Benefits of storytelling for your digital brand strategy

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So why is brand storytelling important? The market is more saturated than ever and competing for attention is harder than it was a decade ago. This is combined with a buyer journey where the customer controls the path to purchase. Buying is now social, self-directed, trust-based and transparent.

The best way to reach a customer who is deciding what and when to buy is to stop stressing about your products and focus more on the reason for your company's existence. When you tell this story and explain your values, you will attract customers who share your values.

When you find people who share your values, they'll be much more likely to stay business seekers email database loyal to you (although we know even brand loyalty has changed).

Your story then becomes your company's strategy , which drives your brand. It's an idea introduced by well-known venture capitalist Ben Horowitz .

Horowitz said, "You can have a great product, but a compelling story drives the company. If you don't have a great story, it's hard to get people motivated to join you, to work on the product, and to get people to invest in the product."

The goal of brand storytelling is to figure out why your company exists and then tell that story to potential customers through marketing messages, from social media posts to blogs, ads and/or videos.

Having a brand story and what it stands for at the core of your company’s strategy does more than just help guide marketing actions and create coherent messages that connect with your audience. It keeps your team on the same page and energizes them to know where they’re going and why they’re going .

Give your business a purpose. And that purpose will move you forward.

How to storytell your brand?
Today's consumers are no longer just passively buying from brands.

They see their purchases as extensions of their identity and values. What this means for marketers is that effective marketing can no longer be about promoting a product for its sole use or benefits. Successful marketing must be able to create a purpose, a community, and a culture that consumers can share and be a part of .

“Purpose” is all about values ​​– values ​​about who you are, what you stand for, what you do for others, the causes you serve. A compelling purpose gives consumers a way to connect with your brand and its values, and to learn how your products or services add real value to people’s lives beyond just selling stuff for profit. Brands that can successfully target consumers based on these shared values ​​are the ones that will ultimately win their attention and their dollars .

That’s why big brands are turning to purpose to better connect and engage their consumers. What makes some companies so successful and others so unsuccessful?

The difference lies in storytelling. You can’t activate and reinforce purpose without telling a story. As a marketer, you have to be able to connect your own personal values ​​and drives to your brand’s purpose and articulate that story to your audience . This type of storytelling is what it takes to get consumers to listen to you and be inspired to join your brand’s purpose.

So how do you do this? Marshall Ganz , a senior lecturer in Leadership, Organization, and Civil Society at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, recommends following this simple 3-step framework to develop compelling, purpose-driven narratives for your brand.