How is your organization unique from your competitors? What do you stand for as a brand that no one else does? What makes your brand distinctive and uniquely aligned with your customer values, is the most important element of all your brand messaging, yet so few companies go deep on how to create truly compelling brand narratives – A brand narrative is more than just a script or story; it serves as a messaging framework for you to consistently communicate impactful brand messages to your customers and employees. It captures the essence of “who you are” as opposed to “what you do”.
If you don’t consider user intent and emotion, right from the outset of your brand narrative strategy, even the most innovative, revolutionary companies can fail to hit the mark.
Crafting the perfect language for your one-of-a-kind brand involves delving into the depths of your customer’s mind, to understand why they would want to buy from you versus another company. According to Gallup’s 70/30 Principle, people act on human emotions; up to 70% of all purchases are made due to an emotion the person feels towards you, your product, service, company and brand.
Typically the human emotion that drives repeated business is “Trust”. So why do people trust your brand, products and services? It is most likely that as an organization or brand, you stand for something that the target audience also aligns with. This can also ring true for the types of employees that would want to join your company.
Once you understand this, you can figure out how to increase their desire to purchase and how to convert more people into loyal customers/clients and even future employees.
1. Focus On Emotional Advantages and Benefits NOT Features
Start by reviewing the Features, Emotional Advantages and Benefits of your brand and company with our downloadable “FAB” Brand Ingredients Template. This free template is divided into three main sections:
Features; facts or characteristics about your brand and company – your functional description
Advantages; explain what the features do and how they can make your customer feel – what edge do they give?
Benefits; answer why your prospective customers or clients should value the advantages. Speak To The Problem or Issue You Solve and how that can make people feel.
Define your customer/client’s problem(s) and how they align with your brand benefit and/or advantages in an emotional way that aligns to their personal values; something that adds value to their lives (personal or business) and then craft all messaging around this narrative.
“Just because you know why your company will make your ideal customer’s life better doesn’t mean it is obvious to them.”
2. Speak To The Rationale Behind Your Company and Brand
Create a Story around your Rationale to help avoid doubts – Communicate WHY you do what you do? What was the core underlying reason for starting your company in the beginning? Dig deep into your origin story!
It’s not about the money. Complete a “5 Whys/ 1 How Analysis” (Ask Why 5 times until you uncover the deeper reasoning and then ask How you do it differently) based on the problem statement you uncovered above.
Your rationale should be aligned with HOW you resolve a problem differently or fill in a gap in the market that was previously missing in their life (something they may not have even known that they needed, until you came along).
Most companies speak well to What they do and even Who they do it for, but they miss the mark on digging deep into Why they do it and How they do it differently.
3. Build Extra Value Over Your Competitors
Communicate and show people the advantage or benefit driven value of your deliverables that strikes a cord with their emotions and aligning values. Give them a little taste of what it is like to do business with you or reduce the risk of engagement by offering a guarantee behind your company and brand. Show them how confident you are that your company will provide them with long term value that your competitors don’t. Instill trust and alignment of your common values.
However you decide to word your brand narrative, just make sure you are selling what the market wants, not just what you have to offer. Do some research if you haven’t already to find out what your target audience needs and look ahead to fulfill those needs. Be liquid and flexible; pivot until you hit the mark of a magnetic brand narrative. Understand that an emotionally charged advantage and/or benefit based compelling brand narrative is way more powerful than any feature based convincing argument. This will become your secret sauce, brand messaging framework that you can use to create your Brand Manifesto and all of your future brand messaging externally and internally.
When done right, this messaging will not only inspire your customers, it will also inspire employees and attract future talent.
Use our tools and/or engage with our team at Sandbox to help you create a revitalized brand narrative and manifesto with a position of trust and value alignment. Contact us today to find out how we can help uncover the recipe for your perfect external and internal brand narrative to refine the “secret sauce” messaging for your company!
We strive to help you build:
- Brand Distinctiveness in the Market
- Your unique Business and Brand Story
- Internal and external messaging that attracts and retains best fit clients and employees
- Internal Alliance to your strategy
- Talent that is Magnetized to your Brand and Culture
- A Coherent Culture that Champions your Brand