When you think about all the brands you know and love, they probably all have one thing in common: the ability to tell a good story. Humans are innately drawn to stories—in fact, we’re hard wired to seek out and consume captivating narratives that reflect ourselves back to us—which is why, no matter what you’re selling, you won’t get far without a solid brand story. Your story is what makes you relatable to your target audience. Humanizing your brand in this way is essential to your overall marketing strategy because it serves to drive brand awareness, revenue growth, and encourages customer loyalty.

What is My Brand Story? 

Your brand story tells your target audience how your product or organization came to be, the motivation behind your vision, and how that spark continues to drive your company’s mission. When done well, a carefully crafted story will encourage people to not only remember you (hello, brand awareness), but develop an emotional connection to you and ultimately care about you. 

If you’re not sure where to start or you just want to brainstorm some ideas for your brand narrative, try asking yourself these questions: 

1. How would I describe my brand?
2. What’s my brand’s purpose?
3. What are my brand’s values?
4. Who is my target audience?
5. How do I want my audience to perceive my brand?
6. How does my brand affect the world?
7. What does my brand do differently or better than other, similar brands? 
8. What content related to my business, product, or service would interest my target audience, and how can I leverage that content to engage my audience?
9. What are my brand mission, values, and personality, and how can I fuse them into my content/story?
10. What type of story best shows off my brand and how do I best convey it? 

Key Elements of an Effective Brand Story

From conceptualizing your brand story to actually telling it, keep in mind the following elements, some of which we’ll discuss in more detail below. Your brand narrative should be/do all of these things to one degree or another:

• Authentic
• Empathetic 
• Attention Grabbing
• Relatable 
• Consistent
• Aligned with Business Goals
• Utilizes User Generated Content 
• Inspires Action

How Do I Tell My Brand Story?

Your brand story starts as soon as you begin promoting your brand. It speaks to the service your brand provides, as well as its spirit, culture, and mission. It includes everything from your logo to your website to your social media presence. Further, when telling your story, you need to consider your brand voice, as this is just as important to the story as the story itself. 

• Be Authentic, Consistent, and Bold. First and foremost, a good story is not boring. Especially in 2022, people are looking for connection, but they’re also looking for something to believe in. When telling your story, don’t be afraid to take risks, be vulnerable, and show the world exactly who you are. People relate to authenticity, which is how you’ll earn their respect. You’ll earn their trust by having a consistent message, which means considering how you represent yourself across all channels. Lastly, you’ll earn their affection through your ability to be creative in your storytelling and finding ways to connect with them emotionally.
  
• Know Your Audience. An effective brand story impacts your audience throughout their customer journey, which can be easily achieved through research. Want to persuade people to choose your brand? Learn what makes them tick. User research and data are the greatest tools at your disposal and you can gather this information by asking your audience direct questions in the form of surveys, reading their reviews, and observing their social media behavior. You can also gather data from newsletter metrics, as well as browser and purchase history. Knowing your audience will help you craft a better story, tailored to those you wish to connect with.
  
• Identify a Problem & Communicate How You Solve It. Your brand messaging is nothing with a reason to believe. If you want people to care, you need to offer them a solution to a problem that affects them. It can’t and shouldn’t just be any solution—it should be the best solution out there. Learning how to tell this story is an opportunity for competitor research.
  
• Create Your Persona. Effective brand storytelling makes use of a specific and consistent TOV (tone of voice), ideally, one that resonates with your audience. This will vary depending on the type of brand you are. Formal and authoritative language can help to build trust, so you might try this approach if you’re a large corporation catering to older generations. If you’re a new brand, targeting gen Z, on the other hand, opting for a casual and quirky TOV will likely serve you better.
  
• Connect With Your Community. Utilize your social media channels to foster a meaningful connection with your audience. These platforms make it easy to respond to feedback and interact with customers who go out of their way to interact with your brand. There are many ways to do this—for example, you can share images or videos on your story that customers have tagged your brand in, quote or repost positive customer reviews, and simply like and respond to comments—and it’s crucial in establishing a relationship with your customers.

Strategies for Better Brand Storytelling (Examples)

When establishing your brand’s story, it’s important to consider how your core values will be represented. Further, when implementing new marketing campaigns, which are essentially iterations of your core brand story, you’ll want to make sure they’re equally reflective of your brand values, while exploring new and creative ways to get people’s attention. 

