Just as important as a logo, your brand story is the barbeque pitch that helps your people to sing the same song.
Five years ago we weren’t writing brand stories very often. These days it’s like we’re doing a couple every week. Businesses are realising that the foundational story they tell needs to be as clear and consistent as their visual brand assets.
A brand story can be a single paragraph, or it could be a suite of materials that cover every storytelling opportunity – elevator pitch (the 30-second version), barbecue pitch (the 2-minute version), company profile overview, website ‘about us’ pages and even a micro version for packaging.
Most often, brand stories tell a convincing ‘why’ story about your brand. As Simon Sinek said in ‘Start With Why’, “People don’t buy what you do. People buy why you do it.” Successful brands talk about why they do what they do, beyond simply making money. Customers and talented employees with similar beliefs are drawn to those brands no matter what the company might make or do, now and in the future. But it’s essential the brand stays true to its beliefs in everything it does.
Brand stories are not just for your existing and potential customers, they’re also for your team. A brand story helps your people to understand your brand and its points of difference, so they talk and act in a consistent and believable way.
People can have brand stories too. They provide a platform for self-promotion, which is particularly important if you’re a subject matter expert, sales person or have specific career ambitions.
We have a briefing questionnaire that helps extract the facts required for an effective brand story.
See Simon Sinek’s 20-minute presentation on You Tube – Start with why