What is the best way to use your brand story to connect with customers?

Your brand story isn't necessarily the history of your brand. It's more like your role in the world in accordance with your worldview. And hopefully that role resonates with people who share the same worldview, or would like to.

Your brand story should not be told through a megaphone, its a conversation. Customers constantly add to your brand story and nothing is more exciting than amplifying how your solution/product enhances customers lives and making that part of your brand story. Consumers are bombarded with so many brands everyday they do not have time to read every brand story or remember the ones they do so making it easy understand and relevant to their lives is essential.

Purpose, purpose, purpose - it's the marketing world's favorite buzzword. But here's a twist: maybe your brand's purpose isn't a holy grail. Maybe it's just a cup. Everyone's got one, filled with similar-sounding noble intentions. "Making a positive impact" isn't unique - it's a given. So, scrap the grandiose mission statement. Instead, show me the dirt under your fingernails. Show me the late nights, the failed attempts, the real human struggle behind your brand. Don't tell me why you think I should care; show me why you care. That's your story. That's what's worth telling.

Connect with customers by sharing your brand's unique story in a human way. Be authentic and share your values, purpose, and challenges. Use vivid language and storytelling techniques to evoke emotions in your audience. Be consistent with your story across all channels. Nike tells the story of athletes overcoming adversity to achieve their goals. Apple tells the story of innovation and creativity.

Be authentic and tell a genuine story about your brand's values and origins. Use emotional storytelling that resonates with your audience's values and experiences. Use visuals and customer testimonials that demonstrate how your brand solves problems. Invite your audience to be a part of your story through interactive marketing, social media engagement, or community events. Show how your brand's values reflect customer beliefs and aspirations. Keep your brand story coherent and aligned with your values. Communicate how your brand is evolving and growing.

People remember how you make them feel. Assuming you’ve done your homework and clearly know the problems your product or service solves, tell that story. Let them know what you’ve been through and how your product or service has helped them resolve an issue. Make sure to capture feelings words so they can resonate and know that you understand their predicament and situation. From there, give clear examples of how the brand is able to help them overcome the issues or challenges, testimonials from real clients are also very helpful, and then offer a clear call-to-action without making it promotional.

Really dig into your audience’s pain points to uncover their true needs. Sometimes big, complex problems are hard to articulate, so folks lean into symptoms while ignoring the underlying issue. When you uncover the source of your audience’s frustration you can write a brand story that elicits excitement and action.

Your brand story has to evidently carry the essence of how you care for your customers. - Use simple words that a customer can easily relate to. - Don't expect them to take action immediately after listening to your intention for them. Give them enough time to build trust on your brand. - Sharing your brand story is like sharing your personal story to a potential life-partner. So, the best place to start is to listen to them first. Listen to the customer's story and know it thoroughly before sharing yours.

Crafting a brand story involves articulating the brand's core purpose and the unique problems it solves. It's about connecting with customers on shared values and showcasing the brand's impact on individual lives and communities. A successful brand story goes beyond products, fostering an emotional bond with the audience and differentiating the brand in the market. This narrative should be future-focused, reflecting innovation and a vision that resonates with consumers.

You really need to be very specific about your audience on any scale, your story has to resonate with your audience, if it doesn't, it could affect your brand. The content strategy has to cater to what your audience wants or expects from your brand or your products. Once you know that crucial point - it is much easier to create that story and a call to action so that the audience can start the process to address their needs, without it being a straight up promotion tactic.

It is essential to be genuine and authentic in sharing your story. Your brand voice should reflect the essence of your brand. Your voice is critical to crafting an engaging and compelling narrative that captivates your audience. Use storytelling techniques using your brand voice to share relatable and memorable brand stories.

To connect with customers using your brand story, make it authentic, relatable, and emotionally resonant. Understand your audience, emphasize your brand's values, use visuals, maintain consistency, and encourage customer engagement to create a compelling narrative that fosters a genuine connection.

Your brand story's effectiveness lies in both content and delivery. Consistency and authenticity in voice are crucial, reflecting your brand's personality and values. This voice should resonate with your audience, embodying your brand's character and aligning with its purpose. While adaptable across various channels and formats, it should consistently represent your brand's identity.

Be aware that not all your customers will be interested in knowing your brand's plot. What I mean is that of course it is beneficial to have one so those who are interested will have that info, but do not force your potential customers to engage in reading or listening about this in their customer journey, or they might drop out. Some of them just want to but your product or service fast, not knowing about the whole history of it.

It's often hard for a brand to remember or even "get" that "you" are not the hero of your story. "You" are the sage, the mentor, the Yoda - leading your hero (the customer) to solutions or happy endings.

By weaving a plot that illustrates the brand's evolution, challenges, and achievements, the story becomes more engaging and relatable. In particular, positioning customers as the main characters is a powerful approach. It shifts the focus from the brand itself to the impact it has on its customers, emphasizing the benefits and experiences provided. This customer-centric plot fosters a deeper connection with the audience. Additionally, structuring the story with a beginning, middle, and an open-ended conclusion is a strategic way to keep the audience engaged over time. This approach also opens doors for future storytelling opportunities and keeps the audience invested in the brand’s continuous growth and evolution.

Rather than take a channel-first approach like the old PESO model, I think it’s better to create your owned assets first, and then create campaigns that combine, atomize, and amplify those assets across relevant channels. The MACH-6 is an excellent framework to visualize an asset-first approach to marketing. It highlights the level of control marketers have over specific channels.

Many people will say I want to promote my brand on this channel or platform. Reality is that channels/platforms are decided on research and knowing where your audience is currently on, then depends on your goals and budget, so that you can make the most of your story reaching your audience and measure how well it would be doing. In my experience the funnel framework is a simple and effective way to know the best channels for your campaign.

Even though it is not directly stated here, building a community voice through social media allows a direct channel to the brand. The community will articulate the words, pain points, and concerns that can become part of the brand voice.

And check where they are sharing this feedback because is not always in the channels you are most active. Sometimes they don't want you to know the feedback, and you will have to actively look for it.

Call to action in respect to tell people about their buying process would be beneficial as it would help in the long run working as a reliable testimonial.

Encourage customer engagement by inviting them to share their experiences and stories, fostering a sense of community and connection.

Depending on your brand, you'd need to understand what the activation point in your brand story is and build content and narratives about that point. What is the one thing that unites you to your audience?

Know your brand! Once you understand your purpose, audience, tone, and audience - you have to put it all together and know your brand. This comes by living the ideals, the values, the mission, vision, and values. This comes when new customers or friends/family challenge your business idea. This comes when you are low on business/sales, and you challenge yourself. Knowing who you are is the same as knowing your brand. It’s more than colors and a logo - it’s identity!