Marketers have talked about the importance of getting customers to the funnel for years. So, how do you get them there? With limitless information available at our fingertips, the cost of attention has increased dramatically, and it is now one of businesses greatest expenses. Marketers are competing with the 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created every day. With so much information competing to get in front of customers, a person’s attention is a limited resource – and one of the best ways to grab it is with a story.
Why does a story help us remember?
The brain is built to recognize patterns. And a recent study conducted by the University of Southern California found that “reading stories creates universal patterns in the brain.” The lower the bar for our brains to digest, the easier it is to remember. Half of our brains, for example, are dedicated to vision, a fact that many experts attribute the rise in the popularity of infographics. With the daily data deluge that overwhelms our brains every day, a simple message is frequently more memorable. When we think of concepts as having a beginning, middle and end, they become easier for our brains to remember.
3 Steps to Create A Story
Every story has a problem and a resolution. Below is my tried and true method for developing stories for brands.
Step 1: Identify the problem (and solution)
The first step in identifying your company’s story lies in identifying the problem your product or service solves. Recently, a friend of mine realized that she had listened to her type-A friends complain about the efficacy of aluminum-free deodorants on the market. With her background in bringing innovative beauty products to market, she asked: “How can I help people who care about what they put on their bodies?”
Step 2: Align with your audience
The second step in creating a successful story is to identify your audience. Who are you trying to reach? In the case of my friend, she is focused on the deodorant buyer who cares about ingredients that they put on their bodies. More specifically, her audience includes men and women ages 25-45 near cities.
Step 3: Make your solution the hero
Once you have your story and audience, then you can create the compelling story by sharing your solution. Your product or service becomes the hero. For my friend’s product, she can share testimonials from her deodorant customers. It keeps them dry during even the most stressful situations.
In Summary
By having even a simple story, you can form an emotional connection with your audience. “By simply telling a story, [a person] could plant ideas, thoughts and emotions into the listeners’ brains,” says Uri Hasson, Associate Professor in the Psychology Department and the Neuroscience Institute at Princeton University. Making sure your message targets your identified audience will help you build a meaningful brand story.
I love helping my clients follow these three steps as they build their brands and tell their stories. Contact me if you would like help telling your story.
Cydney Goldberg Familian is a seasoned marketing, branding, and communication executive with more than 17 years of experience. Cydney capitalized on her expertise in founding Brand Story 360, a consultancy focused on helping companies grow their brands and hone their business strategies. Clients have included Comcast NBCUniversal, Braze (formerly Appboy), and a Fortune Global 500 pharmaceutical.