First, what is brand storytelling?

Brand storytelling is the use of authentic, emotional stories by an organization to drive growth and foster customer loyalty.

The audience, industry, and type of content will all influence the storytelling strategies a brand uses. They ought to highlight the brand’s mission and inspire those who view the content to identify with it and feel aligned with the company.

Please read on for a more thorough explanation of what brand storytelling entails.

Brand Storytelling: What Is It?

According to Kaitlin Loyal’s definition of brand storytelling on the Scribewise blog:

Using a narrative, brand storytelling aims to establish a connection between your company’s values and those of your target audience.

She explains the definition’s essential components as follows:

• “By narrative, we mean storytelling elements. Characters, setting, conflict, developing action, climax, and resolution all play important roles in a story.”
• “By what you stand for, we mean the essence of your brand. The purpose is not to make money or to sell a product. Your company’s motivation and key differentiator from the competition, it serves as the foundation of your operations.”
• “Values are the character traits of your company that define it … The best actions of your best workers on their best days are the foundation of a company’s values.”

Find the Heart of Your Brand Storytelling with These 6 Questions, written by Debbie Williams for the CMI, echoes Kaitlin’s thoughts. As Debbie writes:

Everything that you are and do together makes up your brand story. It is evident from the company’s history, mission, source of inspiration, objectives, target market, and reason for existence.

While all brands have a story to tell, some don’t know how to find or share it, in Debbie’s opinion. She offers six questions to help uncover brand stories:

• What drives you?
• What’s your history?
• Who play the main roles in your story?
• What is the purpose of your company?
• How have you failed?
• Where are your gaps?

A brand story must go beyond the goods and services offered by the brand in order to be effective. “You have to make something that they [the audience members] want to be a part of and demonstrate that you truly “get” who they are and what they need, says Debbie.

Why Is Brand Storytelling Becoming More Popular?

Brand storytelling tactics are becoming more popular as a result of shifting consumer behavior. Consumers actively avoid interruption-based advertising, prioritize mobile devices, and select from a wide range of news and entertainment sources.

Importantly, consumers are interacting with media that has been sponsored by a brand and offers high-quality, interesting, and entertaining content.

OneSpot, a US individualization platform, conducted a survey, and the results are as follows:

• 68% of consumers find content that ‘informs’ and ‘educates’ most valuable
• 17% of consumers find content that ‘entertains’ most valuable; and
• 11% of consumers find content that ‘inspires’ most valuable.

Since the 1980s, we have known that the average human processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text. However, as consumer attention spans shorten and communications become more digitally focused, we see an increasing opportunity to engage audiences through effective visual brand storytelling techniques.

According to a study by the Aberdeen Group, businesses that include video content in their marketing plan enjoy a 41% increase in search-related web traffic.

Instead of relying solely on mainstream content and news providers, consumers now mix social media, niche content providers, software aggregators, and social filters to stay connected and entertained.

The mainstream experimentation with augmented reality and virtual reality platforms is also fostering the growth of brand storytelling as businesses use this technology as a fresh method of interacting with customers.

Brand Storytelling Is Important

People are more likely to relate to something emotionally, as is the case with many things in life. They sometimes even struggle to justify their actions. Maybe they associate it with something from their youth. Or, a problem they struggle with has a happy outcome. Bonds are formed as a result of this emotional connection.

Your brand identity, design, and content should all work together to establish recurrent, favorable brand associations when it comes to brand storytelling. It is the responsibility of the marketing team to create a plan to accomplish this.

Understanding a marketer’s audience is a big part of what they do. What they need and what they want. What keeps them up at night? Knowing this will enable marketers to develop brand narratives that connect with their audience rather than focusing solely on closing deals. The likelihood that a marketing plan will successfully develop and sustain strong brand loyalty over time increases when it is based on compelling stories.

