Telling Your Story – Brand Storytelling For Small Businesses
Brand Storytelling for small businesses is essentially content creation using your brand’s journey in story form. How do stories and businesses start? It all starts with an idea. Both are then expanded to be larger, more detailed and able resonate deeply and successfully with the people that they reach.
We learn through storytelling. We remember through storytelling. So, it makes sense to tell your company’s story to promote your brand, particularly if you have a memorable back story, overcame important challenges and/or have a significant lineage that shows longevity of your business.
What is Brand Storytelling For Small Businesses?
In brand storytelling or small businesses, you spin your company’s mission, values and purpose into a story. You can use this technique to communicate your message in a way which resonates with your audience and generates empathy. Brand storytelling helps you be memorable, unique and favorable to your audience.
You should avoid sounding like you are pitching your company, or your product offerings. The goal is to make the audience emotionally invest in the journey of your company and the ideals that you represent. People are more likely to respond positively to businesses that appear more human and authentic than those who feel impersonal or distant.
Brand storytelling is not only about company values or mission. It’s also about the challenges and successes your company has faced, as well as the emotional ups-and-downs you experienced. The reader will experience the same emotions and elements as they follow this story. They are then captivated. Here is where empathy comes into play!
What Brand Storytelling In Marketing?
You have more chances to expand your brand’s story and engage more people with your brand if you include each marketing channel in your strategy. It is also important to weave them into a cohesive entity that is consistent, as this will help build customer loyalty.
It is important to have a plan for your story before you begin. This will ensure that the consistency of your storytelling remains, even if part of it needs to be outsourced (for instance, if multiple communication channels are used).
Keep in mind the emotion you want consumers to feel when they interact with your brand. These feelings will help create positive associations between your brand and the consumers.
Encourage your customers to tell their stories. This works both for B2B and B2C companies. The stories that your customers tell can be incorporated into the brand storytelling – quotes, testimonials, reviews etc. You can give buyers the opportunity to see how satisfied they are with your brand and to gain confidence in it.
Brand Storytelling for Small Business: Structure and Elements
Let’s talk about brand stories using a traditional story framework and its components. Stories usually have a beginning middle and end. Brand storytelling works in the same way.
Brand Introduction
This is the stage where you introduce the story and your business. Included in this is the setting, characters, theme, inciting event, etc. The audience would follow you as the owner of the business (or the business itself). The setting is the place and time when your brand story starts – maybe the place and time you were at the moment you had the idea for your business.
Know Your Audience
In this case, the core values of your brand are the starting point of the story. Knowing your audience is key to this stage. You need to understand their needs, wants and values so you can tell your story in such a way as to make people feel like they are in the shoes of your main character. Market research is necessary for this. You want to match your brand attributes to what your audience is looking for.
Initial Event
This is the initial event in the story. It’s usually the first source of conflict which makes a character do something new. This could be the initial challenge that motivated you to start your business or create your product. It may even be the same challenge your customer is looking to overcome with your product.
Middle Stage
The middle stage is where you follow your business through the many twists and turn that happen after the initial incident. This includes the lessons learned, challenges encountered, values inspired and more.
Everyone loves an underdog story. Showing how you and your business struggled to achieve success is a huge selling proposition. It also shares another chapter in the great American small business story of achievement. Nothing sells like success.
Climax
A climax is the point where the conflict or drama reaches its peak. The audience is glued to their seats, as the characters are tested and values are challenged.
What were the circumstances? What decisions were made? Who was involved? How did things align to make everything work out?
Brand Storytelling: Resolution
The end stage is when the resolution happens. This could be your brand solving the problem that they faced during the entire story or achieving a specific business goal. It is important that the main message of the story be reflected in it.
Ideally, your resolution should also include how your company and its products will help your customers, since this will increase their value and encourage further engagement with you. Include a call-to-action!
Also be sure to highlight your brand’s unique selling proposition. What exactly sets your business apart from your competitors? Is it your guarantee? Your success rate? Your variety? Expand and express the unique attributes of your brand — really spell out so that it’s abundantly clear why your brand is the one people will want to check out.
Vary Storytelling Brand Content
Once you have a good story to tell about your company for branding purposes, you want to vary your content delivery. Plan on presenting your storytelling in blog, on your About Us website page, across social media, on podcasts and video. Particularly video.
Preparing short and long-form content regarding your brand is a surefire way to capture attention and engage prospective clients/customers on your business’ history, service and product offerings, guarantees, and unique selling proposition.
Final Tips for Brand Storytelling for Small Businesses
Brand Storytelling is a way to tell the world about your small business, what it stands for, and why your company is beneficial for prospective clients and customers.
Do your best to maintain a good pace and keep the story interesting. If you spend too much time on boring data or unimportant details, the story will move too slowly and it’s hard to get the audience to stay invested.
Focus on the important, captivating, and fascinating topics. This will keep your audience interested and ensure that they stay with you until the end.
As mentioned, vary the content delivery. Using text, images and video to tell your brand’s story is worth the effort and will pay dividends particularly when spread across various social media platforms.
At Digital Muzes, we can help you with your online marketing needs. Click here to learn more about our services!
