It’s Thanksgiving Day 2012 and I’m driving a Land Rover into the jungle of Belize on a Cave Tour. After being in a dark cave for about an hour with bats and other creepy crawling animals, the final step was to cross this Suspension Bridge to get back home to civilization. The bridge was my connection home and to what made sense to me. Your Brand Story is very similar in it is the vehicle in which you are trying to take people (your Target Audience) across a bridge to get them home to (your product or services) that makes sense to them.
As A Whole To Resonate With Your Target Audience You Should Use The 10 Step Story Boarding Worksheet. It Is A Solopreneurs Brand Identity Story that bridges the connection to your target audience.
Just like my Suspension Bridge that took me across the river waters on my Cave Tour, your Brand Story will take your target audience on a journey to connect with your brand. Keep reading if you want to learn how to create and clarify your Brand Identity Story.
WHY CREATE A BRANDING STORY?
Your Brand Story is the narrative that explains what your brand stands for, who you are as a company, and why customers should care. It’s the connecting bridge of your branding—the messaging, visuals, and values that make up your public face. A well-crafted brand story should communicate all of that in a way that is clear, consistent, and compelling.
Your Branding Story is not only about what you say about your company, it’s about the PROMISE you says to your target audience..... the customer.
It all comes down to this: A Brand Story, "YOUR PROMISE", is the most powerful way to connect with your target audience and create a lasting impression.
Now that we know WHY we need a Brand Story, let's talk about the Criteria for Creating a Strong Brand Story and what makes one good and bad.
CRITERIA FOR A STRONG BRANDING STORY
There are 7 Basic Criteria that a Brand Story should have in order to make it strong.
- Be User-Focused - It should be about the customer and what they want/need, not about you and what you want to sell them.
- Be Clear - It should be clear what your Brand is about from the get-go.
- Be Concise - Keep it short and sweet; you want people to remember it.
- Be Compelling - It should be interesting and make people want to learn more about your Brand.
- Be Emotional - It should evoke some sort of emotion in people; after all, we buy with our hearts, not our minds.
- Be Consistent - Your Brand Story should be consistent across all platforms. Don't promote one thing on Instagram and another on Facebook.
- Be Inspiring - It should be aspirational and make people want to be a part of your Brand.
Now that we know the criteria for a strong Brand Story, let's talk about how to create one.
HOW TO CREATE BRAND IDENTITY STATEMENT
Now before you go diving all gung-ho head first into this next section. I want you to pause and take a second and remember your "I Believe Statement" from the Authentic Branding Blog post. If you have your I Believe Statements it will make this section go much more smoothly. If you haven't read it, then you might consider checking it out first at... Authentic Branding. So now let's get into it.
There are 4 Key Steps to creating a Brand Identity Statement:
STEP ONE: DEFINE YOUR BRAND PROMISE
The first step in creating a Brand Identity Statement is to Define your Brand Promise. This is where you will answer the question of HOW you want to serve your customer, WHAT your Brand is about, WHY you do what you do, and WHO you do it for.
To help you Define your Brand Promise, answer these questions:
- What you say you will do for the customer?
- What need or problem are you solving?
- What exactly it is that you do?
- Why do you do it?
- Who do you do it for?
Just remember that a Brand Promise is your "why" and your purpose for existing.
STEP TWO: BRAND POSITIONING STATEMENT
There is this saying "I got to get in where I fit in". And so the same goes with Brand Positioning,.... Where do you fit in?
Now in the second step Brand Positioning Statement, you get to start crafting definitions of your brand into full sentences.
To help you, just answer these questions:
- How will you be different from the competition?
- How are you wanting to position or arrange yourself or your company in the marketplace?
Please keep in mind that in branding different is better than better.
STEP THREE: AUTHENTIC EMOTIONAL CONNECTION:
The third step is to make an Authentic Emotional Connection with your target audience. You want to Arrange and Position yourself in the marketplace in a way that will connect with people emotionally.
- What feeling do you want people to feel when they think of your Brand?
- How do you want people to describe you?
- What will make you memorable to your target audience?
- What one topic do you want to be the go to person for?
Please remember .... No Fake Stuff - BE AUTHENTIC!
STEP FOUR: THREE WORD BRANDING CLUSTER: Before I went on my Cave Tour, there was this Catalog of Excursion that you could take while in Belize. In the description it used words like: daredevils, extreme adventurer, risk takers and once in a lifetime experience. These words were the reason I booked the excursion. It could be the reason people select to work with you or use your product or services.
Write a list of words that describe who you are, even who you want to become as a company. Select the best 3 words that explains who you are as a brand and that your audience will get excited about. This Branding Cluster can be used for all your Content Creation for your brand.
To help you, just answer these questions:
- What three words would you use to describe your Brand?
- What are some adjectives that you want people to use when they talk about you or your company?
- What are some verbs that you want people to use when they talk about you or your company?
These 4 Key Steps for a strong brand story will bridge the connection with your target audience and make you stand out in the marketplace. Now I am going to break everything down and give you an example of how to use the 4 Key Steps for a Unique Customer Gift Company for Baby Boomers.
EXAMPLE:
- Brand Promise: We are determined to help Baby Boomers to create a Side Hustle. In 7 Simple Steps we will instruct you how to create custom gifts using wood, glass, and steel that can help you create part-time income.
- Brand Positioning Statement: The Unique Customer Gift Company offers easy to follow instructions for Baby Boomers to create beautiful gifts from wood, glass and steel in their own homes.
- Authentic Emotional Connection Statement: We want Baby Boomers to feel excited about the possibility of earning extra income by using their creativity and talents. We want you to feel confident that they can create unique gifts that will be cherished by friends and family for years to come.
- Three Word Branding Cluster: Creative, Confident, Earning
If I was writing Ad Content for this I would say something like:
Attention Baby Boomers .... Have you always been creative. Do you have a knack for woodworking, glass blowing or steel sculpting? Or always wanted to learn? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then we have the perfect opportunity for you.
The Unique Customer Gift Company offers easy to follow instructions for Baby Boomers to create beautiful gifts from wood, glass and steel in their own homes. So not only can you tap into your creative side, but you can also earn some extra income.
What are you waiting for? Follow our seven simple steps and start earning today!
You see how easy making content because when you have an Authentic Brand Story. Now it's your turn! Use the 4 Key Steps to Brand Identity to help you create a Brand Story that resonates with your target audience.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Branding is more than just a logo, it's an emotional connection.
- Your Brand Story is the vehicle that will take your target audience on a journey from unknown to known.
- Brand Positioning Statements are important for helping you stand out in the marketplace.
- A Three Word Branding Cluster can be used for all your content creation.
#10kMatters