Brand Storytelling Examples

In the company and product DNA of some brands (like, for example, TOMS shoes) and others must create a compelling narrative to make their product meaningful (e.g. most enterprises Here are some examples of some of the best brand storytellers in the world, ranging from Warby Parker to Nike. SaaS companies).

Warby Parker

When Warby Parker made designer eyewear accessible, more environmentally friendly, and simple to try on at home, they revolutionized the eyeglass industry. Their brand has a compelling origin story as well. One of their founders lost his glasses while backpacking and they were too expensive to replace, so he went the first semester of graduate school without them. He and his team chose to use an environmentally friendly plant-based frame construction to address that issue.

Not everyone has access to eyeglasses; there are 2.5 billion people in the world who need glasses but cannot afford them. An individual in need receives a pair of Warby Parker sunglasses when you purchase a pair. By enabling someone to work or learn, your purchase alters their life story. Warby Parker built their brand on a meaningful narrative, and they use their platforms—such as Instagram and YouTube—to amplify that narrative by sharing eye-care experts’ insights and fascinating anecdotes about customers who wear their glasses.

Airbnb

Since Airbnb is a marketplace, the actual product itself isn’t interesting enough to warrant a narrative. The stories they tell about the experience of staying somewhere new are what their audience is interested in, not information about the tools and filters that help them find places to stay. They want information on the people they will be staying with. They are curious about the residences, nations, and experiences that the Airbnb brand makes possible.

No one is better at sharing those tales than hosts and visitors. You can get an inside look at the lives of Airbnb hosts around the world by visiting a section of the company’s website. This makes potential guests and hosts feel more at ease with the hosts of the places they’ll be staying. You can learn from superhosts, get helpful guest advice, and see what Airbnb is like in other countries on their YouTube channel, which has over 251,000 subscribers.

Burt’s Bees

A chance encounter while hitchhiking gave rise to this business, which went on to become one of the most well-known natural skincare companies in the world. Their beeswax-based lip balm, which is probably available in every Whole Foods location, was their first product to become popular.

The website for Burt’s Bees does an amazing job of narrating their story. They present their history in a captivating manner that any company can emulate. Moreover, a rich media format showcasing their core values is available. Their brand story is consistent throughout, including their imagery and taglines. They have created a strong foundation for some brilliant brand storytelling by establishing a strong brand identity.

Burt Talks to the Bees episodes are informative and entertaining, and their YouTube channel is full of videos with excellent production values. Aside from that, they also offer quick product tutorial videos and beauty advice.

Over the years, Burt’s Bees has given more than $2.4 million in grants through The Burt’s Bees Greater Good Foundation and used social media campaigns to cultivate more than 10,000 acres of honey bee forage. They’re an excellent illustration of a brand with a strong identity that takes brand storytelling into account in everything they do.

Nike

During the 1990s, Nike made a name for itself by telling compelling stories. In 1999, they produced a memorable ad to honor Michael Jordan’s career. Nike let Michael Jordan’s story stand on its own at a time when everyone was pushing a hard sell (because TV airtime was expensive). “Just Do It” and the swoosh, which appears at the end, occupied the entire space allocated to their brand. The athlete and the audience were emotionally connected by the story, and Nike played a minor role in the interaction.

Today, Nike shares interesting video and photo advertisements on Instagram that we can all learn from. Can you envision what the “Best Day Ever” in international sports would look like? Nike did it with this video ad, which features amateur runners waking up to run, female athletes starting video games, and running shoes grown from a seed.

The Nike blog is full of “stories that move you,” and you can read about anything there, from a college athlete overcoming starting line anxiety to getting suggestions on how to encourage your children to fall in love with movement. These narratives don’t directly promote any products. In addition to providing solutions, they educate and inspire. Athletes can relate to this style of brand storytelling, which over time increases customer awareness and loyalty.

Although you may never have a budget that can compete with their $34B marketing strategy, you can still learn from them and begin to aim for the quality of their storytelling.

Also read: What Is A Content Marketer?

Storytelling Science  

It is well known that storytelling has the power to inspire, inform, and entertain.

