Welcome back to the Hugoversity library! If you love reading and learning as much as our prefects do you’re in the right place.
For this month’s review, Prefect Natalie read The Fortune Cookie Principle: The 20 keys to a great brand story and why your business needs one, by Bernadette Jiwa, a book which delves into the world of brand and storytelling.
What’s it all about?
It’s a handy guide for brands who are looking to learn how to tell their story and most importantly how to build relationships with their customers.
Your business is more than a brand. Company owners and marketers need to think beyond the product or service they offer and focus on their story, beliefs and values.
Bernadette helps the reader to take a step back and really think about the reason why they set up their business – what’s its purpose? What problems does it solve? Why should your product / service matter to clients? As the author says, “It’s not how good you are; it’s how you tell your story.” By truly reflecting and understanding your story it will help to differentiate the brand and build those incredibly important emotional connections with customers.
The book consists of 20 keys (briefly summarised below) which provide a great guide to help marketers on their way to telling their story in a way that reflects their brand values – and there are some great real-business examples throughout the book, which spark inspiration.
1 – Truth
In this chapter Bernadette asks readers to be honest with themselves. What do you do and why does that matter to customers? How do you want your customers to feel when they use your product / service? One top tip I took from this key was to don’t be afraid to speak to your customers, listen carefully to feedback, immerse yourself in their world and learn what their problems and needs are – they could be a golden nugget which will help you on your business journey!
2 – Purpose
Your company may be celebrating its 20th anniversary, but have you lost your purpose? Why does your firm exist? What mission are you wanting to fulfil? Even well-established global businesses, such as Lego, have taken time to reflect on their purpose (this is a great example which I encourage you to read!). The most important takeaway I took from here is that understanding your purpose will take time, it took the CEO of Lego years to figure out what made the company unique.
3 – Vision
You need a clear vision in order to create your brand story and most importantly tell it. What is your focus? What goals are you aiming to achieve? All of these things more often than not change as a business matures, so don’t be afraid to refresh them.
4 – Values
Your behaviours are shaped by your beliefs, and it’s important to reflect these in your business values. Your company is going to grow and develop, and that’s brilliant, but Bernadette recommends that you remind yourself, and team, of your values as these are what made you great in the first place – you don’t want to lose sight of them.
5 – Products and services
What needs do your products / services serve? How can your products / services tell your story? Take some time in this chapter to consider what you do differently to your competitors, and how that benefits your customers.
6 – Your people
This is an essential key – your team produce the magic. They are the face of your brand and they help to share your story. By working with a group of people who share your values and beliefs, you will create a fantastic environment as you’ll be surrounded by others who believe in your mission.
7 – Value you deliver
What emotional value do you deliver to customers? The feelings, connections and happiness your brand can deliver are intangible, but are vital – you want to offer a product / service which your clients care for beyond the price.
8 – Name and tagline
A rememberable name and tagline can help your brand not only stand out but build an emotional connection with customers. A key tip from the author is: “Don’t set out to name your company or product. Set out to name your vision of what your want to see in the world.”
9 – Content and copy
This is the way you woo your customers, portray your brand voice and personality. But remember content doesn’t have to be just the written word, consider videos, graphics and animations.
I love this quote from Bernadette: “Think of your content and copy as being like as first date. It’s the way your brand starts establishing the kind of relationship that leaves people wanting more.”
10 – Design
Building a strong brand identity can help to improve user experience and also make your company memorable. It’s worth taking your time building the identity you want, which reflects your values and builds a connection with your audience.
11 – Your actions
From how you greet a customer to answering the phone and draft content for your social media outlets, all of your actions must reflect your values.
12 – Customer experience
What does your customer experience look like? You get to design it, so by reminding yourself of your mission and values, you can create an experience they will never forget, and will want to keep coming back to again and again.
13 – Price and quality
Don’t forget you don’t have to be the same as everyone else in your market. Take into consideration your customer’s perception of the value you deliver and what do you want to communicate with your pricing strategy?
14 – Perception
How is your brand story being perceived through your customers’ eyes? Your position to your customers is shaped by the ways you touch their hearts, how your interactions impact them and the strength of the relationships you develop.
15 – Distribution
Do you, or could you offer a unique distribution for your product / service? If you work with others to get your products / service to customers have you made sure they understand your vision and the story you want to tell – this is defiantly something to consider if you haven’t already.
16 – Location
“Your location has to align with your business strategy.” Are you serving the local community? If so you may want to consider a retail space in your local neighbourhood, close to public transport. You need to figure out where your customers are and this is just as important for online businesses too.
17 – Ubiquity and scarcity
Do you want you product / service available in all locations your customers are present in, or do you want to be more selective about your locations and only select places which align with your values?
18 – Community
To me this is one of the most crucial aspects of brand building – establishing a community, a band of loyal customers who believe in you, your mission and values is key to your success. You want to bring people along with you on your journey to achieve your goals and your loyal customers will want to do more than just buy from you, they’ll want to help you tell your story.
19 – Reputation
The story your customers share about you is part of your tale. Reviews through word of mouth have shifted online through search engines and social media and it’s through feedback that you’ll build trust and reputation, and these opinions leave clues to your story.
20 – Reaction and reach
Consider the people you’ve touched and influenced to understand your brand’s reaction and reach – how can you measure this impact? Bear in mind how you make your customers feel influences how they behave towards your company.
Homework
At the end of each key there are a number of questions Bernadette asks the reader, which helps you to contemplate the real business stories and the points the author made in the chapter, and how you can adapt the lessons you’ve learned to your marketing strategy.
What did we learn:
As with all of Bernadette’s books, I learned a lot and I was very inspired. The lessons, backed up by examples and evidence help to prove the author’s points and they generated ideas in my mind, which I’m sure I will adapt in my future marketing strategies.
The emotional connections you establish, nurture and build with your customers are incredibly vital to ensure the success of a brand and it all starts with a compelling brand story.
If you don’t fancy reading this book, or you simply don’t have time and would prefer us to do the hard work for you, email us study@hugoversity.com or call 01325 486666.
