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Brand Story

The Internet generates a demand from consumers for greater transparency in their brand purchases. They are looking for the true values in what they purchase, for authenticity and for companies that care about how they relate to their customers. Customers are interacting with brands directly and actively sharing their opinions of what they find with others. It’s a two-way conversation now.

The main medium for this is content. Words have become as important as image, if not more so. After all, Internet marketing is driven by keywords, not keypictures. Online, your content defines you as a brand more distinctively than your logo – but what are you actually saying with your content? Are you getting across what you’re really about? Perhaps you need to redefine yourself to better represent your brand online?

What is brand story?

Brand story is the blueprint for all your communications. It’s your distilled essence. It’s what makes you different from everyone else. It’s your DNA but told in a way people can relate to, rather than a list of marketing-speak bullet points. People are more likely to connect to a genuine and interesting story than a succession of brand facts.

Brand story is an extremely powerful strategic tool. It’s about identifying and communicating a powerful and distinct identity to your customers. At a practical level it can increase your customer share, boost your bottom line and secure the long-term development of your business.

A brand story helps to build deep, long-lasting and value-creating relationships with consumers so that they are less focused on price comparison. It is also a guardian that helps protect and nurture brands now at the mercy of consumer generated content and interactions.

How we write a brand story

The creation of a meaningful brand story carries very specific challenges. These might include:

• Your voice - how are you going to speak?
• Your heart – what messages will always be with you?
• Your personality – how do you get people to listen to what you have to say?
• Your social skills – how do you make new friends and tell them new things?

This applies to both off and on-line worlds, from your pack label to your Facebook page.

By using a strategic approach to content we actively build the three pillars of brand substance: Authenticity, Quality and Credibility. This becomes the vehicle by which a brand can deliver greater value to its owner and to its customers.

Once you’ve got a brand story, you can start creating a content strategy – how are you going to communicate with your customers? Find out more about content strategy here: Content Strategy