How to Be Your Brand Story’s Hero

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This week, I'll help you discover the brand hero within and show you how to position yourself as the hero in your brand story. Let's get into it!

Who doesn’t love a hero? Heroes are smart, strong and fearless. They look in the ugly face of danger and do what has to be done without hesitating for one minute. Heroes leap tall buildings in a single bound (anyone else hear the Superman theme song playing in the background?), and when they get knocked down, they find a way to climb back up to win the battle, all to the cheers of their adoring fans.?

Friend, when you think of yourself, can you say with confidence that you’re the hero of your life story or entrepreneurial journey? Or would you be like, “Nah, that ain’t me, sister.” Well, I’m here to tell you that you are indeed a hero, and if your brand-building efforts are to be successful, you’ll need to throw on your cape and position yourself as a capable overcomer.??

A few posts back, I discussed how storytelling is on the upswing, as seen in the viral fame of ReesaTeesa’s TikTok series Who TF Did I Marry, and I also talked about how to create a brand story. Now, I’d like to explore how using a storytelling technique normally seen in fiction writing can give your brand story a boost.?

We all face challenges, but not all of us come out on top. What sets you apart from the people you would like to learn more about you or your products or services is that you clawed your way up from the ashes and found a way not only to keep climbing but to somehow build a brand along the way. If that’s not inspirational, I don’t know what is. But this story of perseverance in the face of adversity is so often not told.?

Most brand stories only give boring details, like the date the company was founded, who the organization serves, and a short summary of the brand’s mission and values—and that’s it. Great, but not interesting.?

If you want your brand story to trigger deeper connections, add a hero’s journey. The Hero's Journey is a common story structure depicting a hero's challenges, development, and achievement of a goal. The Hero’s Journey, as used in fiction writing, can get a little involved, so I recommend using this simplified version as a framework for your brand story.

Step 1: Show Where You Started

Showing where you started is all about vulnerability. It requires you to tell complete strangers about your humble beginnings or the desires and dreams that inspired you to build your brand. While openness is important, remember that you get to choose how much of your story you want to share. Like I tell my clients, if you wouldn’t feel comfortable standing on a stage and explaining what happened to a room full of people, don’t write about it. Always feel free to summarize or leave out details you would prefer kept private.?

Step 2: Show How You Transformed

As we all know, anything worth doing comes with challenges we can’t always anticipate. Sometimes, the moment you begin to work on that thing you’ve always wanted to do is the moment your life starts to fall apart. Can I get an Amen? Whether it’s funding issues, loss of employment, health challenges, divorce, or just the struggle of figuring out how to put all of the pieces of your brand together and make them work, we’ve all had to grapple with something that left us fundamentally changed and gave us a new outlook on life. Include these challenges in your brand story and explain how they transformed you. It will help people see themselves in your story and give them an underdog to root for.?

Step 3: Show Where You Are Today

You started from the bottom. Now you’re here. (I couldn’t resist the Drake reference!) Your brand is budding or thriving. You help others or provide products or services that position others for success. Talk about your achievements and your plans or hopes for the future. This part of your brand story gives others hope, inspires them to take action in their own lives and makes people want to learn more from you and about you.?

When you position yourself as the hero of your brand story people want to be part of your journey and your success. They want to share in the joy and accomplishments that can help you build a positive reputation and grow your business.