3 Missing Elements in Your Brand Storytelling

Every brand has a story.

I mean, every single one.

Seriously.

The challenge is, knowing what to tell and how to tell it.

One of the biggest questions we get here at Aftermarq is, “How do we make our company story interesting? We don’t do anything sexy.”

This can be said for a hundreds of brands, literally, most of the brands you do business with daily.

However, there are elements to your brand story that are, what I like to call, low hanging fruit, and they’re the best stories to tell.

1. Tell your customer stories

Personally, this is a no-brainer. Here at Aftermarq, we are helping our customers tell their customers stories every day. One of those brands, SAP, can be in the dictionary next to the word “unsexy”… ok, I know it’s not a word, just go with it for a second.

We’re working with SAP on a video series that is going behind the scenes, pulling back the curtain and showing off what makes them as an enterprise business so great: their partners and customers that use their software. (The series launches soon over on the Growth Matters Network, be sure to subscribe and check back in mid-July 2017 for the first episodes)

Why more businesses don’t talk about their customers is beyond me. This not only allows you to show off your customers, which is a winning strategy in and of itself, but you learn about what other similar (potential) customers are looking for. It’s market research and content, all at the same time!

Don’t be afraid to go deep and focus your customer stories without forcing mention of your brand. Allow the customers to create a story that helps their business using your distribution channels. You get to show off how awesome your clients are, and in turn, show off how much you care as a brand.

2. Tell your employee’s stories

My good friend Jay Baer once told me that individuals within a company are trusted twice as much as the company itself.

So, why aren’t more companies utilizing the greatest asset they have?

Simply put: trust.

If you want your customers to trust you, you must trust your employees to tell the greatest story in your possession. Back in the days of Mad Men, deals were closed on the golf course or over some cocktails. If you’ve ever been in one of those meetings, there is very little business talk and a whole lot of relationship building.

This is where your employee stories come into play.

Let the customers get to know the interests, hobbies and background of your team. And I’m not just talking about the C-suite!

Everyone in the company has a fascinating story and is critical to the overall mission. So is every story. Start telling them.

3. Tell the story of your community

The community is where your business lives and breathes. Without the community, you literally have no business.

Your community may live in a physical space or in the digital world, but that shouldn’t stop you from telling that story. By showing how much you care as a company about the community that you service.

Have you ever gotten a really great recommendation for something from an incredibly unlikely source?

You just remembered it, right?

Now put yourself in the position to be the brand that is always at top of mind.

Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean you become the city or state tourism board. What you’re doing is helping to create opportunities to position your company as a resource, one that will be considered helpful and caring when purchase decisions are being made.

BONUS: Tell your competitors story

I mentioned in the video that this is for the bold and 99% of you reading this won’t even give it a second chance.

Get your competitors on video with you and have discussions about common questions in your field or industry. Maybe you interview them about what they do. Whatever it is you decide to do with your competitors, it is imperative that the video lives on your own website and assets because thats really the only thing that matters to someone searching for the answers: where they found it.

Did you find these tips helpful? Are you already doing any of these in your company? Drop a comment below and let us know. As always, if you have any questions on how to implement a storytelling strategy at your company, drop us a line, we’ll be happy to help!