When you started marketing Have you ever encountered these problems or not? Competitors have the same product Same properties The same promotion Sold in a similar location but!! Why do competing brands sell more? And can still sell at a higher price We will come to find an answer. In today’s marketing, using content in marketing is something that many business owners and marketers use. But as we all know That online content is more than the consumer wants to receive all Therefore, only one-sided communication such as telling reasons to customers Why they should buy the product Or why only use our business services Will not work anymore Businesses need to start sharing the stories behind your brand.
What have you been through Why does your business exist? And what your business does to help Which your business can share stories Or past experiences Will make your business more interesting And connect with people Build trust In which the stories were told Will result in creating value for your brand as well It’s starting to see, right? What is different about the story mentioned at the beginning is “Brand Story”. In this content, the STEPS Academy team will give you 3 reasons to explain why our brand storytelling is important for marketing in 2019 and 7 more storytelling formulas that Many brands are used, but you may not know. Which everyone has read and can use immediately With examples to help visualize each other more.
3 reasons why brand storytelling is important for marketing in 2019
- Make a difference
In an area in the online world that has produced a large amount of content continuously. It is increasing every day. Many businesses around the world Spending billions of dollars fighting In order to seize seconds that will get the attention of the audience Therefore being an inevitable competition As a result, your business must adjust to create content. To handle similar business competitors online And are working on producing content similar to your business It can be seen that in the midst of many content available Both from you and competitors Therefore it is very difficult to tell our brand story to stand out from the competition.
Instead of using content that is just information Statistics only numbers The way you create your content is unique and different from competitors in the market. Is making your brand story unique, interesting and different, using easy-to-tell storytelling methods and sharing your own challenging experiences. Various problems you encounter and ways to deal with The success and value of your brand that no brand can copy.
Statistics from Onespot, a service platform for creating content tailored to individual user behavior, says storytelling will not only add credibility to your brand in the eyes of readers. But can be 22 times more memorable than general statistics
- Building confidence
When you are creating content Truly thinking about what customers want from you (Other than goods or services)
For brands that want to build trust That is about more than just talking about your products or services. And that is what is called “Storytelling – storytelling” you think of emotional values. And what we can help our customers
- What kind of feelings do you want them to walk from us when they engage with you?
- What can we give to them when they engage with your content?
- What our brand means to them And what is your story
Use your story to connect the deep feelings between the brand and the customer. The beginning of the chapter changes From talking about your business alone into a brand that shares experiences Or what brands can help customers overcome through various problems This will give your customers confidence and brand attachment. That the brand is credible and can help him Cause a change from a customer who has bought your product or service Become a group of people who support your success, follow your loyalty and come back to you again.
- Attention
Nowadays, marketing is not just a matter of significant competition. But customers need a company that proves they are trying to help, support society, the environment, human beings, or even the organization’s team. More than a matter of company profits That makes the client aware that the company is interested in helping others other than their own profits. Make consumers have a good attitude towards the brand and want to continue supporting that brand. For example, every time a customer makes a purchase for your brand, 10% of their income will be used to help children who lack school supplies.
The mission that the brand wishes to “change the world” is no longer a dream. As long as the brand is showing their value and goals (only 10% of organizations want to change the world) and consumers turn to brands that feel more human. Not a coincidence that The top 10 companies that care about society and the environment in the Global Empathy Index are the fastest growing and profitable groups in the world, such as Tesla Mortor with 100% health care for employees. And Tesla’s electric car products Which is clean energy Helps reduce air pollution And help save energy
By now everyone probably understands, right? How good storytelling is important to business and marketing Later we will introduce 7 storytelling formulas with different styles and identities Which you can use as a blueprint for telling your brand story. What kind of storytelling formula are there? Let’s see.
Storytelling formula
- Before – shows the reader about the problem
Present an audience with problems that brands can help solve. For readers to see and begin to understand that this is a problem and should be resolved. We should make sure that the stated content corresponds to what the reader is experiencing. - After – show the reader what the problem is after fixing
Describe the future that has been resolved. How it looks How to improve And what benefits have they received? - Bridge – Shows how the bridge is connected to that point.
