Marketing is a science, with complex numbers and analytics guiding best practices and how to structure your subsequent campaigns. However, creating a brand story that sets the foundation for your marketing approaches is more of an art.
You and your team need to explore your target market's interests, the current attitudes surrounding the types of products you sell, and the values people in your organization hold. From that, you can craft a brand story that resonates with your employees and your customers. Start with these steps in the brand story creation journey.
Your Reasons for Being
Your business's story should be (and probably already is) unique from other competitors in the space. By defining your intentions, company values, and goals, you can stand out to shoppers looking for a brand from which they can align their interests and feel good about purchasing.
Start creating the foundation for your brand story by asking yourself or your team these four questions:
- Why did you start your business?
- What problems are you solving for people?
- What is your brand's intention or goal?
- What values do you want your brand to be known for?
What Motivates Your Team?
Your company's brand story relies just as much on your internal culture as it does on your external messaging. Use your values and your business's purpose to motivate your team. If your team is expanding, look for potential hires motivated by similar goals, such as solving problems in your niche, making your target market's lives easier or more fulfilling, or creating innovation. Having a team that's an active part of your brand story will make it more authentic.
Show People the Real You
Authenticity and transparency are core requirements for any successful brand story. Incorporate these tips to show your team and customers the real you.
Be Authentic
By frequently and consistently communicating your brand's story and values, you can engage potential prospects. Look for opportunities to share with your audience, discuss your goals and values, and listen to feedback across multiple channels. This can include on social media, on your website or publications, and anywhere you post content, as well as in your store.
Authenticity also relies on building a strong emotional connection with your audience. You can create stronger relationships and become more memorable by reaching out personally. Another key element of authenticity is building trust. If you consistently maintain the same message, especially regarding your values, shoppers will trust you and your brand story more.
For example, suppose you create environmentally-friendly messaging and back that up with green materials, packaging, and processes. In that case, shoppers will trust your brand more than if you focused solely on intermittent rhetoric.
Reaching out to value-driven customers is also a key part of building your story. Value-driven customers make purchase decisions based on how well a company's values align with their own.
Whether a shopper appreciates convenience, fair trade, or cutting-edge innovation, they'll buy products from brands that match those preferences. These customers can become lifelong shoppers and loyal community members, but they also demand consistent adherence to your stated values.
Highlight Your Brand's Personality
Your brand's unique personality is also another factor that differentiates your company from your competitors. Brand personality is made up of the human personality traits shoppers associate with your brand. Think of Wendy's sassy social media presence, Rolex's tone of luxury, and REI's personality of helpful outdoorsy-ness.
A brand personality should create a positive relationship or at least align with your target market's preferences. Create a style guide for all communication channels that establishes a consistent tone, attitude, and point of view, so shoppers understand your brand's personality. A style guide is a valuable tool for ensuring different content creators can create consistently styled ads, emails, long-form content, and more.
Let Your Brand Story Evolve
However, it's important not to set everything about your brand's personality in stone immediately. Your brand story will shift over time as you reflect on your values and initiatives. It may also change to meet the needs of your target market better. Your story will organically evolve as it grows, focuses on a specific niche, or expands in geography or market focus.
Holding back parts of your brand story also keeps your audience more engaged. Continually expanding on your journey, releasing new details, and building an approachable — rather than overwhelming — presence will keep your audience more interested in the long-term.
KCTV5 Is Here to Help You Craft and Share Your Brand Story
Creating a brand story is complicated, and sharing it can be even more challenging. Finding an expert media partner with experience assisting small and growing businesses can help you tell your story to your target markets.
