Do you want to learn how to craft an immersive story that draws your audience in and influences them to join your brand? I hope so. Storytelling is one of the most powerful and oldest forms of communication. Humans are addicted to stories. Even when you go to sleep your mind stays up all night telling stories to itself. I’m going to teach you exactly how to craft your own story so that you can effectively communicate your big idea while including what your brand does and where your audience fits into your story.
Journey Preparation Overview: Building a Brand That Matters
- Brand on Purpose
- Target Audience Identification
- Differentiate or Die
- Humanize Your Brand
- Know your core message
- Develop a storytelling framework
- Strategic Design
Spoiler alert!
Your story is not about you.
It’s about your ideal customer.
In order to craft a story that resonates deeply with your ideal customer you need to have a main character that has characteristics, emotions behaviours, internal and external challenges that your ideal customer can identify with. If you are successful, your ideal customer will see themself as the main character in your story.
When you think of a story you may be thinking of a novel by your favourite fictional author or perhaps your favourite movie.
Your ideal customer has a short attention span and is too busy to read your 400 page novel. They don’t have 2hr to watch your movie.
You need to craft your story and learn how to deliver it in micro stories if you want to be an effective storyteller and draw your audience in.
These micro stories are told in emails, on social media, presentations, your website, podcasts, in person, events and more.
Commodities don’t tell stories. Those who do, tell stories the wrong way or about the wrong person.
What do I mean?
Chances are, you are telling stories about your business. How you are faster, cheaper, smarter than the other guy… stop right there!
- That’s not a rock solid brand strategy. Who are you? An “er” business. Why are you always comparing your business to your competitors and just trying to one up them? “We are just like them but we are better”
- Stop talking about yourself. No one cares. People care about themselves. They only care about you if you can improve their life.
So you better stop telling everyone that you’re faster and cooler than the other business doing the same thing as you and start telling stories about your ideal customer and how your brand helps improve their life.
Reality check: You’re not the hero in the story. Your customer is the Hero.
So take off the cape and step aside.
Most owners think their brand story is about the founder and how the business started. That stuff won’t draw in your audience at all. If you want someone to feel special and make them feel you are the best for them you have got to make the story about them.
> YOU ARE THE HERO in my story!
> You have a problem. Your business is a commodity and this creates many problems.
- You are competing on price
- Your profit margins are razor thin
- You don’t know how to attract better projects and customers who you love serving
- You aren’t able to stand out from your competitors
- You don’t know you unique value or don’t know how to effectively communicate that to your audience
- There are too many problems to list and you know it.
> One day you meet this guide who understands your fears, internal and external challenges, your wants, your needs, your dreams, and aspirations. This is me btw.
> I give you this plan (BrandPlan)
> Then call you to action to start a journey
> I guide you throughout your journey and you experience both personal and business growth along the way.
> This transformation helps you avoid all of the commodity pitfalls and ultimately business failure.
> Instead, you built a brand that matters and live a fulfilling life on your own terms
That’s the summary of my story. Hope you like it!
Yesterday, I gave you the core message framework tool that the world’s greatest brands use.
Today, I’m going to give you the modern storytelling framework tool that the world’s best storytellers use. Guess what? Great brands have also become some of the world’s best storytellers.
I must warn you though…I may ruin every story or movie you read, listen or watch from this point forward. Your favourite movies, like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Batman,The Notebook, Hunger Games and many more all follow this same storytelling framework. You will be able to analyze stories like never before and will have this framework in the back of your mind going forward. It’s worth it though, because you will also be able to tell stories like never before. It works for best selling authors, Hollywood, and the world’s greatest brands, and it will work for you too!
Make sure you pack my storytelling framework tool in your bag because we are going to use it later in our journey. This tool will give you the framework and I will show you just how influential your brand can be when I show you how to truly master the art of storytelling.
Play around with this tool today and get familiar with it! We will talk tomorrow and until then, Brand with a Plan!
Your guide,
Mitch Sanker
Action Steps:
1. Download Storytelling Framework Tool