When they see that it is good for them to be resolved, then we should show how to get to that point. By having our brand as a helper To reach the goal
Colgate Example
Toothpaste brands that many of you are familiar with, using brand storytelling like Before-After-Bridge By beginning with the problem that adults like to give snacks to their children, they are afraid that children will bite. And saying that using toothpaste will help your child have strong, beautiful teeth and no teeth. Using Colgate toothpaste will help prevent tooth decay efficiently.
- Problem-Agitate-Solve
Is another popular form of storytelling. Is a storytelling formula that is easy to understand and can be used in many applications From advertisements to content writing on blogs
Storytelling formula
- Problem – Problems that arise
. You must first describe the problems that readers are experiencing. The pain that has been experienced Or problems that our target group has experienced - Agitate – The things that bother
you, then you will emphasize those problems to feel more intense so that the audience will feel emotionally. - Solve (edit) – How to solve those problems
In the end, how do you show how brands can solve problems?
Example of Toms Shoes
The owner of the brand Blake Mycoskie started the shoe business as he traveled to South America and Argentina in 2006, what he saw Meaning the children there don’t have shoes to wear Having to live barefoot all the time, thus creating inspiration in doing business to share shoes with those children. Using the slogan “With every product you purchase, TOMS will help a person in need. One for One” means that every pair of shoes you buy, TOMS will help people who need one-on-one, which TOMS brand uses. About self-brand Problem-Agitate-Solve The problem comes from children without shoes. What bothers me is Blake Mycoskie wants to help those kids. And started to solve the problem by running a shoe sales business to bring that income to help children Result in shoppers feeling good. In being a part of helping other people
3.Features-Advantages-Benefits
This storytelling formula is designed to be suitable for businesses with products. This storytelling formula helps designers and managers Explain and present the product in terms of benefits. More than just the product’s features
Storytelling formula
- Features – What can your products do?
First, you need to show the main characteristics of the brand’s products. What can be done By using facts of various information - Advantages – What will this help? What can you do?
Then, how do you present the benefits of your brand that can help customers? - Benefits – What does this mean to readers? Why pay attention
Finally, show customers why they should care about our offerings. How can our brands improve their lives?
GoPro example
In a letter from the founder and executive Nicholas Woodman on the website, “GoPro helps people capture and share the most meaningful experiences in their lives to others. In celebration together, like sitting on a mountain with friends Which means more than being alone What you share with that experience makes life more fun. The best multi-purpose camera in the world Is what we do Allowing you to divide your story through photography Shoot amazing videos. Is what we do. ” Features-Advantages-Benefits Which features a camera that captures amazing images and videos, is a multipurpose camera that is small, easy to carry The advantage is that you can share pictures, videos, share experiences. Fun for others And the benefit is that it makes our lives more meaningful than being alone by sharing the most meaningful stories of our lives with others.
4.Three-Act Structure
The Three-Act Structure is an ancient storytelling formula used in many popular dramas including movies, comic books, video games, and poetry. Most Hollywood films follow this narrative because it has been proven by many to be a successful storytelling formula.
Storytelling formula
- Act One / Setup – Suggest the characters and scenes that occur.
The first scene introduces the main characters of the story and the main scenes that are happening. - Act Two / Confrontation (Encounter) – Encounters with Problems Various obstacles
In the second part, this is usually the longest period of the whole story, the main characters will encounter obstacles and problems. In which these obstacles will appear To obstruct the main character from the target And will increase the frequency gradually Which sometimes seems to be close to trying to solve the problem But still not successful - Act Three / Resolution – Standing against the problem has already passed.
After a period of struggle with his problems and obstacles In the end, the main character wins. And the story ends It’s the time when the main characters show growth from the beginning. And now he has changed
Example of Extra Gum
Act One – which opens the story by accidentally introducing two main characters And the woman divided the chewing gum to the man and the two fell in love with each other
Act Two – When both students graduate together, there are small obstacles each day. The two still share gum with each other. But then both have to be far apart with work. Which is a huge obstacle for both of them
Act Three – Both still stand in love for each other. The man arranged for the woman to come to a place. Which has a picture frame with chewing gum Draw a story between them both to the final picture frame. The man proposed a woman to marry.
