What is StoryBrand and does StoryBrand really work?
Good marketing really isn’t about being on the latest platform or spending the most for the prettiest designs. Good marketing begins with something more elemental: clear messaging.
StoryBrand is a proven messaging framework that turns your marketing efforts into a major sales funnel to grow your business.
What is StoryBrand?
In 2017, Donald Miller wrote a book called Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen with a message so simple that I was hooked.
StoryBrand is a proven marketing framework that helps businesses get to the heart of their brand message and connect on a deeper level with their target audience. It takes the traditional “features vs. benefits” marketing approach much deeper and instead focuses on bringing true empathy and connection into the heart of your brand message.
The best part? Businesses that have implemented that message effectively have seen amazing results and growth, sometimes as much as quadrupling their revenue in the first year.
StoryBrand has changed my business and approach to marketing. For many years in the industry I helped organizations establish beautiful marketing campaigns. The problem is that our solutions were often only subjectively successful. I struggled to demonstrate how their investment had made a very clear return for them.
Clients weren’t crazy about that but to be honest, neither was I.
I questioned the integrity of the solutions I was providing and wanted to be more confident that my clients would certainly grow if they worked with me. I wanted to tell stories that would increase revenue. So I became a StoryBrand Certified Guide.
What is the StoryBrand Framework? Implementing StoryBrand for Business Success
Storytelling is an essential part of the human experience. We remember stories and connect with them. Stories are powerful to subvert and transform us in a way direct communication often fails. They give us a framework for understanding the world. That’s why using stories effectively in your marketing makes a big difference.
But it isn’t enough to just be a storyteller. You need to be telling the right story for it to inspire action in your customers.
Here is the basic StoryBrand framework:
A Character has a Problem and meets a Guide who gives them a Plan and calls them to take Action that ends in Success and helps them Avoid Failure.
That’s it. Isn’t it beautifully elegant and clear?
It is also probably familiar. It’s the thread that runs through many stories you know - from The Hunger Games to Avengers, from Good Will Hunting to Cars. Actually you’ll start to notice every good story you’ve read or movie you’ve watched essentially follows this pattern.
How can StoryBrand Benefit My Business?
Here are the key elements to applying StoryBrand to your brand messaging:
You are not the hero, the customer is. This customer-centric approach to your messaging is revolutionary and invites deep connection.
Your business is the guide that is helping the customer succeed and avoid failure. The story is basically about them and you are just the empathetic guide helping them on their journey.
Naming the failures they are trying to avoid if they don’t take action.
Giving them an inspiring picture of the success they’ll experience when they work with you.
What makes APPLYING StoryBrand hard?
So maybe you are thinking you should just go read the book. That would definitely be a good start. While the 7-part StoryBrand Framework is concise and simple, many business owners realize it can be harder to implement on their own than they expected.
Others hear about this simple storytelling and think, “I already tell a great story. Why would I need to hire someone to change that?” We’ve heard this a lot before. One of our clients recently said, “I thought I was communicating clearly but I had no idea how much business I was losing!”
Donald Miller says, “If you confuse you lose”.
Your marketing needs a foundational shift. Good marketing isn’t about making you look awesome and qualified and about all the wonderful things you do. Good marketing is about clarifying your message by contextualizing it to your ideal prospects. But it can be hard to put yourself in the customers’ shoes!
This is why many business owners that are interested in StoryBrand hire a StoryBrand Certified Guide to help them through the process.
Are you interested in learning more about storytelling, or ready to see what StoryBrand can do for your business? Click here to schedule a free Discovery Call with me so we can get you reaching your business goals with confidence.
