How To Create A Brand Story That Resonates
Branding A Story For Your Clients
Today is client presentation day. More specifically, today is the day the client tells you exactly how they want their brand to be shaped.
You walk into the meeting, sit down, take notes and listen with intent. The pressure starts to sink in.
You’re in charge of shaping a brand.
The client, as helpful as they are, has left much room for creativity, leaving you with a whirlwind of ideas. I get it. You’re a creative. Often times it is best for your mind to be corralled and channeled towards one focus. A multitude of ideas swirling around your brain can negatively impact your performance. You may find that you are unable to put pen to paper in order to craft an awesome brand story.
Relax. Breathe. You will get through this.
Do you want to create an awesome brand story that resonates? Look no further.
1. Understand Your Client’s Background
An effective admirable rand story is crafted around the background of the client. Their audience needs a hero they attach themselves to. Think of your favorite brands. Got them? Good.
You’ll find yourself realizing that your love for them centered around what they represented, not just what they produced. Understanding your client’s story is important to crafting an effective story. Make sure you highlight your client’s struggles as much as you highlight their success. The perfect brand story isn’t one that’s built on a road paved by success and success alone.
The perfect brand story is a house, shaped brick by brick by the trials and tribulations of your client, but ultimately their perseverance is the mortar holding the bricks together.
No human is perfect. Highlighting their humanity and their purpose when crafting their story is something their target audience will appreciate.
2. Understand Why Your Client Does What They Do
Note: “to make money” isn’t an acceptable answer.
Remember, substance is important. Purpose is important. Therefore, make sure you understand the intention of your client.
Anyone with funding can identify a growing market and enter it with the intention of making money. There’s nothing special about that. Sure, making money is great. Making money is what puts dinner on the table, but it’s not what fuels a business.
A business is fueled by the drive and passion of the owner. Why do they do what they do? What’s the root of their ambition? Remember what your parents used to tell you about food. It’s not about the restaurant, but the soul of the chef, as chef that cooks with passion infuses a piece of himself into every dish that leaves his kitchen. Passion resonates. Substance resonates.
Sit down with your client and listen to their background. I mean really listen. Listen not just for words, but the meaning behind them. To be able to craft an effective brand story, you must be able to identify their passion and emulate it.
3. Bridge The Gap Between Your Client And Their Target Audience
Although a brand story is shaped around a company, its purpose is to attract customers. You want to entice them, to draw them in. Your mantra must encompass all the nuances that make up your target audience. Let’s take Burt’s Bees for example.
At the root of Burt’s Bees’ story lies their philosophy – “What you put in your body should be made from the best nature has to offer.”
This philosophy is bolstered by their wide offering of over 350 natural body care products. These products resonate with their target audience.
Their mantra is their target audience.
Through the adherence of their philosophy throughout their over 30 years of existence, Burt’s Bees has attracted an audience of holistic individuals who live and breathe the brand’s philosophy.
Through their story, Burt’s Bees has made it clear they aren’t in the business of natural body care just to make money. I mean, natural body care has only become a growing trend recently.
Their audience understands their passion, it resonates with them. They are happy to support a company that shares the same values as they do. There’s no superficiality in their delivery, Burt’s Bees is 100% authentic. Their authenticity is the tether between their brand and their target audience.
Crafting a strong brand story may seem daunting, but if you follow the above guidelines, you’re sure to come up with something that will impress the client.
If you happen to come up with a couple of separate drafts, don’t feel like you have to trash them!
Bringing a wide variety of angles to the table will show the client you are not only invested in delivering quality results but that your creative has depth to it.
Remember, branding is to marketing like air is to your lungs. Without the presence of the former, the latter would cease to exist. The most successful business ventures are ones with strong branding efforts.
Need help with other aspects of building your business? Have you considered using social media to expand the awareness of your brand?
Use our social media handbook understand your audience and engage with them on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest!