People have told stories ever since we developed the capacity for language. Nowadays though, stories go beyond mere entertainment – as people drown in information, brands are using storytelling to build connections and trust. When told skilfully and strategically, stories share a brand’s history, challenges, successes and value propositions, and create unique emotional connections with its audiences.
One of my favourite brand stories is that of FNB, starting when Michael Jordaan took over as CEO in 2004. At the time the banking landscape was in dire need of a shake-up. From day one, Jordaan’s messaging was underpinned by two focus areas: Innovation and customer-centricity. This was the core of everything that the bank said to its staff, customers, and the media. Jordaan incentivised his leadership team to engage with media, and trained his senior people country wide to tell compelling stories that tied back to their focus areas. And, as just one measure of success, FNB become known as South Africa and Africa’s most innovative and best digital bank during Jordaan’s tenure.
The most powerful brand stories resonate with the audience, creating a connection that goes beyond mere transactions. As simple as that sounds, there’s a science to getting it right. Here are 5 powerful storytelling tips:
1. Know your audience. Who are you talking to, and what do you want them to know, do, or feel after hearing your story? If you can nail down your desired action upfront, it becomes easier to tell a story that’s both compelling and consistent. Write it down and work on it until its laser focussed.
2. Know which story you want to tell. Some stories are about professional and personal triumphs and, if your journey is inspirational, your story might be about you. Other stories are about your brand or business and what you stand for as a team or company. Still other stories are about your ‘big idea’ or product. We call these definitions ‘me’, ‘us’, and ‘idea’ and, if you’ve clearly identified what you want your audience to know, do, or feel, you’ll know which story you should be telling.
3. Know the structure. All good stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Brand stories are no different. I recently read that people pay attention for less than eight seconds (less than a goldfish!) so your intro has to be powerful enough to grab your audience’s attention in as little time as possible, and your conclusion should reinforce this message.
4. Know where your story sits. Do you want your story to take your audience on a journey? If so, it should probably go at the beginning of your presentation or interview. Likewise, if you want your story to be the take-home message, then end with it.
5. Know how to ‘bridge’ into your story. Media interviews will generally be aimed at eliciting a specific response from you, and this might not fall within your storytelling framework. Being able to segue naturally from an answer into your brand’s story is a learned skill, and takes practice. More and more, we’re seeing that brands are investing in storytelling training in order to master this skill.
I’m ending with a quote from one of the greatest brand storytellers, Apple’s Steve Jobs: “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values, and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.” Also: I know this is longer than an eight-second read. Thanks for staying with me.