Scientists have found that the majority of our brain’s regions light up or become active when we listen to a story being told. That biological activity contrasts with more staid methods of information consumption, such as listening to someone recite facts, which only activate two distinct regions of the brain called the Wernicke’s area and Broca’s area.

Our brains are more susceptible to storytelling’s allure, and when we engage in storytelling, we frequently experience the following:

• Mirroring: When we listen, our brainwave patterns match those of the speaker.
• Neural coupling: The story starts to become the listener’s own thoughts and experiences as a result of this process.
• Dopamine: The drug of pleasure! The story is reacted to by this emotion-charger, which also aids in our memory of details connected to the story’s emotions.

Storytelling Elements 

By narrative, we mean storytelling elements. Characters, setting, conflict, developing action, climax, and denouement are all components of a story. By developing these points, you can make a story easier for your audience to follow along with and remember.

It’s important to note that your customer, not you, plays the lead role in your brand’s story. To make this work, your customer must act as the protagonist. Your company’s reputation serves as the road map.

By what you stand for, we mean the essence of your brand. Your goal isn’t to make money or sell a product. Your company’s motivation comes from it, and it sets you apart from the competition. It’s why you exist.

You should be able to sum up who you are in two or three words, at most. Nike stands for athletic excellence—not sneakers or sports equipment. Disney stands for family happiness—not theme parks or movies.

Values are the character traits of your company that define it. Many businesses willifully declare that words like integrity, innovation, etc. are among their core values., but they choose these words because they sound nice, not because they truly reflect who they are.

The best actions of your best employees on their best days represent the values of your company. In other words, winning is more important to you than maintaining your integrity if you highly value the salesperson who will break the law to close the big deal. Accept it if that is truly what you value.

The Case For Brand Storytelling

Why is brand storytelling important, then? The market is more crowded than ever, making it harder to stand out than it was even ten years ago. When you combine that with a buyer’s journey in which the customer decides how to make a purchase, buying has become social, self-directed, based on trust, and transparent.

Stop pushing your products so hard and put more of your attention on the reasons why your company is even in business if you want to connect with a customer who is deciding what and when she will buy. Customers who share your values will be interested in your story when you explain them.

Although we are aware that even brand loyalty has changed, there is a much better chance that the people you find will remain loyal to you if they share your values.

Your company’s strategy is then based on your story, and this advances your brand. Ben Horowitz, a renowned venture capitalist, is credited with coming up with the concept.

He said: “A compelling story drives the company forward even with a great product. Lacking a compelling narrative makes it difficult to inspire others to work with you, contribute to your product, and raise money for it.”

The purpose of brand storytelling is to identify the reason your business exists and then communicate that reason to potential customers through marketing messages such as blog posts, social media posts, videos, and advertisements.

Having a brand story and what you stand for at the core of your company strategy does more than just help guide marketing activities and create consistent messages that connect with your audience. It unites your team and energises them so that they are aware of their destination and the rationale behind it.

Ways To Use Brand Storytelling In Marketing

Be Authentic

A brand that is unoriginal or not authentic won’t fool today’s consumers. Choosing the mission and values of your brand is the first step. Your mission and ethos must be trustworthy and completely in line with your purpose, even though these values might not be particular to your brand.

Listen To Your Customers

The best people to influence brand storytelling are your customers. They should experience an emotional connection with you and a sense of belonging to your brand. What are they concerned about? What kind of information most excites them, and why? What could you give them that your rivals aren’t offering?

Put The Customer At The Center Of The Story

One of the biggest errors is making the product or service the main character. You have a much better chance of drawing customers in, converting them, and gaining their support if you make the customer the hero and cater to their needs and desires.

Final Words

The post focused on what is brand storytelling.

Do you now understand what brand storytelling is after reading the post? If you have any inquiries about brand storytelling, kindly leave a comment. I’ll answer as soon as possible.

I want to thank you for reading, but that’s not the end of it.