The 7 Main Parts Of A Storybrand Website (and 5 reasons it converts)

Every business owner wants a website with a clear message that engages prospects and brings qualified leads to their business.

The problem is building this ideal website is hard. It takes more than throwing some text and images on a computer screen and then crossing your fingers as you wait for results.

And with thousands of website funnels and templates available, finding the “right one” for your business can seem overwhelming.

Thankfully, the Storybrand method makes engaging websites easy.

What makes a Storybrand website unique and effective?

It’s pretty simple, and it’s based on something that has engaged humans for thousands of years:?telling a compelling story.

At?Kairos Digital, we have used the Storybrand Framework and Storybrand websites to transform the messaging and increase sales of many companies. We are excited to show you how it can help your business!

In this post, we’ll explain the 7 parts of a Storybrand website and give 5 reasons the Storybrand Framework brings results.

What is Storybrand?

The?Storybrand Company and Framework?were created by Donald Miller as a way to engage customers and convert qualified leads.

While watching films and reading stories, Miller noticed how ancient story-telling techniques engaged the audience and pulled them into the story.

He also noticed many websites and marketing efforts weren’t converting leads, even though they used beautiful styles and designs.

This made him wonder if a website and company could convey their message in a story format.

And if they did, would it make the marketing clearer, inspire action, and boost conversions?

As Miller dug into his research, he found what he was looking for:

The power of story works for a business website and messaging!

The Storybrand Framework was founded on story, and it has helped thousands of businesses tell their business story, engage clients, and increase sales.

Please note:?While the following framework is the default order for Storybrand websites, the seven parts can be arranged differently. Miller compares it to playing music – the seven pieces are the notes, and they can be played in different orders to create your company’s website.

Alright, let’s get started on the framework!

Part 1: The Header (Passing the grunt test)

A website header is critical in catching your audience’s attention and creating the first impressions for your business.

It’s also the most valuable real estate on your website. After all, it’s the first thing everyone sees when they initially visit your website.

So what are the tricks to an effective header?

Storybrand uses a method called “The Grunt Test.”

Here’s how it works:

If someone looked at your website header for 5-10 seconds, could they grunt the answers to these three questions:

1. What does your company offer?
2. How does your product or services make my life better?
3. How do I buy what you’re offering?

When it comes to telling the audience how to work with you, Storybrand encourages having a clear Call To Action (CTA) in your top menu as well as in the header.

In fact, it is encouraged to include your primary CTA in each of these seven sections.

After all, the clearer your CTA buttons are, the more likely someone is to click it as they scroll down your website.

If your website header clearly answers the three questions from the Grunt Test, then you have already won half the battle in engaging clients and successfully telling your story.

Part 2: Stakes Section (What is the pain point?)

The Stakes Section’s purpose is pretty straightforward: You tell the reader what can go wrong if they choose not to work with your company or products.

In a story, the stakes are what make the story interesting:

• The bomb needs to be diffused before it explodes.
• The hero needs to capture the villain before more people get hurt.
• The lost child needs to find the parent before dark.

And for a website or company narrative, the stakes are critical to engaging the reader and making them wonder: “Wow, will my life really be worse if I don’t choose this company?”

You can probably think of dozens of things that might go wrong, but you need to think about the main 2-3 stakes for your business and products.

What are some examples of stakes on a website?

For an accounting firm, a stake could be someone paying unnecessary taxes if they don’t use your tax services.

For a daycare, maybe the stake is your child not getting enough fresh air and playtime during the day while the parent is working.

For an HVAC company, it may be that the home’s HVAC equipment isn’t running efficiently which results in lost energy and high utility bills.

Pro tip: The more visual you make these stakes, the more compelling your messaging will be!

Part 3: Value Proposition (How do you solve the pain point?)

You’ve taken your audience through the stakes, and they should be thinking about what can go wrong if they don’t choose your product.

Now it’s time to change gears and think about the benefits of working with your company by answering this question:

“What advantages does a customer experience if they do business with me?”

Why is this question essential?

Because the answer to this question helps position your company as the answer to the problems you introduced in the Stakes Section.

Remember, if your company doesn’t answer or solve the problem from the Stakes Section, then leads visiting your website won’t buy your services.

For example, if the problem for the daycare referenced earlier was a child not getting enough fresh air and playtime, then a value proposition might be the daycare’s large, fenced-in property with plenty of grass and playground equipment.

You may find it easy to list dozens of items you want to include in the Value Proposition, but

Storybrand encourages you to choose the main 3-4 points. While having more positives is not always bad, too many points causes your audience to start losing interest.

Part 4: Guide Section (What makes you qualified?)

We’ve reached the point of the story where too many websites jump right away: Talking about your company and your qualifications.

Every company wants to establish itself as the guide or authority, but most companies make the mistake of doing it at the beginning of their messaging.

What makes Storybrand’s approach unique?

Putting the Guide Section after the Stakes and Value Proposition sections positions your business as the authority who helps solve the audience’s problem.

In other words, you focus on your customer and their problem first.

