If you want to engage your customer base in a way that deeply resonates with their needs, you need to communicate a story well. One of the best ways to do story-based marketing is through the Storybrand system. The folks developed the system around seven fundamental principles that make marketing a clear, intuitive, and organic process. Storybrand marketing is a customer-focused marketing technique that you can apply to just about any business model. If you’re interested in creating a compelling brand story that engages with your target market, read on for seven essential steps to get started.
The 7 Steps to Create a Storybrand to Ensure Marketing that Works:
1. Start With The Customer:
Every good story starts with a central character. A lot of businesses feel that they need to be the central character in their account. In reality, the customer should be the center of the story. This restructuring allows them to place themselves within the narrative you are trying to create.
2. Identify A Problem:
According to Donald Miller, every good story has a problem or conflict. This problem that you identify is the central need that your customer faces. This need is the exact problem that you can solve for your customer – and it is often what defines your value as a company.
3. Identify Yourself as The Guide:
This is where you come in. You are the guide in the story who has the ability to lead your customer through the murky confusion of their problem and can guide them to the solution. Speaking of guides, a storybrand certified guide can help accomplish all the steps on this list professionally. Make sure that you, as the company, are clearly the solution to your customer’s unique problem.
4. Have A Plan:
You need to identify yourself as an expert. You have a unique solution to your customer’s issue. This is especially critical for any business-to-business model. You need to explicitly communicate the expertise that you have built over a long period of time.
5. Have a Clear Call to Action:
Now that you have clearly identified the hero in the story (your customer) and the solution to their problem (you), there should be a clear call to action present. It doesn’t need to be pushy — just compelling. Remember, the story should do most of the work for you. A storybrand certified guide can help you toe the line of compelling and overzealous.
6. Define Success or Failure:
The narrative that you craft should make it abundantly clear that if the customer follows the instructions given to him by the guide, they will achieve success. If they choose not to accept the guide’s help, they will run into the same problems that they have been facing.
7. Failure:
Failure shouldn’t be the centerpiece of your story, but it should serve as a vehicle of helpful tension for your story. Make sure that the customer understands the possibility of failure if they choose to not engage with your product or service, as well as the benefit of using your company.
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