The definition of brand storytelling is the use of narrative techniques to engage an audience and shape a brand's identity beyond traditional marketing approaches. Brand storytelling offers companies a valuable opportunity to connect with customers and promote their values and beliefs without using overtly sales-driven techniques. Brand storytelling is an essential element in the toolbox of an ambitious marketer in an era when consumers expect authenticity.
Which storytelling techniques a brand uses depends on its industry, audience and content format. They should show the brand's purpose and encourage the person consuming the content to connect with that purpose and feel aligned with the brand.
Brand storytelling can focus on the story of a company's founder, the journey it has taken, how a product or service has evolved, or how it has responded to challenges. Other examples of brand storytelling include humanizing a brand and communicating its values by telling the story of the company's people. Furthermore, brands can build trust by interviewing customers or publishing a catchy customer story.
How to use brand storytelling for your marketing
Be authentic
Today's consumers will not be fooled by brands that are inauthentic or unoriginal. The first step is to determine what your brand's purpose is, and what it stands for. These values may not be unique to your brand, but your mission and ethos must be credible and 100% aligned with your purpose.
Listen to your customers
Your customers are the best people to mold brand storytelling to. You want them to feel part of your brand and connect with you on an emotional level. What do they care about? What kind of content makes them happy, and why? What are they not getting from your competitors that you can offer them?
Put your customer at the center of your story
One of the biggest mistakes is to position the product or service as the central character. By making the customer the hero and responding to their needs and desires, you stand a much better chance of attracting and winning them over - and turning them into real fans.