Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen

by Donald Miller

The key is to make your company’s message about something that helps the customer survive and to do so in such a way that they can understand it without burning too many calories.

When we define the elements of a story as it relates to our brand, we create a map customers can follow to engage our products and services.

(1) identifying what their customers wanted (to be seen and heard), (2) defining their customers’ challenge (that people didn’t recognize their hidden genius), and (3) offering their customers a tool they could use to express themselves (computers and smartphones). Each of these realizations are pillars in ancient storytelling and critical for connecting with customers.

If we want our companies to grow, we should borrow a page from their playbook. We should clarify our message.

Brands that position themselves as heroes unknowingly compete with their potential customers.

In almost every story, the guide gives the hero a plan, or a bit of information, or a few steps they can use to get the job done.

Human beings take action when their story challenges them to do so.

Brands that help customers avoid some kind of negativity in life (and let their customers know what that negativity is) engage customers for the same reason good stories captivate an audience: they define what’s at stake. In the sixth part of the StoryBrand Framework, I’ll help

Thousands of companies shut their doors every year, not because they don’t have a great product, but because potential customers can’t figure out how that product will make their lives better.

Some of you are probably thinking it’s too late. I mean, if it’s printed in a book, everybody else is probably doing it. But are they? How many people read the first twenty pages of a book and then stop reading? I’d say most, which means you’re already passing them. What would happen if you committed to executing this process and your competitor didn’t? You’d win, wouldn’t you? And how many people are actually going to put in the work even if they do read the book? Believe me, human nature tends toward complacency. Finish this process. Beat the competition. Clarify your message. Grow your company. The competition may be more talented than you are, but they will never outwork you if you don’t let them. That’s the one thing you get to control. In the next seven chapters, I’ll show you how to create a clear and compelling message that will organize your thoughts, simplify your marketing, and grow your company.

At the highest level, the most important challenge for business leaders is to define something simple and relevant their customers want and to become known for delivering on that promise. Everything else is a subplot that, after having delivered on the customer’s basic desire, will only serve to delight and surprise them all the more.

Villain: Financial firms that don’t listen to their customers External: I need investment help. Internal: I’m confused about how to do this (especially with all the tech-driven resources out there). Philosophical: If I’m going to invest my money, I deserve an advisor who will thoughtfully explain things in person.

the day we stop losing sleep over the success of our business and start losing sleep over the success of our customers is the day our business will start growing again.

Either alone or with a team, brainstorm empathetic statements you can make so your customers know you care about their internal problem.

overall narrative of the organization.

A true mission isn’t a statement; it’s a way of living and being. A mission is more than token rituals that make momentary reference to the things your employees should care about. A mission is a story you reinforce through every department strategy, every operational detail, and every customer experience. That’s what it means to be a company on mission.

1. Create a One-liner. This roadmap is going to teach you the four-part formula for creating a single statement that will grow your business. You’ll want to memorize this statement yourself and repeat it any time somebody asks you what you do. You can teach your one-liner to your staff and feature it on your website, in e-mail signatures, and even on the back of your business card. People are wondering how you can make their lives better, and we’re going to show you how to tell them in such a way that they will want to engage with your brand. 2. Create a Lead Generator and Collect E-mail Addresses. You need a lead generator. You need a PDF, e-course, video series, webinar, live event, or just about anything else that will allow you to collect e-mail addresses. A lead generator will help you find qualified buyers so you can let them know, directly and authoritatively, how you can help them resolve their problems. This may be the single most important piece of collateral you create in response to this book, and in this roadmap, I’ll show you how. 3. Create an Automated E-Mail Drip Campaign. Marketing has changed, and even the largest of companies are diversifying their ad spend to include e-mail campaigns. But where is the best place to get started? By far, you’ll get your best results through an automated drip campaign. In this section, I’ll give you the basics. Once you start collecting e-mail addresses and using a beginner’s nurturing campaign, it will be...

1. What was the problem you were having before you discovered our product? 2. What did the frustration feel like as you tried to solve that problem? 3. What was different about our product?

4. Take us to the moment when you realized our product was actually working to solve your problem. 5. Tell us what life looks like now that your problem is solved or being solved.