How to write a brand story? Former editor-in-chief teaches you 4 principles of creation

This article was originally published in “Marketers”

In my previous article “Use stories to package facts to attract consumers! Learn content marketing from the case study of BBC StoryWorks”, I mentioned to you the importance of telling a good story. Not only the general public needs to learn to tell stories, but now even companies need to learn this technique.

Because conveying ideas through storytelling can not only be quickly understood and remembered easily, but also can bring huge publicity to the company because it is easy to communicate among people.

Excellent performance of brand story

According to Skyword’s 2018 content marketing research survey, only 27% of marketers surveyed said they use storytelling to drive sales. In contrast, a whopping 83% of the most successful content marketers believe storytelling plays a key role in content marketing.

Brand story can be said to be one of the most effective ways for companies to convey their brand image to customers. The reason why brand stories are important is not only because modern consumers like to listen to stories, but also because a brand story that can stand the test of the times can help express the unique value proposition of sustainable operations.

At the same time, it can also let its products speak through storytelling, thus getting rid of traditional promotional slogans; in addition, an internalized and refined brand story can also solve the many doubts hidden in the hearts of all target audiences about the company itself.

Looking back now, some of the brand stories we are familiar with are often related to the founder or founding history of the company. For example, when talking about Nike, a world-famous sports brand, some people may think of the Blue Ribbon Sporting Goods Company founded by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman in Portland, USA in 1964.

There is simply no comparison between the thorny road ahead when I started my business and the high-spiritedness I have now!

Convey corporate value through brand stories

Through the interpretation of brand stories, we can also accurately convey to the world the value proposition that drives the company forward and the mission of serving the public.

Just like everyone loves stories, if you can create a compelling brand story, your broad target audience will have no trouble remembering what makes your company special. In this way, not only will empathy arise spontaneously, but these potential customers will also continue to pay attention to your company’s developments.

Today, many brand owners know that sharing their brand story is the smartest way to make a real impact and build a genuine connection with their target audience. Not only can stories improve the relationship between your company and your customers, they can also help with sales.

Obviously, no matter which communication media or social platform is used to deliver it, as long as the company can tell a good story carefully, it will help attract the attention of the target customer group and then build a solid and long-term trust relationship.

Today, brand stories are almost everywhere. Whether it is a department store, a coffee shop or a snack bar on the corner, we can see the carefully written brand stories of each company on the official website or flyers within easy reach.

However, a brand story does not just have to be written. In fact, it still needs to be tested to see how much resonance it can get? And, how do customers view brand stories?

Four Principles of Brand Story

Now when talking about brand story, everyone can understand its importance. But if you ask how to create a wonderful brand story, I believe everyone will still discuss it one after another and disagree. Of course, I agree that it is not easy to create a recognizable brand story.

In other words, I think an ideal brand story should at least include the following features. Below, I will explain these four principles one by one.

Real, vivid, and approachable

Indeed, everyone likes to hear stories. However, the point of writing a brand story is not to glorify your company - you must know that just saying good things about your company will not win the favor or recognition of the majority of your customer base. What’s more, today’s consumers are very smart and even search online.

Therefore, if you just write some reports that are beneficial to your company, you will often not be able to win the public’s trust. Even if a discerning consumer is deceived for the first time, he will soon find out! Therefore, the first principle of writing brand stories is to draw materials from real events and communicate them in an approachable way.

Pictures and texts, simple and easy to remember

We all know that communication is crucial, but did you know that it is also closely related to body language, tone of voice, and actual word spoken? The focus of a brand story that can be recited often does not lie in how touching the plot is, but that it must first be understood, remembered, and willing to be shared.

Of course, this does not mean that the content is not important, but that we need to operate at the emotional level so that people can remember rational and emotional things.

In addition, you may have heard the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words”. If you can make good use of the image narrative mode when telling your brand story, you will naturally receive better communication effects. After all, images are absorbed more quickly and easily than words, so you can also use them to convey your company’s brand story.

Be unique and should not be too lengthy

The prerequisite for telling a good brand story is that in addition to the authenticity of the story itself, it also needs to be distinctive and unique so that it will not be confused. Embedding your company’s unique value proposition within your brand story can better demonstrate your vision, aspirations, and connect with your target audience.

In addition, when telling brand stories, please follow the principle of being easy to understand. In addition to trying to avoid using difficult or professional words, you should also be careful not to talk endlessly.

After all, the general public may not be interested in understanding the development history of your company or the ins and outs of its growth. More importantly, everyone may not have the relevant background knowledge. If you use too unfamiliar terms when introducing the history of your brand, it will put people off and may have the opposite effect.

Bring positive energy and make people have positive associations

Another important point is that many companies regard brand stories as a means of public relations, so they only focus on marketing and piling up gorgeous words. This is actually a pity! In fact, your brand story should be an extension of your company’s core values, just like Disney creates a unique story for each of its products or movies.

Stories create memory points

The advantage of doing this is not only to help you remember and differentiate yourself from competitors, but also to allow the masses to have [positive associations] (https://www.contenthacker.today/2017/11/kannasaaan-instagram-content-marketing.html).

For example, when thinking of “Toy Story”, many people will immediately think of this dialogue: “As more and more people leave you, the more and more important those who remain become.” (As more and more people leave you, the more and more important those who remain become.)

And the famous saying in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”: “Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.” (Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.) is still moving when I think of it. Think about it carefully, isn’t this the positive energy that Disney has brought to everyone for a long time?

It is true that it is not easy to write a brand story that will last through the ages. But I also believe that in addition to continuing to polish your products and services and listening more to your target audience, if you can master the above four important principles, you will have the opportunity to write a wonderful brand story!

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