Art of Brand Storytelling Part 3: Ensuring Your Story Has an Audience
Note: This is the 3rd part of our Art of Brand Storytelling Series.
In the last post, we referenced the classic 1984 Macintosh ad. But, as great as that ad was, it had millions of dollars behind it, and it premiered during the Superbowl, which is one of the most highly watched televised events of the year. The quality of the ad and the amount of people watching it meant that it would be a surefire hit.
It’s safe to say that most people reading this won’t premiere their brand story in front of the Superbowl. So, here’s the question: How do you attract more eyeballs to your brand story?
The great thing about owning a business in 2016 is that this is easier than ever.
Research Is Key
You need to figure out who your audience is precisely is, where they spend their time at, and what brands they typically like to follow. For example, when a book or movie gets released, it’s marketed to the type of people who would be interested. Action movie trailers are advertised when an action movie is playing in a theater, for instance. This just makes sense, as you’ll be delivering your marketing to people who may actually want it. It’s also important to choose the right platform to share the story.
Don’t Give It All at Once
What do episodic television, movie sequels, and serialized comic books tell us? People enjoy their stories in portions. If you can, avoid giving your story all at once. Break it up into pieces. Drop cliffhangers to leave people wanting more. This isn’t necessarily a requirement, but it can increase the public’s interest in your story.
The Medium Should Match the Platform
Certain stories will work better with certain platforms. For example, if your story is textual, consider placing it on your blog. If it’s visual, use a more friendly platform like Youtube, Instagram, or Facebook. Doing this will ensure that the story can be naturally consumed, and that your audience can easily access it.
Encourage People to Get Involved
There’s one thing people love to do: talk about themselves. Through social media, get people to divulge how your company has influenced or improved their lives. Have them talk about their journey. Each customer’s entry is a brand story itself, and because it’s user-generated, it can be the most effective. This gets the conversation going, grabs attention, and will put your brand in the spotlight. And to add to that, people will be more willing to share your brand if the story being told involves them in some way. In many ways, these stories are the most relatable, which makes them very popular. Here some ways to get people involved:
- Develop one central idea for your brand story. That idea should be encapsulated by a slogan so that people can rally behind it. Think of Nike’s Just Do It, or even New Balance’s #Always In Beta. The Iconic Just Do It encourages people to get things done; the Always In Beta slogan encourages people to constantly improve themselves. Nike, through their slogan, can collect stories from customers who were able to “just do it” while wearing Nike products; New Balance can do the same through their slogan.
- Create contests for people to share their experience with your brand. Incentives will compel people to take action.
- Create contests for people to share your brand stories among their network of friends and followers.
- Use your campaign’s slogan as often as possible. Use it in hashtags, in blog posts, videos, etc.
Conclusion
The art of storytelling has evolved throughout thousands of years. In 2016, digital marketing is the perfect vehicle to tell your story to your target audience. Telling your brand story is one of the best ways to entertain, educate and engage your audience.
Are you ready to discuss how we can help you build your brand? If so, contact Zen Agency today! We are a group of branding experts.
