BOOM. I’m reading a book about business storytelling this week and it literally has me yelling out passages to David every time something resonates. Which, frankly, is pretty much every page.
The book is Building a Story Brand by the founder of marketing agency Story Brand, Donald Miller.
Every business should read this book, no matter what it is you do.
I know we’ve written before about the importance of storytelling to share your business’s message, but I feel Miller sums up these points in such an effective way in the book.
I love that he’s developed a framework any business can implement in their marketing strategy to create clear and effective communication.
YOU SHOULD TRY IT.
With kudos to Miller, here are some of the major takeaways from the book. Some of which I certainly knew about before, but it felt good to have them reiterated to me by reading his guide.
Clarity is paramount
Your business’ message needs to be CLEAR and SIMPLE. I cannot emphasise this enough, and it’s something we frequently tell our clients.
Forget the 20 page website, if your customer doesn’t understand what it is you do and how you can help them within three seconds of landing on your page, then your message isn’t clear enough.
If you visit our site’s homepage, you’ll see our message right up the top, clearly written.
Your website should be the same.
As Miller writes, “If you confuse, you lose.” This is because there is so much noise out there in the world, so your messaging needs to be clear if it wants to stand out.
According to stats Miller has researched, 30% of our day is spent either day dreaming or consuming stories (which could be by reading, watching movies or listening to our friends).
If you want to make your audience compelled to listen, your story needs to be engaging, and above all – clear and easy to digest.
Your customer should be the hero of the story, not your brand
I LOVE this point Miller makes so much. Too often, companies make their products and services at the heart of their story. But who cares?
Honestly, if people can’t see immediately how your product or service is going to HELP them, why should they bother?
Miller gives this brilliant example from Steve Jobs’ lived experience. Before he worked with Pixar, Jobs advertised one of his Apple computers with a nine page, text-heavy ad in the New York Times, listing all the specifications of the technology. The marketing campaign totally bombed. The computer didn’t sell.
After working with Pixar, Jobs came away with a thorough understanding with how effective stories can be in creating deep connections with people.
For his next marketing campaign, Jobs used two words. “Think different”.
The computer sold millions and Apple became a household name. Miller writes that this marketing campaign worked so effectively because Apple clearly:
- Identified what their customers wanted (to be seen and heard)
- Defined their customers’ challenge (that people didn’t recognise their hidden genius)
- Offered their customers a tool to express themselves (computers)
They did this all with two words and BAM. It sold.
Business stories need to make a connection
Of course, Apple’s marketing from then on has been so brilliant because it never fails to make a connection with its audience.
Apple users feel like ‘heroes’. They truly do. It’s why there are always queues out the front of their stores whenever they launch a new product. The customers want to get their hero adrenaline fix!
All good business stories need to connect with one of four areas (extra brownie points if they connect with more):
- Physical
- Emotional
- Relational
- Spiritual
While businesses often sell to a customers’ external needs, it’s frequently the internal needs that need targeting.
For example, a swimwear company might sell the practicality of a maternity swimsuit for breastfeeding ease, but better marketing would demonstrate how its swimsuits make new mums feel.
The company should market the confidence mums will experience when wearing their supportive and flattering bathing suits. This would be tapping into the internal problem new mums are grappling with – feeling confident at the beach after having a baby.
As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
And it’s vital you tap into this feeling and emotion when you share your story!
Stories must pass the ‘grunt’ test
One of the final takeaways I got from Miller’s book was that all good stories should pass the ‘grunt’ test. This ties in with the importance of making your business’s story simple and immediate to understand.
Miller writes that a caveman should be able to visit your website, or hear your elevator pitch, and understand exactly:
- What it is you offer
- How it will make their life better
- What they need to do to buy it
So here’s my call to action for you now – go to your website and quickly see if yours passes the business storytelling grunt test.
Can your audience answer the three above questions within 30 seconds of landing on your page?
If not, it might be time to write some fresh copy! I highly recommend reading Miller’s book – I think it’s one of the best business storytelling books out there.
