Ever wondered why some brands have so much more success than others?

Well, these days people make their buying decisions based on emotions and then they look at the features and benefits of a product, service or organisation, so there needs to be something deeper to motivate behaviour.

Organisations that tell authentic stories actually create successful brands that engage audiences on an emotional level to drive customer behaviour. By using stories to connect with your customers you will inspire them and differentiate your offering authentically.

At the heart of a successful brand is an authentic and compelling story – but it’s not always obvious.

It’s not enough to rely on your offering to succeed – you need more. Differentiating is key and your story is uniquely yours, no one else can tell it.

Many organisations don’t do brand storytelling well. Why? Because it’s hard. Hard to infuse the things that make your company what it is into a story that engages your customers.

Most organisations reach for the company’s mission statement and stop there. Don’t be afraid to dig deeper to find a story that represents your values and one that is baked into your organisation.

Perhaps think about the reason your company came to be. Or what motivates your staff to come to work every day. This will give your audience an inside look at why you do what you do.

Ask the hard questions, like do our values relate to the way we deliver our service or products? And if you asked your customers what your values are, would their answer match your values?

You also need to strive for consistency in your stories. There are the stories that you tell about your organisation. There are the stories that your customers tell about your brand. There are the stories that people share about your brand and the stories your competitors tell. Stories can infiltrate every aspect of how we think about brands, but you only get the benefit from storytelling if you know what the story is, how and when to tell it, and why.

Brand storytelling without deep thought will be ordinary at best and phoney at worst.

Collaborate, workshop, survey, research and mine for insights wherever and however you can to dig for gold. Humans love stories and people always remember a good story. Great storytelling will attract customers to your brand because stories create emotion and drive behaviour. Telling your stories in meaningful ways will help you engage more customers more effectively.

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