Headspace

Headspace’s compelling brand narrative is a great example of skillful storytelling. The Headspace story and persona does a fantastic job at connecting with the people it serves, while reinforcing and promoting the brand’s mission and values in everything they do. 

Headspace’s brand story is relatable, knowledgeable, supportive and inclusive.

• They acknowledge that everyone—regardless of background, race, gender, sexual orientation, location, etc.—experiences mental health challenges from time to time.
• They provide accessible solutions to these challenges within their app and in the form of web content, and they use inclusive language and diverse representation throughout their platform. 
• They use a casual, comforting, and supportive TOV consistently throughout their channels, helping to reinforce their brand identity and build trust with their audience. 
• They connect well with their audience by implementing a distinctive graphic design aesthetic. This visual storytelling translates well to their app-based platform, website, video content, and social media.
• As a guided meditation app, they’ve carefully considered the minutiae of audio storytelling as well, ensuring all audio is reflective of their brand narrative and personality—i.e., calm, soothing, encouraging, etc.
• Lastly,  Headspace heavily relies on feedback from its audience to refine the user experience on the app, as well as keep up to date on mental health and wellness trends.

TOMS Shoes

Since 2006, TOMS has served as a model for brand transparency and integrity. Their brand story has largely focused on giving back to the community and the world at large through their “buy a pair, donate a pair” initiative, and consumers can see this reflected in everything they do, from their website to their social media to the tags on their merchandise. 

TOMS’ brand story is transparent, generous, and environmentally/socially conscious.

• They state that they’re “in business to improve lives,” and their website and social channels back that up with informative content about their various initiatives.
• They produce a yearly “Impact Report,” which is easily accessible and promoted  on their website’s “Impact” tab. 
• They give ⅓ of their profits to grassroots good™ to bring to life their vision of “a more equitable tomorrow” —i.e., one where all people have a chance to thrive.
• Their website is extremely transparent and detailed when it comes to the outreach they’re doing in the community, and they have evidence to support that work in the form of charts, stats, and photos.
• They break down, with content and visuals, how their product is made, its impact on the earth, and where they source their materials.
• Their TOV is informative, casual, and caring. 

Hello Fresh 

HelloFresh is one of the most popular meal box options available, and it’s no surprise. They’ve crafted a unique brand story that allows them to stand out among the competition, which is outlined on the corporate brand page in great detail, but that boils down to a few key core values and a mission to “change the way people eat forever.” HelloFresh positions themselves against other meal plans as accessible, budget and family friendly, fun, easy to make, versatile, convenient, and fast, which they drive home by way of recipe transparency, customer testimonials, and user generated content.

HelloFresh’s brand story is simple, fresh, delicious, and sustainable.

• They provide a step-by-step sign up process that’s as simple to follow as their many recipes. 
• Their social media is transparent and representative of the meals they provide.
• They back up their claims with user generated content in the form of testimonials and shared photos of meals their customers have made at home.
• They have several ongoing initiatives, as well as an entire team devoted to sustainability—from packaging to responsible sourcing—food waste, social impact, and recycling, which are reinforced on their website, social media, packaging, and email campaigns. 
• Fresh ingredients are highlighted throughout their online presence.
• They use a casual, informative, and upbeat TOV that doesn’t take itself too seriously, often infusing memes into their social media content to engage users of all ages and show their humorous side. 

Takeaway

The majority of today’s consumers view their purchases and the brands they support as an extension of themselves—namely, their identity, values, and aspirations. They’re actively looking to understand a brand’s mission, and more than that, they want to be part of a community that shares their own values and sense of purpose. 

This is why it’s so important to not only determine your story early on, but to reinforce it in every possible way through your various marketing pathways.

Your brand story should not only be apparent, but come alive in each of your content marketing efforts. It should translate across your website, blog, social media channels, and email newsletter, and stay true to your brand values, mission, and tone of voice. When done effectively, a well-crafted, well marketed brand narrative creates a lasting impression and is among the top ways to set your brand apart, establish an emotional connection with your audience, and with time, convert them into loyal customers that believe in your product. 

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If you have any questions about brand storytelling, content marketing, or how to implement a better storytelling strategy for your brand, let’s talk! Get in touch with BCDH to explore our full-service creative capabilities and discover how our team can help you meet your marketing goals. 

