Why do some brands live in your hearts rent-free, while you scroll past other brands, not even remembering the colour or logo or brand motto? If it is not about the prices or shiny packaging, then what is it about?

It is because the brands made you feel something so powerful that it remains in your heart. People may forget your advertisements, but they feel an emotional bond through your brand story.

Man has always loved stories since time-immemorial as is evident from the cave paintings in Bhimbetka, where man communicated their happenings in life through paintings. Similarly, due to technological advancements, social media, emails, and websites serve as the medium to communicate brand stories today.

A good story that could emotionally connect with the targeted audience beats algorithms and SEO strategies hands down, at any time. Because every brand remembered by the audience has a powerful story worth telling.

How do stories beat sales?

Imagine two salespersons trying to sell a product:

A, who flaunts the variety of products, offers, discounts, etc.

B, who tells the customer about the uniqueness, quality, what the brand stands for, how it will help the customer.

Who would you buy from?

You already figured it out.

We go with salesperson B, as he is able to emotionally reach out to us. Stories work as they appeal to the emotional side of the brain. This is why we don’t remember much about facts, while we rarely forget what we feel. Hence, we can ascertain that the human brain has a love for stories. This is what marketers utilize to make their products more appealing and purchase-worthy.

From this, we understand that stories are important.

The crucial question is, does your brand have a story?

When people purchase a product, they intend to support the vision of the brand. In other words, people buy the passion behind the product offered by the brand.

Hence, the story must answer the following:

1. How did this business come about?
2. What values does it hold?
3. What should people remember about your brand / product?
4. How did the idea for the brand emerge?

The answers to the above questions help in distinguishing a brand people hold dear from a random business.

Think about your favourite brands. They are not merely selling shoes, coffee, or accessories; rather, they are selling vision, confidence, and other values the brand represents. This makes the product consumed a medium to propagate and imbibe the brand’s story.

So, every brand requires/ needs to identify:

1. A clear purpose
2. An dedicated mission and attainable vision
3. The problem the brand aims to solve
4. The targeted audience
5. The revolution / transformation the brand seeks to create.

When you’re able to make your audience understand your why, promoting your what becomes easier.

Turn your customers into your promoters.

As Harry Gordon Selfridge rightly said, “The customer is the king.” Therefore, you must treat your brand as an anchor that guides the customer.

Think about what KitKat says. It doesn’t say it has chocolate-filled wafers; instead, it says, “Take a break. Have a KitKat.” Here, KitKat is asking the targeted audience to take a break from their monotonous, exhausting life while consuming KitKat.

Also, we must understand that authenticity matters to the customers, and once the brand’s genuinity, value-enriched content reaches the targeted audience, they transform themselves into promoters. This transformation reaps greater rewards than a huge investment in advertising.

Furthermore, a brand can depict a happy customer as a success story. For example, the problems the customer faced, how the product helped the customer in his life, the resulting changes from continuous usage of the product, the impact it created, and the like. Here, we are combining emotion with testimonial/evidence, a powerful means to increase reach, visibility, build trust, and the like.

Where does storytelling fit in?

That’s the thing about stories: their essence must be present in every corner of the brand:

1. Social media platforms: You can use Behind the Scenes to enhance authenticity, celebrate customer success/satisfaction, introduce your team working relentlessly for brand’s success, etc. The emphasis must be on the journey, not the climax.
2. Email marketing: Humanize your emails. For example, share a lesson. This makes people listen to what your brand is saying.
3. Blogs: Write to inspire or motivate. Blend your brand’s utility in real life. People may forget the statistics and data, but they never forget an impactful story.

Now the question is, how can we make our brand’s story more impactful?

It must be relatable to the targeted audience; authentic enough to be believed in, thereby avoiding exaggerations; emotional to feel a connection; and purposeful as it must have a vision to strive for.

Hence, I will summarize the crucial storytelling formula that every brand can use:

1. What is the situation?
2. What is the challenge?
3. How can it be solved?
4. How does the brand’s product consumption help the customers transform or what is the impact that the brand seeks to create in their customer’s life through their product?

These four golden pillars aid in keeping your audience hooked on your brand.

The fifth golden pillar is about the journey:

Do people desire another face pack or do they desire a glowing face?

 Do people pay for an expensive camera or do they want to cherish the memories it holds?

The sixth golden pillar is about the uniqueness of your story.

Your story must be original to the dot. 100% attention must be given to the details of your story, and it must complement your brand. This is because the brand’s story is the essence of the its identity, its voice. With rising technological advancements, brands face stiff competition in terms of features, prices, improved versions, etc. But your story must be something unique, value-rich. This helps your brand in having a voice of its own and could easily penetrate into the hearts of the targeted audience.

And the emotional connection (through the story) that first-time buyers feel transform them into loyal customers, and later, promoters of the brand. Hence, sell your story, celebrate your customers’ happiness/success from utilizing your products, depict your brand through your happy customers, that way your visibility and reach increase and thereby further your loyal customer base.

When they believe in your story, they believe in your brand. This transforms them into promoters.

Facts merely inform, often forgotten.

Features explain, often ignored.

But, stories inspire, and inspired people become customers.

Every brand has a story worth telling. Let’s make yours unforgettable. Visit https://abhiramisrinivas.com/ or follow https://www.instagram.com/alphaofdigitalmarketing/ on Instagram for marketing insights, creative inspiration, and stories that inspire growth.