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April 6 - May 30, 2022
The more simple and predictable the communication, the easier it is for the brain to digest. Story helps because it is a sense-making mechanism.
All great stories are about survival—either physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual.
Noise has killed more ideas, products, and services than taxes, recessions, lawsuits, climbing interest rates, and even inferior product design.
What we think we are saying to our customers and what our customers actually hear are two different things. And customers make buying decisions not based on what we say but on what they hear.
storytellers have filters to cut out the noise. If a character or scene doesn’t serve the plot, it has to go.
People don’t buy the best products; they buy the products they can understand the fastest.
Story in a Nutshell Here is nearly every story you see or hear in a nutshell: A CHARACTER who wants something encounters a PROBLEM before they can get it. At the peak of their despair, a GUIDE steps into their lives, gives them a PLAN, and CALLS THEM TO ACTION. That action helps them avoid FAILURE and ends in a SUCCESS.
the greatest enemy our business faces is the same enemy that good stories face: noise.
1. What does the hero want? 2. Who or what is opposing the hero getting what she wants? 3. What will the hero’s life look like if she does (or does not) get what she wants?
anything that doesn’t serve the plot has to go. Just because a tagline sounds great or a picture on a website grabs the eye, that doesn’t mean it helps us enter into our customers’ story.
1. What do you offer? 2. How will it make my life better? 3. What do I need to do to buy it?
Nearly every human being is looking for a guide (or guides) to help them win the day.
Potential customers feel the same way about themselves. They are the center of their world.
mystorybrand.com.
People will always choose a story that helps them survive and thrive.
a brand that positions itself as the hero is destined to lose.
Always position your customer as the hero and your brand as the guide. Always. If you don’t, you will die.
If we are tempted to position our brand as the hero because heroes are strong and capable and the center of attention, we should take a step back.
The two things a brand must communicate to position themselves as the guide are Empathy Authority
When we empathize with our customers’ dilemma, we create a bond of trust. People trust those who understand them, and they trust brands that understand them too.
Nobody likes a know-it-all and nobody wants to be preached at.
The guide doesn’t have to be perfect, but the guide needs to have serious experience helping other heroes win the day.
we recommend at least three and no more than six.
The key is to simplify their journey so they are more likely to do business with you.
human beings do not make major life decisions unless something challenges them to do so.
there should be one obvious button to press on your website, and it should be the direct call to action.
What’s at stake in the customer’s story if they do or do not choose to do business with us? If we’ve not defined the stakes, we’ve not made the story interesting.
Our desire to avoid pain motivates us to seek a resolution to our problems.
Brands that don’t warn their customers about what could happen if they don’t buy their products fail to answer the “so what” question every customer is secretly asking.
Where is your brand taking people?
Being specific matters.
We must tell our customers what their lives will look like after they buy our products, or they will have no motivation to do so.
Have you told your customers where you want to take them?
Playing the guide is more than a marketing strategy; it’s a position of the heart.
Brands that realize their customers are human, filled with emotion, driven to transform, and in need of help truly do more than sell products; they change people.
customers need to know what’s in it for them right when they read the text.
There shouldn’t be a single word, image, or idea shared on your website that doesn’t come from the thoughts generated by your StoryBrand BrandScript.
Companies who calibrate their activities around a common story don’t just state their mission; they're on a mission. They didn't just dream about a better story, their culture tells one.
The number one job of an executive is to remind the stakeholders what the mission is, over and over.
the team is positioned as the hero and the company leadership is positioned as the guide.
building your company around a compelling story may be the first step in a turnaround.
What are the five (almost free) things you can do to grow your business?
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.
imagine memorizing a single statement you could repeat after anybody asks what you do.
It’s more than a slogan or tagline; it’s a single statement that helps people realize why they need your products or services.
What makes these loglines complete and effective? Two things: imagination and intrigue.
E-mail is the most valuable and effective way you can spread the word about your business,
Content is important, but the point is, there is great power in simply reminding our customers we exist.
A nurturing campaign is a simple, regular e-mail that offers your subscribers valuable information as it relates to your products or services.
Here are five questions most likely to generate the best response for a customer testimonial:
