Brands often seem distant and hard to relate to. Brand stories, however, bring brands closer to the customers, giving them something real and human to engage with.
A brand story is a narrative compiled out of facts and feelings that you want your brand to evoke in users. Unlike the traditional marketing strategy which is mainly focused on telling and showing the story, a brand story is something that will humanise the brand and entice a reaction.
Some of the most famous brand stories are Airbnb, Nike, Toms Shoes etc.
Tom’s Shoes, for example, shares a story of philanthropy where the founder, Blake Mycoskie witnessed the hardships of children who don’t have shoes. This is why he established his company as the one that gives a new pair of shoes to the children in need with each purchased pair of shoes. So far, he has given out 50 million pairs of shoes. He later launched his Bag Collection where for every bag purchased he created a safe birth giving to mothers in need.
Nike, on the other hand, has had a successful branding story for decades now. They have been extremely successful with their latest Equality campaign. The company establishes itself as a force for positive social change. This way they connect with their audience, giving them more than just sneakers and workout gear.
Writing a brand story can be hard, though. It takes a lot of work to come up with a way to translate what your business has been through into a story that will attract people and entice them to engage with your brand.
Here are some great tips on how to write a successful brand story.
1. Use your history
Your history is your story. Present your customers with what you’ve done in order to be successful. They will be able to relate better if they know what you’ve been through in the past.
- What were your previous careers?
- How did this idea come to you?
- What made you create this brand?
- What were some of the roadblocks that you encountered and how did you overcome them?
- What was your proudest moment?
- What were your goals in the beginning?
- How did your personal interests shape your brand?
2. Understand your customers
To understand what your story should be like, you should first consider your audience. Your style, your way of communication and many other elements depend on what your target audience is like. It is not likely that, for example, old people will understand you if you use a lot of popular jargon or that young people will be able to relate if you are too formal.
You could do the necessary research by creating surveys for your customers to take, gather data from various platforms and websites online, look at similar brands and who their audience consists of, track your success with various target markets etc.
To help you do this, you can use the following tools:
- Survey Monkey to create surveys and gather data.
- User Testing or Google Analytics to gather input from your audience directly.
- Google Trends or a Keyword Tool to understand your audience better.
3. A perfect brand story should have no spelling and grammar mistakes
The best brand stories also have to be accurate. Grammar and spelling mistakes will create doubt in your brand’s credibility. Avoid this mistake by using useful online tools:
- Via Writing and SimpleGrad are grammar tools that will give you great editing hints and remove all of your grammar mistakes.
- State Of Writing and Letsgoandlearn are writing guides that will offer you great tips for creating the best content possible.
- MyWritingWay and AcademAdvisor are writing communities that offer support and useful insights on writing.
