What’s Your Story?

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

So, what’s your story? If your personal or corporate brand doesn’t tell a story, then your brand is lacking the very essence of what makes a strong brand to begin with…The story. There is no denying that everybody loves a good story, and there are numerous reasons why. Think about the novels you’ve read, movies you’ve watched, speeches you’ve listened to, ads that have hooked your interest, or virtually any other message delivered by any other medium and it’s the story that either seals the deal, or leaves you feeling cheated. In today’s post I’ll discuss the value in creating a strong brand story…

A story is the root level driver behind successfully communicating any message. Well crafted stories whether delivered visually, textually, verbally, etc. are the instruments that tug at your emotions, speak to your logic, support your beliefs, and reinforce your positions. Great stories challenge, engage, inform, persuade, entertain, mobilize, convict, flatter, and inspire. So my question is this, why wouldn’t you want your brand to tell a great story? Think about any strong brand and they tell a great story. In fact great brands are usually underpinned by many great stories.

The inspiration for today’s post was based on the outcome of a recent on-site meeting with a new client in which we spent a great deal of time dissecting their brand. In a collaborative exercise designed to have my client articulate their value propositions in the form of a story, there was no doubt that they came away clearly understanding the power of developing an effective brand story which can be leveraged across markets and mediums. If you’ve ever listened to a skilled orator whose ability to eloquently and articulately paint brilliant word pictures has left you captivated, you understand what I’m trying to communicate. 

When all is said and done, the brand story needs to engender trust while implanting your brand promise in the minds of your various constituencies in a manner that is memorable, authentic, relevant, and actionable. While branding is a complex subject to be sure, it all begins with the story…tell it well and succeed, tell it poorly and fail. This is a simple, yet powerful message that I encourage you to take to heart. So, if you don’t have a story go create one, and if you have a story make sure it gets told well.