5 Examples of Brand Storytelling to Incorporate into Your Marketing Strategy

Jul 22

Before we dive in, I’m about to blast you with stats on storytelling.

Why?

Because I need you, as a female business owner and brand, to understand that storytelling should play a role in your marketing efforts.

If you want to make money that is.

Strong statement? Well, let’s dive into it.

Storytelling makes your content 22x more memorable, which means that by incorporating a single sentence of story into your Instagram or Facebook post your audience might actually remember it in the morning.

Storytelling helps your audience make a purchase decision. We decide to buy not because of facts or logistics, but because of an emotional connection. Nothing builds a connection with your audience faster than the art of storytelling.

Storytelling leads to brand affinity, which when a consumer believes a particular brand shares common values with them. You want this! This is what leads to customer loyalty.

Storytelling helps you stand out online! I know you want this, every brand owner does. The truth is it might feel crowded in your industry so why not utilize as many tools as possible to reach your target audience. Storytelling allows you to differentiate yourself in an authentic way.

Ok, you ready now?! Before I dive into micro stories, where to share your stories and specifically four stories you can share as part of your business I have a special invitation.

If you’re already sold and want to learn how to incorporate this into your brand strategy, sign up to watch my free masterclass at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass.

Now, onto the teaching!

TYPES OF STORYTELLING: MICRO-STORIES IN BRANDING

Last week on the blog we talked about repetition in marketing. Basically, I shared that repetition is a must and something you don’t want to shy away from.

Repetition allows your audience to not only see your content but also resonate with it because we all know sometimes we need to hear something more than once!

The trick with repeating stories online is that you want to modify, change the emphasis and retell the stories as needed based on your launches, timely events and updates. You can read last week’s post here.

Micro Stories are everyday stories you can share that engage your audience and relate to your audience, specifically where they are in their journey.

Micro Stories are there to expand and complement your Brand/ Founder’s Story. We often see these stories on social media, in email marketing, on video and more.

The truth is you can incorporate storytelling into EVERYTHING you do as a business owner.

5 EXAMPLES OF BRAND STORYTELLING

So many entrepreneurs never think of sharing their story outside of their Brand/ Founder Story, but that’s only a small piece of the puzzle.

You can’t share your brand story every single day on social media and every offer you create needs a little more attention than just how your business was started.

This is where different types of stories come into play.

The five stories to tell as part of your business are:

The Testimonial
The Transformation
The Behind-The-Scenes
The Value
The Disrupt

Let’s break each of these down.

1. THE TESTIMONIAL STORY

The stories you share in business don’t have to be your own, they can be stories from your client and community members. This is a great way to share social proof and do more than just post a 2-3 sentence testimonial on your website.

When asking for feedback or testimonials be sure to ask multiple questions about where your audience was, where they are now and what changed for them. Along with your testimonial statement, you’ll be able to use this information to tell stories on social media and in your email marketing that helps your audience make a purchase decision.

Bonus Tip: Videos are a great way to share stories. Have your client create a short video sharing their story and share it during your next launch or promotion.

2. THE TRANSFORMATION STORY

The transformation story can fall into The Testimonial story above, because who doesn’t love a great before and after. If you’re in fitness, health, wellness, products or even service-based you can use the transformation story constantly.

Here are some examples:
Fitness - Share a before and after photo of a client or yourself
Product (Skincare) - Share a before and after photo of someone using your product
Graphic Designer - Share the before and after of your client’s graphics

The possibilities are endless.

But, I’m going to encourage you to think a level deeper and share your own micro transformations. Think of the things happening daily that your audience can relate too.

Some places to start are moments of “failure,” mindset shifts, overcoming obstacle and stories of success. Seriously, I bet if you sat down with pen and paper right now you could come up with at least 20 posts.

3. THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES STORY

These are great stories to show what you do and your process in business, as well as build trust with your audience.

Human to Human or Relationship-Building Marketing is on the rise. People want to know the brand they are investing in. One of the ways to build this trust and go beyond just a product or service you sell is to invite your audience behind the curtain.

Yes, think Wizard of Oz here!

This is one of the reasons I love showing up on Instagram Stories. It’s a simple way to share my day to day, my role as a mother, my love of gardening, our travels and my business.

My audience gets to see multiple sides of my personality, which also builds Brand Affinity, and as a result, the trust is accelerated.

If you sell a product consider sharing the behind the scenes of how you make the product.

If you’re a coach, show your client calls and trainings.

Show how you manage your day-to-day, the things you love and how you take on the other roles in your life.

These stories are powerful and some of the easiest to start with.

4. THE VALUE STORY

Last week on the blog we talked about identifying your core stories early on. These core stories include:

+ Your Founder/ Brand Story
+ Your Mission and how it came to be
+ Your Why or Purpose Story
+ Your Value Story

It is important that as a brand and business owner that you create these micro-stories that show your values in action, affirm your values and share why you have these values.

For example, one of my values is authenticity. That's just not a word that I like to use for marketing, I truly believe it to my core. I share that value in my stories because I want to attract people who share the same value.

This is where Brand Affinity becomes so powerful because brand affinity is that shared mission, those shared values. It goes much deeper than someone saying, “Oh, you're cool. Oh, I like your product or your service. Let me check it out.”

It's much deeper than even trust, it’s a shared value.

Share these values to bring in the people that align with your values, the things that are important to you, and let the others drift away.

5. THE DISRUPT STORY

When it comes to the Disrupt Story, I’m slightly obsessed. I believe this story is an excellent way to share your values and your beliefs and separate you from others in your industry.

You know you have an industry standard or common thread of beliefs in your industry. You see them in every Facebook group and on websites that all start to look the same.

Think about your own business, your superpower, your teachings and pull out the pieces that go against the grain.

For instance, last year I did an entire email series called Behind The Brand. I called out beliefs inside the industry around branding. Some examples were:

+ How the industry defines success
+ The truth about templates and how they create inauthenticity and a copy and paste culture
+ Transparency and vulnerability as a business owner

I also talk about the power of a brand and why I believe that without a brand you don’t have a business, something that goes against other mentors and coaches who “skip” branding.

These types of stories have allowed me to talk about my business, but also call my audience to speak up. When I share the disrupt stories I always attract new community members, increase my engagement and sign clients.

People want transparency, authenticity and something different. This story does that!

Here’s an example of The Disrupt in action.

CONCLUSION

Storytelling is one of the coolest practices to not only enhance your brand but also get it started on the right foot.

It’s really about being grounded in your authenticity, understanding your voice, understanding your values, and sharing that to again, attract the right people and repel the wrong ones.

This is where all great marketing and messaging comes from.

You now have five examples of brand storytelling outside of your Core Founder Stories to get started with; count those and you have nine.

There is no reason you can’t get started sharing stories through your marketing right now!

If you’re ready to learn how to better incorporate storytelling into your brand as a whole, including your ideal customer, then you want to sign up for my free class where I’m sharing the Build a Better Brand Method.

Details can be found at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass