How to Tell Brand Stories That Sell
Ever walk into a movie right at the breathtaking, edge-of-your seat climax? If so, it probably didn’t feel like a breathtaking, edge-of-your-seat moment. At best, it was mildly interesting — maybe because of some gorgeous cinematography or cool-looking action sequence.
So you liked the eye candy, but you didn’t care about the story at all. The hero? What hero? Something important was at stake, you could tell. But you weren’t invested in it. You didn’t really care what happened.
That’s exactly the experience your audience has when your marketing content starts out with your solution. “Who cares?” they say.
Imagine Die Hard’s rooftop scene without taking John McClane through hell first. Just a big bang is all.
Who cares that Darth Vader is Luke’s father, if the big reveal is the only thing you see?
So what if there’s a 50-foot Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in downtown Manhattan? And what’s the big deal if they cross the streams?
(Yes, I’m a child of the 80s. #OwningIt)
Get Your Customers on the Edge of Their Seats
I get it. You’re ecstatic about your product or service, and you think everyone else should be, too. And they should! But you’ve got to get them there, first. They aren’t going to love what you’re selling simply because you make a big deal out of it.
Your B2B customers make purchasing decisions the same way B2C buyers do — emotionally. People always buy based on emotion, then they justify their decisions with logical facts. It’s simply human nature. We buy the solution that connects with us emotionally.
That means your marketing content absolutely has to get your audience emotionally invested in your solution, if you want them to buy from you. How do you do that?
Glad you asked!
You get your buyer emotionally invested through brand storytelling*.
Stories Sell
Stories stimulate oxytocin, the brain chemical that makes your messaging memorable and relevant. Stories also do this thing called “neuro coupling” — basically, that’s when you put yourself in the story, making the narrative your own.
There’s also the likeability factor of stories, the arousal of interest and curiosity, and the cliffhanger effect that hooks the audience. I could go on, but you get the picture: stories sell.
So. If you want to get your buyers emotionally invested in your solution (and you do), then telling them a story is your best bet.
But not by starting at the climax.
How to Tell a Story That People Will Buy
When you tell a story, you want your audience to see themselves in it — to feel like it’s their story, their experience. Kind of like the Neverending Story, but less dangerous. (Yes, we’re still in the 80s.)
To do that, you need to get your audience on the right page. They need to see the world as you see it, to understand their problems as you do. Only then can they see your amazing solution for what it is: an amazing solution.
That journey is called a story arc, and it’s a lot like a three-act play. In fact, every good story uses the same basic story arc, whether it’s a novel, a movie, or a case study.
A story arc has a distinct progression through specific stages:
- Context. This is your buyer’s current situation, where they are today and where they need to get to. For example, Company X falls under new requirements to achieve greater security protection of sensitive data.
- Conflict. There’s a problem. Getting to the goal isn’t easy. Achieving the right certification will take months of 12-hour days that are filled with stress and confusion.
- Resolution. All hope is not lost! An automated compliance management system can help you streamline your project and keep it under control. Acme System is just that solution!
Can you imagine trying to sell your solution by telling that story starting at stage three? Companies do it all the time, and the reaction from most buyers is, “Okay, nice to know, but I think I’ll pass.”
But add the first two stages to the brand story and BAM! You’ve got a powerful narrative that gets your audience emotionally involved. They get the scenario. They relate to the problem. They empathize with the struggle. They see and feel the value of your solution.
Your story is now a lot harder to dismiss, and your solution is a lot more compelling.
How to Tell Brand Stories
Your marketing content doesn’t need to tell long stories. In fact, you can often do it in a few short sentences. Take the example above, for example. Here’s what that story looks like all put together:
Your company has to comply with new requirements to achieve a greater level of data protection. Achieving certification will take months of gruelling 12-hour days that are full of stress and confusion. Nothing is clear, and everything is chaotic. But you can tame the chaos. An automated compliance management system can help you streamline your project and keep it under control. Acme System takes the chaos out of compliance.
Boom. An entire story in less than 70 words.
There are myriad ways to tell stories. And hopefully, your brand is taking advantage of lots of them. After all, you don’t want to sound like a one-note drone.
Need some ideas of ways to tell stories in your marketing? Here’s a few to get you started:
- Case studies
- Customer testimonials
- Marketing videos
- Infographics
- Blog articles
- Website pages
- Branded comics
- Presentations and slide decks
- Podcasts
And while your narrative messaging should be the same basic story, don’t say the same thing every time. Comic books are constantly telling and retelling their heroes’ origin stories, finding fresh ways to deliver the same story. Hopefully your brand is doing the same thing.
Who’s Your Hero?
One final thought on brand storytelling. Even though you’re telling a story that’s ultimately designed to sell customers on your solution, the central character in your brand stories isn’t you.
You aren’t the hero of your own stories. It’s your customer who should be able to place themselves in the story, not you. Right? So tell stories that are customer-centric. Make your buyer the hero of the brand story.
Learn more about making your customer the hero
So what’s your story, and what’s your customer’s story? Spend some time this week writing and refining the brand narrative your customers want to hear. Then find ways to build your content around that story.
*Full disclosure: this article is heavily influenced by the brilliance of Paul Cash and James Trezona. Check out their book, Humanizing B2B. Some of Tamsen Webster’s stuff weighed in here too. Go read her book, Find Your Red Thread.