If you couldn’t make it to our last seminar – which, due to lockdown, was once again beamed directly into your study/bedroom/shed/bathroom – here’s a little recap on how you and your brand can Be More Yoda.
Our mission at Harvey & Hugo is to build lovable and memorable brands, one story at a time. Facts tell, stories sell – and nowhere is this more true than in building your brand.
So, with a little help from George Lucas’s classic film Star Wars, let’s look at the seven elements of telling your brand’s story.
The hero
Contrary to what you might think, the hero of this story is not you – it’s your customer. You need to get to the heart of who they are and what they want before you can begin to share your narrative.
The villain
In Star Wars, this was obviously Darth Vader. For your brand, it’s the problem your customers need to solve – whether that be external, internal or more philosophical. Wherever the problem comes from, it’s the job of your products or services to defeat it.
The Yoda
This is where your brand comes in; you are the guide, and your role is to support the hero (the customer) on their journey to defeat the villain. A good guide must be empathetic but also authoritative, so make sure you know your client – and also make sure that you know your stuff.
The plan
Customers trust a guide who has a plan – nobody will put their faith in a brand that muddles through. So make sure you let your client know what you’re going to do, how you’re going to do it and what their role will be. And always remember; what’s obvious to you may not be to the client, so always make sure you’re communicating clearly.
The challenge
Customers need to be called to action; it may sound obvious, but it’s often a step that’s missed out. Your CTA may be obvious – a ‘buy now’ button for example – but it also may be more transactional, sharing expertise in such a way as to make sure your brand is at the forefront of the client’s mind when they need you.
The near miss
Research has shown that people are more motivated to avoid a loss rather than achieve a gain, so make this work for you. Tell your customers what could happen if they don’t work with you – will they buy an inferior product? Will they miss out on something? – and let human nature do the rest.
The happy ending
Every hero needs a happy ending, so make it memorable. Remember, when John F Kennedy was selling the space programme to the American people, he didn’t waffle on about technicalities and details. He simply said the mission was to put a man on the moon. So don’t overcomplicate things.
All in one
Speaking of keeping things simple, it may be an idea to develop your brand story one-liners. These four key elements – character, problem, plan, success – can help you clearly see the end goal, as in the hypothetical workout app in the example below.
In conclusion
Stories sell, and to be heard in the noise of modern life, your brand’s story needs to worthy of an Oscar. For further reading on the subject, our Hugoversity book reviews will give you plenty of food for thought – especially The Science of Storytelling and Building a Storybrand.
If your story needs whipping into shape with some content marketing, register for our next seminar, Unhappy Marketing?, at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/unhappy-marketing-tickets-107690778016
