Making an impact with a unique brand story
That resonates with your audience's identity
27.10.2022
With the rise of the internet and the global search for meaning, today's consumers are much more demanding than their predecessors. The modern consumer in 2021 seeks transparency from businesses to ensure that the promoted products or services are authentic and credible. Once trust is established, the next step is to create a preference and desire for the products or services. But where to begin? It starts with a distinctive brand story that resonates with your target audience.
What is a brand story, and what is its purpose?
Storytelling is the way to generate reach and engagement with your target audience. But how do you break through to someone? How do you make sure they listen to you? And how do you influence their (buying) behavior? The impact of a good story is almost limitless. Creating an emotional connection gives you the opportunity to guide your audience's perception, to make them experience what you want them to experience. The best way to influence them is by helping them imagine how things could be different through your story.
But why does storytelling work so well? Did you know that when you read a story, seven parts of your brain are activated? By engaging the brain's content, and appealing to human (unconscious) emotions, stories are easily and quickly remembered. On the other hand, when you read a list of product specifications and try to appeal to human reason, only two parts of your brain are activated. Not very inspiring... all those facts and figures. Engaging your audience with a story that triggers emotions is the way to go if you want your message to truly stick! Look for that express route that gives you access to exactly those parts of our brain where unconscious decisions are made.
Which questions to answer in a brand story?
But how do you exactly come to a good brand story? What questions should you ask yourself and your employees to grasp the essence of the brand? What do you do? What are you good at? What makes the brand unique? And perhaps even more importantly, why do you do it? When answering the question 'Why do you do it?', you tap into the desires of your target audience. American psychologist Steven Reiss compiled sixteen human basic desires during the previous century. These sixteen desires define our personalities and influence our behavior, such as the longing for status, peace of mind, acceptance, order, or power.
Your product or service must also be a solution to fulfill one or more needs of the target audience, needs they are likely not aware of. People sell products or services to themselves by convincing themselves with a story. We deceive ourselves and justify a new purchase by explaining how the purchase will fulfill our needs, while in reality, we unconsciously give in to our desires. We rationalize the choice to buy in that way.
A credible story
Every successful (brand) story is powerful, authentic, and above all, credible. Ensure that you address the desires and needs of your target audience and that they can identify with your brand. Let the brand story resonate with the audience as if a person like them is the narrator.
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Grow with performance branding
Linkedin says so. Harvard business review and McKinsey too. Performance branding is the future. The winning combination of branding with performance marketing.