Instead of boasting about your company at the beginning, you have the audience think about a problem they have. This helps them realize the value of working with your company to solve the problem.

In the Guide Section, you want to express both empathy and authority to the reader. Instead of listing your credentials as a company, you want to express empathy by making it clear you “hear and understand.”

Like the Value Proposition, you typically want to list 3-4 main points about your company’s authority.

The Guide Section is also a great place to put several testimonials, although testimonials can be placed effectively throughout the website.

Remember: Your company is here to help the audience, so keep the story about their pain points and express empathy!

Part 5: Price & Service Section (What services do you offer?)

With the Stakes, Values, and Guide sections behind us, it’s time to list the services and pricing (if applicable) on your website.

How you display this depends on how many services or options you have, but keep the following in mind:

• Keep the format and options clean. You don’t want to confuse the audience on this critical part of your website.
• Remember to hit the pain points: How does each service help the audience?
• Don’t give every detail. You want to provide each product’s main points without overwhelming the audience. If you want to give the full specs, create separate product pages and link to them from the Service Section.

Now the audience knows the services you offer, and it’s time to give the steps on how to work with your company.

Part 6: The Plan (How does someone work with you?)

Your website has covered a lot of ground by this point, and now it’s time to clarify how someone works with your company.

Just like the other sections, we want to make it clear and simple to the audience on the main steps in working with our company.

What is the best way to keep this simple?

By focusing on 3-4 main parts of the plan.

Don’t worry; we get it – you probably have a lot more than three steps to purchase your service!

But just like the Service Section, the goal is not to provide every detail. The goal is to keep things simple, clean, and easy to understand.

Listing your company’s plan in several steps also minimizes the barrier in working with you.

For example, if you are an accounting firm doing tax work, you probably have multiple steps and checklists you need from someone when they first work with you.

Everyone knows the tax and accounting world is complicated, but it would be truly overwhelming to a lead if you would list the 21 items they need to get started!

Instead, you could present this plan in a simple way that positions you as the guide:

1. Schedule a free consultation: We meet with you and determine which tax service is best for you.
2. Collect tax documents: We help make it easy and stress-free to know exactly which documents we need to do your taxes.
3. We do the work and file your taxes: When we have the documents, our team does the work, and you don’t need to worry about your taxes!

Part 7: Explanatory/Sales Paragraph (Remaining sales copy)

We’ve reached the last part of the Storybrand Website framework!

The bottom of the website, before the footer, is an excellent place to put any final sales language you want to include.

Storybrand encourages putting your Business Brand Summary in this section.

What is your Brand Summary?

Also referred to as a Brandscript Summary, the Brand Summary is based on another Storybrand resource: the Brandscript.

The Brandscript is Storybrand’s messaging method to learn about your company and determine the main messaging parts for your company.

If you are interested in filling out a Brandscript for your business or learning more about your company’s Brand Summary,?contact our Kairos Digital team?today!

As Storybrand Certified Guides, our team is ready to help you clarify your messaging, make your?copy more effective, and help you?establish a sales funnel?that brings results.

5 Reasons A Storybrand Website Converts

Congratulations, we’ve covered the elements of an effective Storybrand website!

So does this format work?

Absolutely!

Here are five reasons this layout is so effective compared to the many website layout alternatives.

1. It clarifies the value your business offers.

Customers no longer leave your website wondering what you do. Your website messaging, especially the all-important header, is clear on your company’s offers and value.

2. There are multiple clear CTA’s.?

If you have a clear Call To Action in every section, the audience should never wonder what the first step is in working with you.

3. You present a problem your company solves.

Many websites never talk about the stakes or problems. However, by discussing the stakes early in your website, you agitate the reader’s problem and then position your company as the Guide to help solve the problem.

4. The customer is the hero, not your business.

Storybrand messaging and websites focus on the customer’s problems and issues, not your company. There is a reason your company is not introduced as the Guide until section 4; the customer wants to know how you solve their problem – not how great your company is!

5. You present a clear plan of action.

The Plan Section may sometimes seem oversimplified with only presenting 3-4 steps in the process, but humans have trouble understanding complicated action steps. We don’t want to know every detail; we only want a simple high-level overview of the next steps.

How Kairos Digital Helps

At Kairos Digital, we know you are tired of wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter if you are a business owner or run a nonprofit; nothing is more frustrating than losing money with ineffective marketing.

By using the Storybrand Framework and creating an effective sales strategy, our team gives you the messaging, sales strategy, and tools you need for engaging marketing.

As a?Storybrand Certified Guide in Jacksonville, FL, we work with local businesses and national companies. We also work with a wide range of nonprofits.

We make it easy for you to get your Storybrand messaging and website:

1) Schedule a free consultation where we discuss your goals and the right path for you.

2) Kairos Digital puts a clear marketing plan together for your business or nonprofit.

3) Watch your business grow with clear messaging and effective marketing!

We provide various marketing services, including website development,?digital marketing strategy,?sales funnel creation,?copywriting,?graphic design, and much more!

Schedule your consultation today?and start your project. We look forward to helping your messaging and website become more effective with Storybrand!