In today’s fast-paced digital age, we are constantly bombarded with information from every angle. Standing out amongst the rest is becoming more and more challenging. Businesses are striving to make an impact and leave a lasting impression. Amongst all of this, one strategy has been proven to be an incredibly effective and timeless way of genuinely connecting with an audience: storytelling.

Storytelling is a method of connection that has existed for as long as humans have been able to communicate, from ancient myths to modern classics, humans have always been captivated by stories.

Using the method of storytelling, brands can convey to the listeners what they do and why they do it, something that is often the key to capturing an audience. It is a method that has the power to evoke emotions, and it creates an experience in the listeners’/reader’s minds.

Figuring Out Your Brand Narrative:

Before being able to tell a story, you need to know what the story is going to be about. You need to have crafted a brand narrative, you can do this by:

1. Knowing who your audience is:

   Before you create your brand’s story, you first need to understand and establish who your audience is. You need to have a good understanding of what it is that your audience does and doesn’t like. Understanding this information will help you to cater to and advertise to your audience more effectively.

   It is also important at this stage to figure out what your brand’s statistics are. Are your audience majority male, or female? What is your audience’s most common age bracket? What are the geographical statistics of your audience? Understanding these statistics is detrimental to being able to understand your audience, after all, how can you communicate with an audience you don’t understand?

2. Discover your ‘why’:

   It is very important as a business to ensure you have established and can define your brand’s core purposes and values, they are what establish your identity. Having this established identity helps to set your brand apart from its competitors and helps consumers recognise and maintain a solid connection and understanding of your brand.

3. Unearth your brand’s origin story:

   Something in common with every single brand, big or small, is that every brand has an origin story. An origin story defines your brand’s journey and explains the beginnings of your brand and how it was founded. A great way to build a personal connection with your audience is by sharing your origin story. You can use this to help highlight any obstacles you may have faced on this journey, and how you overcame them. Sharing this information with your audience builds strong connections and can make your audience feel closer to your brand.

4. Identify your unique value

   What is it that sets apart your brand from others? If you can’t think of an answer to that question, then you might need to work on your branding. It is important as a business and a brand to ensure that you are different from the rest, standing out ensures better results.

5. Ensure consistency

   Know your brand, and stick to your brand. You should maintain a consistent tone of voice on all platforms, ensure that what you say, post and publish aligns with your brand’s values and narrative, and regularly re-visit and refine all of your content to ensure it remains impactful and relevant at all times.

What’s the story?

Once you have worked on your brand narrative, you’re ready to develop and share your brand's story.

Your brands story is the beating heart of your business. It is what encompasses your history, values, aspirations and your unique journey. But how do you craft your brands story?

First and foremost, you need to be genuine. Nobody likes dishonesty, especially when it comes to business. So make sure when telling your brands story, that you are telling the truth. This is especially important as getting caught out in a lie is terrible for business, and can have disastrous consequences on your businesses success.

You also need to consider tapping into emotions, this is a great way of creating a memorable impact with your audience, and this could be done in a number of ways - humour, empathy, nostalgia or inspiration.