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Narratives aren’t just for novels. According to research, 55% of people that love a brand story are more likely to buy the product, 44% will share the story and 15% will buy the product immediately. In short, storytelling sells. The trick is crafting a compelling message that speaks to the right customer at the right time. That’s where brilliant content development enters the scene to charge page-turning – or scrolling – narratives.
The job of our specialized content team within Bolt PR is to drive the storytelling behind each brand we serve to ensure messaging across all platforms, including website, blogs, email campaigns, social media and more (think anywhere you see copy), share a consistent brand voice and compel the reader to action. In this blog, we’re sharing best practices for crafting a strong brand narrative that turns views into conversions using the art of storytelling.
“I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and look at it, until it shines” – Emily Dickinson.
Just as Emily Dickinson wrote, words have immense power and that power is often not utilized to its full potential. A brand narrative is a concise, streamlined story that serves as the platform or foundation for a company’s marketing and communications. It is not a script to be repeated verbatim, but rather a messaging framework to interpret as needed through a unique lens. A brand narrative should be flexible, adaptable and serve as an ongoing central dialogue composed of many voices.
Here are a few other reasons why a brand narrative is so important:
A company that is not focused on a single core narrative has a more difficult time making the impact that sets them apart. While most businesses can easily explain what they do and how they do it, standing for something that is fundamental to why a company exists is critical. It goes a step further than an elevator pitch.
As content, digital marketing and public relations professionals, we know that every brand has a story. Our team partners with ambitious brands to uncover and develop their compelling narratives.
It’s important to craft your “why” when developing a brand narrative. This is your organization’s chance to create the overarching message – or core message – representing your company's mission, vision, voice, values and audience. Rather than emphasizing products and services directly, the narrative should explain the problem you are solving and your position in the industry ecosystem, addressing common perceptions, clarifying misconceptions and bringing awareness to trends.
Once the strategic internal vision is crafted, you will have a solid direction for all marketing initiatives moving forward. When partnering with a team of experts to help your brand develop a strong core narrative, there is usually an initial kickoff call at the beginning of every partnership with the purpose of building the narrative through key messaging, talking points and more crucial elements.
The core message is the solid base from which all marketing efforts and communication flow. Like building layers on a cake, we do this in several steps to ensure complete unification and consistency around the story. The foundational story brings full understanding to what the brand does, how the brand does it, how it delivers the value to the people they serve, who they serve and finally why they exist.
Step 1: Establish the origin story. This is when we discuss where the company came from and what events brought them to their present success. In the origin story of any company, we consider the answers to a list of questions, but here are just a few:
Step 2: Build the customer journey. Also known as the hero’s journey, the customer journey is where we discuss that emotional arc that resonates strongly with consumers in marketing materials. In the customer journey, we ask more questions – here are three from our extensive strategy:
Step 3: Develop brand personality. How does your organization aim to connect with new and existing customers on a deeper level and how do customers “view” your brand? This is also where research on key audience demographics comes into play.
Following step three, there are a few more important layers involved in the process of developing a strong brand narrative. To discover what those next steps are, as well as learn how to supercharge your own marketing storyline, chat with our team for the full tried and true recipe for success.
By weaving stellar content throughout public relations, social media and SEO to tell a strategic story to a well-researched audience, your brand has the ultimate recipe for success.
Each conversation, social interaction or email with key media, influencers and customers opens the opportunity to share the narrative while building advocates. At every corner is a unique opportunity to persuade the audience, so it’s important to understand who the audience is at their core. This is where diligent research and profiling comes into play, and at Bolt PR, we always lead with strong data that backs the story.
At Bolt PR, our content team works hand-in-hand with our PR and digital marketing experts to ensure every message is clear, concise and consistent across the board. We are passionate about storytelling and driving a strong core narrative so that our clients can focus on what they love most – serving their clients and customers. If you’re ready for powerful content marketing that brings awareness and credibility to your brand, contact the team who loves blending strategy and storytelling so much that we made it our day job. Let’s talk storylines today.
Not sure where to start?
Contact our team to start the conversation around a customized marketing campaign dedicated to your personalized business goals. From PR to content creation and digital marketing, you tell us how far you want to take your brand, and we’ll do the rest.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
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