Unleash your brand stories.

Ask around. Most of us are feeling a little lost and perhaps a bit unhinged. We’re social creatures blindly learning to operate in a socially distant world. Isolation. Separation. Loss. We’re dealing with a whole heck of lot right now.

 

Stories, when done well, throw us a lifeline. Stories help us empathize with people we’ve never met, anchor us into a moment or movement, stir us up, spark joy, fire up our synapses, and inspire action. In a world that’s struggling to reconnect, stories tether us to each other and transcend zoom sessions and late-night doom scrolling. Stories remind us that we’re not alone even if we’re sitting off by ourselves.

 

Storytelling humanizes and differentiates your brand. Stories are emotional. Stories are trustworthy. Stories are sharable. A story, simply put, stimulates the brain (and your brand). Think of stories as the ultimate brain candy.

 

Whether you want to create anticipation among admitted students, build pride among your internal community, or inspire a donor to give, storytelling matters more than ever before. So, we better get it right.

 

How?

 

Okay, so you want your own smart storytelling strategy, where do you start? Here are some tips to keep in mind:

 

• Know your audience. Capture the audience’s imagination. Know what they care about. Identify story types that connect with this.

• Know your goals. What you need to get out of the relationship matters too. What do you want/need your audience to think, feel, do? Prioritize storytelling strategies that support these goals.

• Embrace what makes you distinctive. Connect the dots between your history, your right now, and where you want to go. A smart storytelling strategy gives you the opportunity to draw threads between the past, present, and future.

• Remember that people are not elephants. Our attention spans are shockingly short. And our memories are full. Prioritize the top 3 to 5 things you want someone to know/remember from each story.

• Go for the power lift. Write powerful, make-your-head-swivel headlines. Make your headlines do heavy lifting. Do not play it safe. Safe doesn’t grab people’s attention.

• Become co-creators. Decide your POV on UGC. User generated content can bring more authenticity to your brand. Give your people a place to create content about what matters to them and thereby deepen your collective story. Give them a role to play in your brand.

• Talk a story out. A good story is effortless conversation. It flows over you. Tell a story the way people talk. Make it natural.

• Think big picture. Keep answering this question: How do the stories you tell reinforce your brand values?

• Facts can’t do it all. Remember, facts are important but are only part of your whole story. Don’t be afraid to get emotional or let your hair down (metaphorically speaking). If you want to connect, you have to make sure emotion comes through.

• Get real. Do you. What really drives your brand forward? If you’re clear on what fuels your brand, then you’re clear on what you have to offer people. This is how you connect. Get real. Be true. Show your audience who you really are.

 

You get the idea. People need you right now. Give them a reason to connect. Reward that connection. And they’ll love you for it.