Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller — Book summary
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THE BOOK IN 30-SECOND
If your brand’s story is not clearly and effectively communicated, it will be filed away as irrelevant or confusing “noise” by your potential customers and you will lose business. Miller’s strategies are the best approaches to make a lasting (and profitable) impression on your customer. The seven-part StoryBrand Framework is a method for consistently creating relevant and effective messaging. When used correctly, it will redefine the story your company is telling, invite customers into that story, and do more than sell a product/service — it will change your customer’s lives and create brand evangelists that will last a lifetime.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
1. The human brain is constantly scanning its environment for information that may be critical to its survival. Information that is too difficult to understand or that is thought to be irrelevant to that ultimate goal, is quickly ignored and discarded.
2. No matter how great the product/service you offer, or how much you spend marketing it, if you cannot explain its benefits to your customers in a way that is clear, succinct, and relevant to their survival, you will fail.
3. The companies that become truly successful are those focused on understanding and playing a role in the ultimate success, transformation, and survival story of their customers.
IDEA #1
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STORY | PG. 26
KNOW THIS — The human brain uses stories as a formula for understanding and categorizing information quickly and efficiently. The faster your customer understands your brand story, the more likely they are to buy.
WHAT TO DO — Develop a story that creates a clear route for your customers to engage with and understand your brand. Focus on how your product/service will help your customers solve their problems.
“In every line of copy we write, we’re either serving the customer’s story or descending into confusion; we’re either making music or making noise. Nobody remembers a company that makes noise.”
IDEA #2
YOUR BRAND IS NOT THE HERO | PG. 33
KNOW THIS — In any story, true strength and authority lies not with the hero, but with the guide or mentor. By becoming a trusted advisor to your customers, you take control of their story, define what it is they want or need, and create a single, driving focus towards your brand.
WHAT TO DO — Guide your customer along their transformational journey with your product/service and build a story around them that frames them as the hero.
“The day we stop losing sleep over the success of our business and start losing sleep over the success of our customers is the day our business will start growing again.”
IDEA #3
THE PROBLEM | PG. 47
KNOW THIS — There are three levels of problems: external, internal, and philosophical. Customers want to buy products that resolve problems on all three levels.
WHAT TO DO — Understand what frustrations and moral repercussions exist alongside the external problem your product/service solves. The deeper you engage your customers, the more value they will experience.
EXAMPLES —
External: Hunger.
Internal: The ability to find a convenient and healthy food option that the whole family will enjoy at a price that will not break the bank.
Philosophical: Supporting local businesses and farmers who do not use pesticides and dangerous chemicals on their crops.
IDEA #4
THE CALL TO ACTION | PG. 199
KNOW THIS — A call to action (direct or transitional) is necessary to dislodge your customer from the comfort of passivity.
WHAT TO DO — Take the initiative and call your customer to action. Make your CTA bold, clear, and unapologetic. You have the solution so challenge them to use it.
“Your customers are bombarded with more than three thousand commercial messages per day, and unless we are bold in our calls to action, we will be ignored.”
IDEA #5
THE PLAN | PG. 52
KNOW THIS — Confusion, complication, and fear can all increase a customer’s perception of risk with your product and impact the decision to purchase.
WHAT TO DO — Limit the perception of risk by describing exactly what steps the customer must take to purchase your product/service. The process plan should be short (no more than 3-6 steps) and simple to follow.
IDEA #6
DEFINING FAILURE | PG. 109
KNOW THIS — Pain and loss avoidance are the key drivers behind the purchasing decisions of consumers. By defining what is at stake if they do not buy your product/service, you motivate your customer to find a solution to their problem.
WHAT TO DO — Don’t be afraid to define the stakes, but use failure with discretion. Too much, and you risk scaring away your customers, but too little and you remove the reason to engage.
“Failure is like salt: use too much and you’ll ruin the flavor; leave it out and the recipe will taste bland.”
IDEA #7
BRAND: HELP CUSTOMERS TRANSFORM | PG. 179
KNOW THIS — Every customer is on a journey to becoming a better version of themselves. Acknowledge that upcoming change and help them accomplish it.
WHAT TO DO — Don’t assume your customer knows how you can help them achieve their transformation. Explain exactly how your product/service is going to get them there.
“Leaders who care more about changing lives than they do about selling products tend to do a good bit of both.”
IDEA #8
OVERCOMING THE NARRATIVE VOID | PG. 60
KNOW THIS — A “narrative void” develops within your company when there is no unifying narrative about the purpose and mission of your brand around a common goal.
WHAT TO DO — Define an internal brand story and make it a critical part of every aspect of your company. Make sure your team understands the role they play within it.
“A strong StoryBrand-inspired narrative expels the Narrative Void the way light drives out darkness. Companies who calibrate their activities around a common story don’t just state their mission, they operate on mission.”
IDEA #9
CREATE A ONE-LINER | PG. 150
KNOW THIS — Every company should have a succinct and repeatable “one-liner:” a single statement that effectively describes how your brand is relevant to your customer’s story.
WHAT TO DO — Ensure that everyone on your team understands and memorizes your one-liner. Use it everywhere, and make it a part of your company’s core marketing vocabulary.
Consider your customer in the context of your business. Outline a distilled version of the following four elements of your customer’s story:
Who is your customer?
What is their problem?
What is your plan to solve that problem?
What does success look like?
Example — As the CEO of an international private jet rental company:
The Customer: Wealthy & busy travelers.
The Problem: Flying standard airlines is a pain but owning a private jet is prohibitively expensive.
The Plan: Easy to book and relatively affordable private jets that will fly anywhere at any time.
The Success: The feeling of limitless luxury and privacy while flying hassle-free.
IDEA #10
BUILD A BETTER WEBSITE | PG. 77
KNOW THIS — Your website is often the first impression your customers will have of your company. The more cluttered it is, the less likely they are to engage.
WHAT TO DO — Within moments of arriving, ensure that your customer understands what product/service you offer, how it is relevant to her life, and how to engage further. Think of it as a visual representation of an elevator pitch, and keep only what is most relevant to your story.
“Your website is likely the first impression a potential customer will receive about your company. It’s almost like a first date.”
IF NOTHING ELSE, REMEMBER THIS
- Clear away the noise and focus on conveying your brand’s message as simply as possible. When it’s simple, it’s memorable and repeatable.
- The customer is the hero of your story, not your brand.
- Be bold. Do not be afraid to position yourself as an authoritative voice and clearly define the stakes in your customer’s story.