How to Write a Convincing Brand Story in 11 Simple Steps

These days it is very easy to listen to stories about well-known brands – how they were created in a garage, and with hard work and achievements won millions. This is what brand stories are. The companies rely on storytelling because stories are the only way to immediately enter people’s heads. People have gained intelligence by learning from other people through stories, and to this day, brand stories are the most effective way to create marketing.

The consistent use of narrative in content marketing is the foundation of content providers’ extensive marketing strategy. The human brain responds positively to well-constructed narratives. Successful brands know that storytelling is the most effective way to capture people’s attention, place information in their minds as well as create bonds with customers.

A good story communicates with people not only on a mental level but also on an emotional and experiential level. In this way, the narrative told acts as a link between the brand and the audience. This is why every organization needs to communicate to the world a narrative that embodies the essence of its brand. The brand’s story is a basic need for marketing your goods or services.

From this article, you will learn what is a brand story, how to create brand stories for your company, share them using a newsletter creator, and learn some examples of some of the best brand stories in marketing.

What is a brand story?

A brand story describes the sequence of events that started the existence of your company, how it has evolved and what you have achieved. If you can design a compelling, authentic brand story, your audience will remember who you are, feel empathy for you and begin to identify with you as if you were a character in a movie!

A good story should reflect your work and the audience you want to reach with your story. You can bend the facts a bit, too. For example, everyone knows that Bill Gates dropped out of college to program – but few remember that the university he dropped out of was Harvard because his mother got him a contract with IBM. As you see, this is not a secret – but a successful brand story presents a brand as a compelling narrative.

When crafting a good brand story, it’s important to properly motivate the reader and show what the company’s mission is. The best brand stories are based on facts, but still must be interesting or relevant to the consumer. So, it is worthwhile to present brand stories in the right way to fit the product, market, culture, and audience.

The brand narrative must be authentic and help sell the product or service offered. You can’t rewrite the brand story, but you can simply tell your brand story in a unique, amazing way. Steve Jobs portrayed Apple as a visionary company – not mentioning his government contracts, failed projects, or how he cheated his co-founder. They were all part of the actual history, but he chose not to focus on them to keep the story interesting.

What is the most important guideline in telling a brand story? The hero is the customer, not your brand. For your brand to connect with consumers, it needs to speak to something they identify with. If your target is young people from big cities, show yourself as a fashionable and open brand using your own story to build a hip brand identity.

What makes a great brand story?

A good brand story is one that convinces customers that they can trust your brand. If you are able to establish a bond with your audience when marketing your services or goods, it is a great, unique brand story.

Customers are more likely to remember your brand if the narrative is memorable. An interesting story makes customers recall your brand and it is constantly present in their thoughts. Who wouldn’t want to be like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos?

If the story of your brand’s creation is intriguing, it’s worth sharing with your audience. Describe the moment when the idea was born or when the brand became a reality. Sure, it might just be the idea that you would create eBooks for companies – so describe how you acquired the skills, in an interesting way. Remember that great brand stories need conflict and drama.

A good story also needs to show how the product or service will benefit the customer. The second chapter of your story should be a customer story – “I bought a product from company X and my life has changed quite a bit”. Whether we like it or not, people are emotionally motivated. Your target audience will probably buy your items because of the emotional effect or the benefits they provide.

Why does my company need an authentic brand story?

Whether you’re presenting your brand story on your website or using it to communicate with potential customers, make sure it’s based on reality, not fantasy. You need to inspire your readers by telling them about the obstacles your company faced and how you solved them. People don’t want to hear about success stories – a great story has twists and turns and people solving problems. This is what makes a brand story authentic.

Once a brand defines its identity, it needs to stay consistent and maintain its own values. Instead of trying to sell yourself to others, describe what your company is really like. Describe how the company has evolved and what sets it apart. When you tell your brand story showcase not just that your brand exists, you must think in terms of brand personality. Think about it – if this is the first time someone encounters your company, what should they get out of it? That’s what your brand’s story should be about.

