Crafting your brand’s story is no walk in the park.
It is the throbbing heart of your business, the essence of your brand. It is your company’s living and breathing mission statement that connects you with your target audience. And in a world oversaturated with businesses vying for the consumer’s attention, a rebellious, unique, and compelling brand can help you rise above the noise.
As marketing guru Seth Godin once said, “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” This is especially true in today’s fast-paced digital age, where consumers are no longer just interested in what you’re selling, but why and how you’re selling it.
Understand Your Audience
Before you can craft a compelling brand story, you should first understand who you’re speaking to. Your target audience needs to be at the center of every aspect of your brand strategy.
Marketing expert Philip Kotler emphasizes, “You should never go to battle before you’ve won the war on paper.” This means knowing who your target audience is, what they want, and how your brand can solve their problems. Craft buyer personas, conduct market research, and dive deep into analytics to understand your audience’s demographics, psychographics, and behavior. Do not skip this step!
If you spend time looking at your competition and your audience you quickly realize what is being offered to them, and more importantly, what isn’t. And it’s filling that niche which will set you apart from the competition.
Establish Your Brand Values
Your brand values form the bedrock of your story. They give your business purpose and direction and guide all aspects of your operations, from your customer service approach to your marketing strategies.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, suggests, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Reflect on what values you want your brand to represent and push away from general expectations here. Honesty, Innovation, and Sustainability are great, but you also need deeper pillars which reflect who you are and why align with their needs. These will be the key pillars of your brand’s story.
Find Your Unique Selling Proposition
What sets your business apart from the rest? What unique value do you offer your customers? Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is an essential aspect of your brand’s story and will play a significant role in making you memorable to your target audience.
As marketer Rosser Reeves puts it, “A USP is the unique, appealing idea that sets you apart from every other ‘me too’ competitor.” Your USP can be anything from an innovative product feature, exceptional service, or an inspiring mission. But it should be different. It should not be a replica of the most successful business in your industry.
Weave Your Brand’s Story
With the understanding of your audience, your brand values, and your USP, you’re now ready to craft your brand’s story. A compelling brand story is not just about your company’s history or product description. It’s about creating an emotional connection with your audience, engaging them with your brand, and inspiring them to take action.
Simon Sinek, renowned author of “Start with Why,” advises, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” Your story should communicate why you exist, why you’re doing what you’re doing, and why your audience should care.
At Alliance, for example, we are more than a ghostwriting agency. I’ve positioned us as an essential ally for trailblazers and rebellious leaders who continually push boundaries. I’m well aware that these innovators possess a wealth of knowledge and a distinct understanding of their industries. However, articulating their revolutionary ideas in a compelling, written format might not always be their forte. That’s precisely where I, as an audience-minded ghostwriter, step in.
My role provides me the unique privilege of partnering with a range of business pioneers. These leaders are passionate about spreading their ideas and information so their audience can benefit from their experience. And through my carefully crafted narratives, I touch on the pulse of the audience, using their preferences, pain points, and aspirations within the copy. This awareness is the foundation upon which I build compelling stories, making use of the appropriate tone, language, and context that would most appeal to them. In doing so, we don’t just influence an industry. We touch lives, shaping perspectives and empowering countless individuals within their audience.
That is why I started Alliance. Because I love helping rebellious leaders share their unique ideas with the world. Our brand story goes deeper than “creating compelling content”, even if that is a function of what we do.
Think about how your brand story can go deeper. What do you most enjoy about your business? What about it makes you want to get up every day and keep it going? These are the elements you should weave into your brand’s story.
Cultivate Your Brand Voice
Your brand’s voice is the embodiment of your brand’s personality in your communication. It’s how you speak and how you sound to your audience. It was Ann Handley, a leading marketing expert, who said, “Your brand’s voice reflects your company’s personality and emotions through communication. It’s not what you say, but how you say it that matters.”
A well-crafted brand voice resonates with your audience at a deeper level. It serves as a vital tool in shaping your audience’s perception of your brand, helping establish trust and credibility. Mailchimp’s brand voice is characterized by being fun, quirky, and conversational. And Innocent Drinks has successfully built a brand voice that’s friendly, cheeky, and distinctly human. Both of these highly defined voice’s give you a feel for the brand as a whole the moment you interact with them.
Crafting and honing this voice is a crucial task that demands careful thought and intentional effort. But when done right, it can be one of your brand’s most potent assets.
If you need further help cultivating your brand voice, check out this step-by-step guide!
Remember, a brand story is not just a marketing strategy; it is the lifeblood of your brand. It gives your brand a soul, a purpose, and most importantly, it gives people a reason to choose you over your competitors. As you craft your brand’s story, keep these steps in mind. They will guide you in creating a rebellious, unique, and compelling narrative that your audience can connect with.
Need Help Crafting Your Brand Voice?
At Alliance Ghostwriting we help rebellious leaders establish authority with high quality book and blog content. With our focus on speaking to your audience and shaping the content to your voice and tone, you’ll expand your reach and author your future.
You break the mold, we’ll handle the writing. Contact us to get started!
