Using storytelling techniques to build your brand

Storytelling is all about setting the right scene, building up interesting characters, and adding dramaturgy through an exciting plot. The same thinking can be applied to your brand. Here are some ideas of how to use your story to build a unique brand experience:

Develop your character

Make your tonality come alive

Every good story needs a hero – a character that you get to know and identify with. Build your brand so that your brand’s personality is something that your target audience identifies with. Your personality should fit in well with what you do – if you provide a service that solves a consumer’s problem, that helpfulness and guidance should be reflected in everything from how your logo looks, how your graphic profile is designed and how you express yourself. A personality that’s clearly rooted in your desired position should come across, helping to tell the story of what you offer and the value you add. Take Swedish oat milk brand Oatly as an example — they take their challenger position and turn it into witty copy and communication that clearly breaks the status quo.

Choose your own adventure

Let your audience be part of it

Remember those stories where you could choose what direction the plot goes? Engaging your users in storytelling can get help you get to know your audience on a deeper level, by generating data on their behavior and wants and needs, as well as getting them to feel engaged and part of your brand. Use your community to get input on a new product, design a new offering, or steer the development of your new service. This kind of a story has the potential to spin off another story – the one your customers tell others about you. Skincare start-up Glossier has built an entire brand on based on comments from the Into The Gloss community, and Adidas has been one of the pioneers of developing consumer-facing products built entirely on user input.

Unexpected turns and twists

Leverage partnerships and collaborations

How do you keep things interesting and engaging while continuing telling your story over time? Bring in some fresh faces. As a marketing communication technique that’s been around the block a few times, there are still plenty of ways to keep things new and unexpected. Why not venture across categories to companies that hold the same beliefs? Think food meets fashion, theatre meets retail, sport meets technology – just to name a few. Knowing your own brand story allows you to make clear connections with potential partners that can help you broaden your target audience, get your message out there and create richer brand experiences. An example of this is the long-term collaboration between GoPro and RedBull — two businesses in entirely different categories, united by their love of action sports.

Sub-narratives add to the plot

Use the series thinking to tell stories that add to your overall narrative

A great series often has several sub plots going on at the same time while still continuing the same overall narrative. Use the series thinking and brainstorm around the themes you can communicate. These themes can add structure to your content planning internally and help you define what kind of conversations to be a part of when the opportunity arises. Patagonia is a great example of how using content marketing structured around themes that relate to their business and their brand story can be used to drive conversation in the industry. Their blog, The Cleanest Line, is all about sharing content about the environment, leveraging opportunities to discuss political issues important to their audience, claiming thought leadership and driving change.