How to write a compelling brand story in 11 steps

Here are the steps you should follow if you want to create an authentic brand story:

1. Genre

It is important to choose the type of brand story you want to tell your customers or audience before you start telling them. Very many brands start from humble beginnings and face many difficulties. It’s worth thinking – about who will be familiar with the story and making sure your brand is something your audience will identify with.

2. Key theme

Your brand story should maintain the theme and not deviate from the topic in any way; this will cause your audience to become discouraged. If you want to portray your brand as “from zero to hero,” for example, you can omit personal issues, but there are groups where the drama between people and meaningful connections will be extremely interesting in the brand story.

3. Heroes

All great stories need heroes. It is extremely important to convey the story of the founder or others, as this will make it easier for viewers to relate and identify with you. A story begins with a hero in need of something – what problem your company solves?

4. Stick to the facts

The brand story should be authentic and fact-based, as people can tell when something is fake or a fraud, and this will harm your brand in the long run. This applies, for example, when you want to enter a new market – if you have nothing to do with the new country, don’t make up reasons you might connect with this culture! Simple stories are often the best ones, so keep your brand story simple.

5. Establish ties

Customers should be able to relate to the content and to the brand. Ties can be emotional or intellectual – for example, show that you have been through similar situations as they have. You saw a solution to their problem and created it. In this way, your brand story will help build your brand loyalty.

6. Visualize

Customers should be able to see or create a picture of your content in their heads when they read it. This is called “visualization.” Describe things in detail – you can write that you started your company in a garage, but you can also write that the idea for your eBooks was born in a dark, grease-smelling garage where you set up a desk in the corner…

7. Start from the beginning

Start with how difficult it was for you to launch your brand and all the difficulties you had to overcome. People always like stories about problems. Even if Elon Musk’s grandfather had an emerald mine, Musk still presents himself as an expatriate in the US.

8. The twist

When creating a story, you need to surprise your readers. An essential part of every brand story is a twist, an interesting story must have a conflict. Describe the solution to the problem the way you continued to work on the problems and the many experiences you had along the way.

9. Solution and success

Now it’s worth explaining what solutions you used and how they led to the success of your brand. It is your unique propositions that demonstrate how your brand is very successful and how well it works. This is where you can sell your products and services! Create an intriguing story of your skills and passions!

10. Summary and conclusion

Finally, you should inform them about yourself and your related long-term goal, how you plan to get there, and what changes you are making in the world or society. What do you plan for the future and how will the world change? This is a great opportunity to build your brand persona.

11. Present it effectively

Publuu can help you publish your brand story as a beautiful company newsletter with the realistic effect of flipping pages. You can add multimedia and links to your digital marketing document so that a company newsletter will be more than just a boring presentation. With Publuu you can build your brand story and present it to the world!

Brand stories examples

Google

Google’s brand story is all about effectiveness. They present themselves as an up-and-coming brand that started in the 90s when the commercial Internet was young. Their main thing was minimalism – when the competing search engines offered web portals like Yahoo or Ask Jeeves, Google offered just a search bar.

As such, their brand story described how they evolved from a small company to the industry leader they are today – showcasing efficiency, open company culture, and flexibility in their brand story.

IKEA

Ikea presents itself, depending on the market, as modern and family-friendly. The European focus on openness and cooperation is present in their story of development and expansion. The official materials of the company, however, are silent on the founder’s personal life – though controversial, this brand story isn’t about one person, it’s about building trust in the brand.

Apple

One of Apple’s most well-known ads is the 1984-esque TV ad prepared by a well-known creative agency, where a woman smashes a screen displaying a dictator. Apple’s brand story is about being different and creative, even though these days this is probably the largest phone brand in the American market. Apple presented itself as a brand for creatives in their official brand story – even though without a contract with the US board of education and introducing of Apple II in schools it would bankrupt!

Conclusion

As you can see, the brand story can be different from the actual history of the company. It’s marketing, not a history class. You are free to tell your brand story to your audience, but don’t deny the actual version of events. Remember, the brand story is how you showcase your company and must match the goals and means of your marketing strategy.

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