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Sources:

1. How to Develop a Unique (& Memorable) Brand Identity in 2022 by Kathryn Wheeler for Hubspot
2. What is brand identity? And how to develop a great one. by Deanna deBara for 99designs 
3. How to build your brand identity by Canva Blog
4. Why Giving Back Can Increase Brand Loyalty and Benefit Your Business by GlobalOwls

‘Creator economy’ is at an all-time high, making it all the more important to take concept development seriously when creating your visual identity and building your brand. Whether you’re developing your personal brand, starting a small business, or working for a large corporation, a strong identity is what makes your brand stand out. It’s what gives your brand or organization a personality, a point of view, and a way to connect with consumers, and as such, it needs to be clearly defined.

Whether we’re conscious of it or not, as consumers, we expect continuity, innovation, integrity, exclusivity, entertainment, and above all, value from brands, and we won’t like, follow, or purchase a product if we feel it falls short. Sure, it’s a lot to consider, but it’s 100% doable with the right vision, tools, and motivation. 

Once you’ve established your brand identity, developing a marketing strategy that reinforces it can actually be a lot of fun — especially if it’s something you’re passionate about — because it’s ultimately where you and your team get to let your creativity shine. No matter what industry you’re in, if your goal is to differentiate yourself from your competitors, appeal to your target audience, and make them loyal customers, — which it should be! — a strong brand identity and strategic marketing plan is key. 

Let’s look at some key factors.

What Makes a Brand Successful?

• It’s memorable. 
• It communicates its message well.
• It has well-defined values. 
• It’s consistent across all of its marketing channels.
• It connects with its audience and creates a sense of community. 

If you’re nodding your head in agreement, you’re probably already doing—or are at least aware—of all these things, but for those just starting out or thinking about hiring an agency or freelance designer to help you achieve your goals, you’ll need to spend some time in concept development. Let’s take a look at some options that will help you develop your brand strategy.

Define Your Brand

Every new and existing brand has to ask themselves some basic questions before anything else can happen. It’s crucial to understand your brand inside and out so that you can effectively communicate its purpose to others through your visual identity, personality, story, and ultimately your marketing. Try answering the following questions yourself, your team, or your business partner(s):

• What’s your “why?” (This is your mission statement)
• What are your values? (What beliefs drive your company?)
• What is your brand personality? (If your brand was a person, what words would describe them?)
• What is your unique positioning? (What makes you different from the competition?)
• What’s your brand voice? (What kind of tone do you want to communicate?)

Once you’ve got a strong idea for each of these questions, you’re ready to move onto the research and development phase. 

Research Your Audience, Value Proposition, and Competition

Just like any other aspect of starting a business, the first step in developing your brand strategy is to do market research. Have you considered how your messaging will resonate with your target audience? Start by learning about your audience’s needs, wants, and desires, and communicating how your company or product can help. You need to be able to clarify and understand a couple of key things.

• Audience – Learning what your audience wants from a business in your industry is vital to creating a brand people will love. Soon-to-be mothers are likely looking for something different than pre-teens or men in their 60s, so knowing your audience well, targeting their specific paint points, and providing solutions to their problems will win you points and help you gain their trust.
  
• Value Proposition & Competition – What makes your brand unique in your industry? What do you offer that others don’t? Knowing the difference between you and your competition is crucial to developing a successful brand. Keeping tabs on your competitors will also inform you about what branding techniques work well and what aren’t as successful.
  

Show Off Your Personality

You should use type, colors, and imagery to represent your brand, and then enhance that visual representation with your tone of voice. Looking at similar brands to understand their approach is helpful, but at the end of the day, the more you can stand out, the better. Research may be time consuming, but the more you know about your business and your competition, the stronger brand narrative you can construct.

Your company design assets are the tangible elements that determine how your brand is perceived. Anything that represents you such as your logo, typography, packaging, web design, social media graphics, business cards, etc., are an important part of your brand identity, which ultimately amplify the core elements of your brand’s DNA. Let’s talk about a few of these.

• Logo – This is the core of your brand identity, and as such it should clearly communicate your brand personality and what you stand for, be visually appealing—think: simple, clean, uncluttered—classic rather than trendy, and above all, memorable.
  
• Color & Typography – Same rules apply to typography and color as your logo in terms of design. Further, there should be a consistent use of typography and color wherever your brand is represented. Keeping the same typeface, type style, and color palette throughout all aspects of your business maintains consistency, recognition, and helps reinforce your brand identity across multiple channels.
  
• Packaging – If your product is something physical, you must also consider packaging design, as it’s key to attracting the right customers. There’s value in well-executed design. It directly contributes to the user experience, which will ultimately drive loyalty and repeat purchases. Packaging is the perfect opportunity to reinforce your brand identity through creative design.
  
