thing you can do is not try. •
DEANNA JOHNSON
Edge Marketing + Design
Consumers
tend to do
Unfortunately, creating brand stories is not fast and easy, which is probably why only 52% of marketers frequently use storytelling in their marketing. Let’s break it down, so you can take a strategic approach.
Create Personas
Your brand story is what is going to create an emotional or personal connection with your client. To do that effectively, you need to know them personally. Developing client personas is the first step in any strategic marketing.
Brainstorm Story Ideas
Remember what you are trying to do – create an emotional or personal connection. Stories that talk not just about that you exist, but WHY you exist, help a client get to know you. Instead of just pushing products or promotions, tell a story of how your product solved a problem and changed someone’s life. If you get stuck, go back to your personas and
10 Business to Business Connection | SPRING 2020