5. Freytag’s Pyramid: Five-Act Structure
Gustav Freytag, German novelist During the 19th century, analyzed the story of the ancient Greek storyteller. Including Shakespeare’s work And discovered patterns in storytelling He eventually developed it into diagrams. It’s also known as Freytag’s Pyramid, which helps writers organize their ideas.
Storytelling formula
- Exposition
This is the beginning of the story. Behind the scenes of the characters and introducing the characters to the readers - Inciting IncidentThe cause of the incident Which causes the characters to react to what happened
- Rising ActionThis is an important scene of the story. In order to be a narrative in order to reach the main point of the story Often an important part of the whole story, the characters try to solve more complex problems
- Climax (important point) Is the point that changes the fate of the characters Is an important part of the story that has to face the most stress
- Falling ActionAfter a major event, the character may lose or win with the problem. Is the story that takes place after Climax, the obstacles encountered The characters show how they changed from Climax.
- Resolution (Insistence)Characters will solve problems and withstand battles.
- Denouement (edit)
when the character transcends the problem In the end, the story is usually happy or sad.
The Spring Trailer
That uses Freytag’s pyramid storytelling method to tell the brand’s story and launch a monthly donation campaign from the campaign called “The Spring – The charity: water story.”
In the beginning, Scott’s voice revealed that the nature of water is important and relevant to every living thing on earth. And one day his mother became ill and from this world, Scott set a goal that he wanted to be a doctor to treat the sick like his mother But then over time until he was a teenager Brought himself into the darkness
Scott’s life is surrounded by drugs. Alcohol and one day he decided to change his life By being a volunteer photographer Travel around the world on a Mercy Corp ship with a team of doctors, nurses, treating many people. During the trip, Scott recorded images of patients with facial abnormalities, allowing him to meet many people. And assist in facial surgery Then he saw that the various people who were sick All drink dirty water in a water source full of germs. He decided to change the world by bringing clean water into communities that do not have access to clean drinking water. So we can see that Scott, now the same person with his depressing life, has changed. Becoming someone to help And solve problems for people who are waiting to help
Storytelling formula
Circle 1: Why – Why is our company? Is the beginning of asking questions for people in the company
- Why does our company exist?
- Why does everyone in the company get out of bed every morning?
- Why should everyone care about the company?
Circle 2: How –
How Do They Do What They Do? What are your unique selling points? This is the difference in explaining how our company is better than its competitors.
Circle 3: What –
What are you doing? What company is selling? What kind of industry does the company do?
Apple example
Why: We believe in challenges and do things differently.
How: Products have beautiful designs and are easy to use.
What: We build computers.
The good thing about starting to ask yourself why is it that you have to review yourself what you really want? What do you do ? Then why to do? To enable us to understand our true goals and Communicate brand beliefs To people with the same beliefs To become loyal
7.Dale Carnegie’s Magic
Dale Carnegie, the owner of the bestselling book “How to win friend and influence people”, or the Thai name for “How to win friends and motivate people” and influencers to create a simple 3-step storytelling formula to attract attention. And build credibility
Storytelling formula
- Incident (incidence) – personal experience By telling your story to help your audience feel shared with you and share similar experiences
- Action – Show the reader the need to take action to resolve the event so they can act. With the help of the brand You have to prepare a story that must be clear. Because no one thinks that readers will understand immediately And know what to do next After listening to your story
- Benefit – shows why they have to follow and what benefits they will receive. A clear outline will help the listener to take the desired action.
Example, Threads 4 Thought
Sustainable and environmentally friendly fashion brand That targets the customers who are socially conscious They use various storytelling on the website. By using models as characters in story telling When visitors on the first page of that website are presented as well “Founder letter” that addresses current social problems, pollution, environmental conditions and explains that customers can help solve problems By how to use our brand (for example, 10% of their income will be donated), which is a story in the form of Dale Carnegie’s Magic, which has good results between customers and the brand.
