Too many businesses know they're not the hero of the story but they still can't get over talking about themselves.
It's human nature to love to talk about ourselves all the time - but the problem is that it doesn't work in marketing. If that’s your struggle, you’re in good company. Almost all marketing is focused on the wrong character.
But we recall from Building A StoryBrand that no one really cares about your story. They care about THEIR story, so your brand only matters if what you do relates to their story.
Stories are one of the most powerful tools for getting your customers to buy into what you're selling. Most people have trouble talking about their business without confusing customers.
Donald Miller's StoryBrand Framework shows how and why storytelling can be applied effectively in marketing. I’m assuming you’ve read the book, love the book, and are ready to apply the framework to your business.
Businesses and marketers love the StoryBrand framework because it is an easy-to-follow formula that any company - no matter their size or budget - can use to create a clear message.
That’s what a BrandScript does. It clarifies your thinking, realigns the focus of your messaging, and it gives you the clarity you need to build out the marketing collateral.
Where We’ve Come From
Last session we talked about the importance of making sure you’ve got the hero right. I called this your Who. These are your ideal customers. We looked at the benefits of targeting a particular who both for your business success and your personal reward in life. We gained some clarity around Who your ideal client is, what they’re like, where they’re from, what size of business they have or what industry they’re in. Those are all critical to get clear before moving forward.
Assuming you did your homework, we will now move to the messaging that you will use to attract those Whos and compel them to hire you to help them - help them win their story.
To do this, there is no better tool out there than what Donald Miller calls a “BrandScript”. This may still be a word you are getting used to so let’s talk about it.
What Is A Brand Messaging Guide?
Many companies already have a style and design guide (if they don’t they should get one). A style and design guide tells you:
- Your logo
- Your chosen fonts
- Your colors
- Overall style
A Messaging guide is what you put together to say,
“When we talk about our company, in person or online, this is the story that we are inviting people into. This is how we talk about what we do in a way that we know will engage the people we want to reach.”
When you read Building A StoryBrand, getting a clear message together is the clearest call to action
Doing this involves several important pieces, including the character's problems (emotionally and logically), their plan to solve them, and how happy life looks once they're solved.
Here's the thing: If you know StoryBrand is important, you can't afford to neglect your brand message. When you have the right tool in place, your marketing can be outstanding (literally, you'll stand out from your competitors).
What A Brand Messaging Guide Will Do For You
Here's what a clear brand message will do for you:
- It clarifies your thinking
- It clarifies your messaging
- It becomes the foundation upon which you build all of your marketing collateral.
How do you use a Brand Messaging Guide?
There are so many ways to use your brand messaging guide:
- When it’s time to put words on your website, you look to the guide to lay out the sections of each page according to the BrandScript.
- When you’re creating a social media campaign, you think back to the brand story and take elements from there, turning them into posts.
- When you need to write a blog that you want your customer base to be interested in, you go to your BrandScript and consider the pain points you addressed. These pain points will surely capture attention because you know that they are something your customers are struggling with.
- When you’re writing an email campaign, your guide keeps you focused on solving real problems, using empathy to make a connection as the guide, establishing your authority by answering questions and sharing success stories. And of course, you include a call to action.
- It points to the true north for what your business should look like in its approach.
This is such a critical step. It's time to align your mindset and your whole company around the customer story.
In the next module, we will learn how to put together a clear brand messaging guide.
