To connect with customers and communities, brands need to put more energy into brand storytelling. This is as much advice I am giving myself as anyone else wrestling with marketing at a large, enterprise brand.
It’s not enough to pump out a lot of content engineered to return well in Google search results. Traditional “buy” messages – often called “bottom-of-the-funnel” advertising – are likely not enough for most companies whose products compete against others that are not well differentiated in terms of benefits. Anthem-like brand films are good when you have something to wave a flag about, but even then, this is a lot of “inside-out” messaging.
Brand stories that demonstrate how people within a company work to solve customer challenges are different. And they cannot be constructed from whole cloth no matter how cynical a marketer you are. They are “discovered” within the people and operations of a company and then shaped to be as relevant as possible for an audience.
Two Stories
I want to share two stories from Travelers. We discovered each within the company. They reflect the commitment of people who care about our customers and our communities.
These brand stories are about people digging into hard problems – the opioid crisis and the growth of cyber risks and crime. Each is told by a real person.
If there is any pride in these storytellers, it is in the knowledge that they are trying to apply their specialisms – safety and health, risk management, recovery and more – to real problems people and business face. Few people wake up each day within large companies solely motivated by improving the share price. Financial health is a means to an end. The impact a thriving business can have on its communities is substantial.
Brand stories like these help customers and communities know a company and even understand what they sell - beyond the advertised products and services. This is customer-centered marketing in that they aim to frame what we do in relation to the benefit for our customers and their stakeholders.
Lessons Learned for Strong Brand Stories
- Find real stories of people earnestly solving problems
- Tell these stories succinctly in a way that respects the audience’s time and interests
- Use a genuine voice or storyteller to reveal more and, gasp, allow for some intimacy
- Lead people to more content that digs even deeper and does connect to what you sell
- Share the content via the channels and moments that make sense to your customers and stakeholders
- Make brand stories a key ingredient in a content marketing program designed around the complete buyer journey
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