• Online Presence/Marketing – Once you’ve got your logo, colors, typography, and tone of voice chosen, it’s time to build your website, social media channels, and all other marketing materials, whether they be digital or print assets. More on this in the next section.

Communicate Your Message

You’ve established your brand identity and gone through the process of developing it. The next step is to integrate your brand within your community. One of the most successful ways to accomplish this is for your brand to provide quality content. This content should live on your website, email newsletter, blog, social media channels, etc. Every piece of content you share tells your story, which should reflect your brand identity, values, and mission. Storytelling can (and should) be done creatively. It’s another chance to have fun, experiment, and take risks to stand out. It’s important, however, to establish a strong and consistent presence from the start, so that your community can connect with you as soon as possible. 

Remember: Social media is also a means of direct communication between you and your customers. You control the narrative, but customers can also choose to interact with your page. If you’re tagged in a tweet, status, or post (especially if a customer has a question or concern), it’s important to respond in a timely manner that is representative of your brand.  

Stand For Something

These days, customers are much more likely to become invested in your brand if you’re actively doing something for the greater good. For example, Bombas donates one pair of socks for every pair sold to people and communities in need. Community outreach, environmentally sustainable practices, social impact initiatives, and using your platform to bring awareness to important causes (i.e. Mental Health Awareness Month), are great ways to reinforce your brand’s mission and values through tangible means that your customers will not only appreciate, but that they’ll be able to connect with and feel good about supporting.

Build a Strong Community

Other ways you can further grow your brand, build your community, and reinforce your brand identity are through various incentives, rewards, and exclusive offerings. Developing merchandise is not only a great means of extra revenue, it’s yet another way to reinforce your brand visually and flex your creative muscles. It’s also a great marketing tool. Hosting events—either online or in-person—can be a fun way to generate more community engagement, while introducing loyalty programs and offering rewards in the form of exclusive sales, promo codes, and freebies, is a way to make your customers feel valued, which often makes them more likely to remain loyal.

Takeaway

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into a successful brand strategy—from concept development to implementation, maintenance, and innovation—but if you follow the steps above, you’ll be moving in the right direction. Just remember that nothing happens overnight. You may not see success straight away, but with enough time and consistency, results are sure to follow. Committing to a cohesive, actionable, and creative strategy that authentically communicates your message to your intended audience is the key to creating buzz for your brand, building a loyal community, driving conversions, and ultimately gaining revenue. 

Ready to take your brand to the next level? Get in touch with BCDH today and we’ll help you rethink your current marketing approach to make it even more strategic. BCDH helps brands find their voice, grow their audience, and put their best foot forward.

Sources:

1. How to Develop a Unique (& Memorable) Brand Identity in 2022 by Kathryn Wheeler for Hubspot
2. What is brand identity? And how to develop a great one. by Deanna deBara for 99designs 
3. How to build your brand identity by Canva Blog
4. Why Giving Back Can Increase Brand Loyalty and Benefit Your Business by GlobalOwls

Welcome to the Haus Report, your weekly dose of design, business, and leadership news, from BC Design Haus. 

In this issue, we’ll chat about how to work with big brands as a small studio, brand kit examples to inspire your design and marketing team, what you need to know to build a powerful brand in 2022, and challenges and lessons for new business leaders. Let’s dig into it! 

It can be a challenge to get the attention of big brands when you’re operating a small design studio. It doesn’t mean, however, that it can’t happen. There are often many factors at play when pitching your work to big brands, but at the core of it all, is—you guessed it—the work. If the work speaks for itself, if it’s dynamic and interesting, if it pushes the envelope, and makes people think or sparks a conversation, if it stands out from the crowd, chances are you’ve got a shot. 

Studio Mals, located in The Netherlands, produces photographs, animations, and short films for big brands such as IKEA, Orangina, and WWF, to name but a few. Co-founder, Martin van der Molen, had this to say about getting his name out there and attracting the attention of big-name clients.

“In my opinion, [doing great work] is still the best way. It may sound cliché, but we’ve found it to be true time and again. Doing your projects with love and dedication shows in the work. And great work gets noticed. Next to doing great work, we make sure to have an updated portfolio and a matching tone of voice in our communication. We believe it’s those details that separate you from others. It’s the complete package that gets your name out there.”

Read More About Studio Mals
(and check out some of their super fun work!)