Storytelling: A Branding Tool

A great story always creates an unforgettable memory. As storytelling goes, it is essentially passing a message that tells about an occurrence or course of events presented in the written or visual form. In today’s world of marketing, it is important to create memorable feelings about your brand.

Brand storytelling can be said to be the most effective way to reach your intended audience and breathe life into your brand. It is subtle yet very effective. Telling a story that embodies human situations, challenges or just ideology, creates an experience that lingers. Marketing is no longer just about reaching a wide audience or selling products and services cheaper than others, it’s so much more than that. “The best brands are built on great stories.” —Ian Rowden, Chief Marketing Officer, Virgin Group.

The How

First Impressions Always Last. Every brand element from your logo, brand name, website and even slogan usually make a lasting effect on the consumer. Brand storytelling speaks to the psychology of the human mind. Note that whatever you’re doing, someone can do it better or faster or cheaper. What do you do? Give what no one else has. Take a survey on what similar brands to yours don’t do.

Brand stories are not ads, graphic designs or sales pitches, they are your identity and should be treated as such. Your story should have simple content embedded with solutions and services rendered to a specific audience.

Go for evergreen content, things that won’t easily fade away or be forgotten. Though it is important to be up-to-date with trends, make sure you’re not creating material that would be forgotten in a few months. Foresee the results of what you want to achieve and work towards it. A great story always has 3 defined parts: the beginning; which is where you want to state the problem you are going to solve, the middle; which is where the solutions to aforementioned problems are described and discussed and most importantly, the end; where you have implemented said solutions and live happily ever after.

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It is important to choose your brand representation content carefully, namely taglines, headlines and titles.

Benefits Of Great Storytelling

Telling a great brand story means that when consumers are in need of a product or service, you’re the first (possibly the only) brand that comes to mind, it’s like a default setting. Your demand is increased by the reach of your storytelling. Eventually, consumers take using your products or services as a tradition that shouldn’t be broken knowing that you would always deliver efficiently. Little things count.
So many brands have capitalized on storytelling in Nigeria and it has worked for them. Indomie Noodles is one brand that has consistently ridden on telling stories. Do you remember the Indomitables Edition which had noodle packets contained with hero stickers? I do. It’s safe to assume the target market for that campaign was kids. Kids love heroes, either wanting literally or figuratively to be one or they just adore them.

Truly, it was the superhero edition, which didn’t mean you got superpowers after eating them or that all your problems would magically go away. They were just some stickers. Indomie capitalised on kids dreams and endeared the brand towards them. This translated into massive sales all over the country. Even as adults, you would want to get one just to secretly know what imaginary superpower you could have.

A great story forever makes a brand relevant even if the product is pricier than the competitor. It might not be the best product out there for

customers but they sure will remember your story.

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