How do you use storytelling to stand out from your competitors?

The coherent storyline that ties together the details and feelings that your brand arouses is known as brand storytelling. Businesses need to start telling their customers the narrative of their brand, why it exists, and why this matters, consistently throughout all communication, in addition to providing them with reasons why they should purchase a good or service. Brand storytelling is no longer a nice to have. It is a need to have, and what will ultimately maximize your business’s visibility, profit, and impact. - In a sea of sameness, be unforgettable - More than customers, build a tribe - Be profitable and human When creating your marketing strategy, don’t forget about the bigger story: what makes you human?

Don't make this all about you. Once you've outlined all you want to say from your own perspective, try re-framing your story to make it about your customers. This can make the "why" of your brand more relatable, believable, and memorable. TurboTax's current ad campaign is a brilliant example. The company says it has created "the best assisted tax experience in the market" – but instead of describing the software, systems and talent behind that, their clever ads show everyday people napping on couches, cultivating houseplants, dancing in the park ... or ANYTHING but taxes. Even if you're B2B, your customers are people. What you sell enables their needs, desires, and dreams on a human scale. So tell a human story – and make it about THEM.

It's true that stories make your brand more credible and memorable. At the same time, you can't just concoct a story...needs to come from your actions and your values. Here's a link to a great brand story that conveys values of authenticity, integrity and courage. https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/ride4water-social-video-campaign

The key mentioned above is relatability. Add in authenticity and you’re making a lasting connection. It’s a perpetual journey of fostering and nurturing real audience connections – might as well make it count. Telling your brand story in authentic, relevant and relatable ways is paramount in cultivating a sense of genuineness and credibility.

Communicating your brand story will help you gain and keep more loyal customers. It makes your and your organization more authentic and human. People prefer to buy from people they know. Knowing your brand story makes you feel more like someone they know.

Are you ready to find your unique brand story? Well, get cracking, because here are three easy steps to start branding you... Step 1: Get personal. Your brand story is about sharing what makes you unique and different from other lawyers in your field. Start by asking yourself what sets you apart, then craft around that. Step 2: Know your audience. Who are you trying to attract with your branding? What problems are they trying to solve? What concerns do they have? Your brand story should be tailored to speak directly to your target audience. Step 3: Be authentic. Your brand story should be a reflection of who you are as a person and as a lawyer. Be true to yourself and let your personality and expertise shine through. Authenticity is key!

When I was creating my own brand story, I sent a poll to people who know me well, both personally & professionally. I asked them to write 7 different words / phrases that describe me. Then I put those words into a word cloud. Some of what was highlighted was no surprise, but there were actually some surprising insights. I used both their feedback and my own insights to help build my positioning and story. Obviously, this works for an entrepreneur. But you could do a similar exercise for a larger organization. Simply ask a set of clients a similar question. Be sure to make this easy and fast for them, not complicated or time-consuming. The subject of the email I sent to my friends and associates was "asking for 3 minutes of help".

For SaaS, Tech, and B2B Services, your brand story often flows from your Product and Buying Vision. Enunciating your beliefs about where the category is heading, and how that impacts the criteria that buyers should use in evaluating solutions is a key insight for your Brand Story. Connect your product vision to demonstrable facts your buyer is experience and craft a logical cause and effect narrative with your unique value proposition and you have a brand story that differentiates your solution and creates awareness while stimulating demand!

Your brand story acts as your central philosophy It is your guiding light. It acts as the central philosophy for your brand- explaining your brand’s purpose, its values, and its worldview. All of this is crucial when you formulate your policies, run your business, engage your audience, and manage your team.

I disagree that every story needs the same structure. People often fall into the trap that "hero journey" is the only narrative. In Jungian psychology, which is where "hero journey" emerges, there are actually at least 12 different narratives. One company, https://www.props.co/ does a great job of cultivating brand stories that are more diverse.

Great stories make an impact. How do you know if the story is great? How do you know if the story is only mediocre? How does a story make an impact? We are talking about the foundation - the core - the brand story. I wrote the following structure in my book Not Another Pair of Shoes: The 5 What’s: What do you believe in? What problem do you solve? What is the obstacle to overcome? What is the solution? What do you do? Once you have the foundation of your brand story it’s easier to navigate later. In your communication you can focus later on communicating the problem you are solving, the solution you provide and what you do.

Your brand: personality, tone of voice, purpose, emotions it invokes, goals, ideals The market: the industry & the competition T he audience: who they are, what they want and what are their pain points

Storytelling is only for creatives, right? NOPE. Even, and especially, lawyers need to tell stories to stand out! You might be thinking, "Storytelling? That's not really a lawyer thing." But let me tell you, this is a powerful tool that can help you connect with clients, build trust, and differentiate yourself from the competition (there's no lack of that!) First, sharing personal anecdotes is effective in demonstrating expertise and personality. Second, highlighting success stories of past clients helps to showcase results and build trust. Third, using visual storytelling through videos, infographics or other visual content is highly engaging and shareable. It's all about building connections and differentiation from competition.

Like any campaign, one must begin with why. Why do you want to run a brand awareness campaign? What is the specific reason or reasons? This will help in deciding the KPIs and metrics. The brand awareness metrics can be many, based on the goals you want to achieve. SMART goals can be handy here. Brand campaign measurement methods can either focus on how it impacts the business, the consumer or a combination of both: 1. Business-focused 2. Consumer-focused 3. A combination of both Business Centric direct methods: These measure the impact of brand ads on Sales. Business Centric indirect methods: These methods focus on measuring outcomes Consumer-centric direct and indirect methods: impact of brand ads on consumers’ perceptions

So important to have a simple brand idea that is authentic and true so it resonates with your audience. And worth remembering that people have millions of other things they'd rather do than read your brand content, so make sure your storytelling is interesting and compelling - basically like any great editorial!