How to create heroic brand stories (and find your role in them)
Brand storytelling is a marketing must-have. But there is a fundamental truth that many companies still overlook: You are not the hero of your brand’s story. Your customer is. While it’s tempting to spotlight your brand’s achievements and innovations, the real power lies in positioning your client as the protagonist on a journey to overcome challenges and achieve success. Your role is that of the trusted guide, the one who provides the wisdom, tools, and direction to help the hero conquer their obstacles and emerge victorious. This shift in perspective is crucial for crafting narratives that resonate deeply, foster genuine connections, and ultimately drive engagement.
But why is storytelling so effective in engaging customers and how do you go about building your own heroic brand story?
Why stories work
Facts and figures are easy to forget. But as humans, we do remember stories. In fact, according to research by Dr Jennifer Aaker from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, a story is up to twenty-two times more memorable than facts alone.
Most businesses will already have a value proposition. Often this will be a collection of facts and figures which are easily forgotten. The skill is creating a memorable story that pulls them all together and brings them to life.
Today’s customers are driven by personal connections. They are more interested in the outcome and what they will get out of the relationship with your company. So, if you can help them visualise the end state through storytelling, instead of immediately talking about your products, features and functionality, your prospects will be more likely to remember you, to engage and believe themselves part of the story.
What makes a good story?
Popularised by mythologist Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the hero’s journey is a common structure for stories that has been used to tell exciting and captivating stories for centuries. You’d recognise it in countless films and books.
In his 2017 book Building a Story Brand, Donald Miller introduced his 7-Part StoryBrand Framework, a powerful marketing tool based on the idea of the hero’s journey. The StoryBrand Framework helps marketers to structure and organise a compelling narrative that can effectively communicate a brand’s message and engage its audience. It consists of seven key elements:
1). A HERO
The hero will ALWAYS be the customer and NEVER the company. Everything in the story revolves around the customer.
2). Has a PROBLEM
The challenge being faced by the hero or the problem they are seeking to overcome. Remember, as customers, every time we buy something, we are solving a problem.
3). Meets a GUIDE
As the brand, this is where we come in as the trusted guide who is there for the hero and who can provide the help they need to overcome their problem and emerge victorious. Being the guide in the story places us above the hero, but in a good way – think Gandalf in Lord of the Rings!
4). Who gives them a PLAN
This is where you position your product and service as the solution to your customers problem. Importantly here, the emphasis must be set on fixing the customer’s problem, not on selling your service.
5). And CALLS THEM TO ACTION
“Buy now” or “Work with us” are among the common calls to action for our customers. This is the point in the story where the hero must choose whether to stay in their comfort zone or embrace the plan given to them by the guide. Crucially, the hero will never act on the plan unless they are challenged to.
6). Helping them AVOID FAILURE
Good scriptwriters and novelists help us imagine dire consequences to build suspense. In this part of the story, the marketer needs to show the customer what life looks like if no action is taken. Fear sells!
7). And achieve SUCCESS
The hero reaches the end of the journey and, after the problems and conflicts faced, the end must be a happy one. This is where we show our hero what life can be like using our product or service.
Many big brands use this 7-part storytelling framework with great success. Each element plays a crucial role in the overall narrative and helps to create a cohesive and engaging story.
Your role as the guide to the hero
So, if your customer is the hero of your story, how do you most effectively position yourself as their trusted guide? To build trust, especially where you are offering services, you need to demonstrate two important things – empathy and authority.
It’s just as true in B2B marketing that buyers want to feel a human connection to the companies they choose and so injecting empathy into your messaging is essential. In positioning yourself in your customer’s story, you need to show that:
1). You understand their problem and pain
2). That you believe it is unjust that they must suffer and that things should be better
Then you can figure out how your services can help guide them (the Plan!). And in doing so, you can demonstrate authority by showing how you helped others overcome similar problems and so you can do the same for them!
I love this example of empathetic marketing by Airbnb. Their Pick your own Bedtime campaign perfectly hits on a pain point faced by families with young children - navigating bedtime routines in the restrictive space of a traditional hotel room. It shows that with Airbnb, children can sleep peacefully in another room whilst the adults can get on with enjoying their evening. It’s a great example of being empathetic to the challenge, connecting with the audience on a human level and demonstrating understanding of needs and aspirations.
The premise of authority marketing is a simple one. That your potential customers know that you are an expert in the field that you work in and are better placed to solve their problem than anyone else is! McDonalds are such an authority in the fast-food industry thanks to the billions of customers they serve, their experience and their longevity – making their golden arches the first thing many of us think of when “fast food” comes into our mind. Tools such as celebrity endorsements, accreditations and thought leadership are other popular tactics used by brands to tap into our human inclination to trust authorities.
Craft your own heroic brand story
In competitive markets, it’s not enough to simply tell your story. Instead, you must craft a brand narrative that elevates your customer to the role of the hero, while you take on the mantle of the guide who helps them succeed. By shifting the focus from your own products, services, and achievements to the journey of the customer, you not only create a more compelling story but also build more meaningful connections that resonate on a deeper level. This creates a higher sense of brand loyalty and advocacy.
So, as you craft your brand’s story, ask yourself: How can you better support your customers on their journey to success? In guiding them through their challenges and triumphs, you’ll find your true role in the story and in doing so, in the hearts and minds of your audience.