“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make but about the stories you tell. People do not buy goods and services. They buy relationships, stories and magic.” Seth Godin
Humans love to listen to new stories; they love being on the receiving side of storytelling. They feel heard, they feel a sense of belongingness. Once the prospective customer’s psychological needs of belongingness are satisfied, that sense is followed by purchases, both informed and impulsive. In simple words, good stories told by the brand impact the customer’s perception driving him to a state where he wants to possess that brand. If a product you are selling is similar to what others are selling, storytelling will become your magic wand and give you an edge. Here’s how!
Brand Storytelling — imperative to penetrate into the consumer’s minds
It’s hard to neglect human emotions. If your brand story has been able to touch a prospective customer emotionally, a happy purchase is coming next. You could share this brand story on your packaging or through an advertisement, but ensure that your brand story is a heart-wrenching tale evoking emotions and sentiments. A few professional creative agencies in Dubai know the art of stealing hearts with minimalistic marketing and packaging — exactly how it works. Making a strong heartfelt impression without going too overboard is the trick they have aced and one that brands must deploy for making it big.
Airbnb hired a high-profile artist to artistically portray the experiences of its clients and hosts to the rest of the world. A classic way of storytelling!
Marketing gimmicks that don’t look like marketing gimmicks
The idea is to get people talking without the brand going out and doing all the talking. One smart campaign can turn the tables for any brand. Professional branding agencies understand what can trigger stirring conversations on social media and other channels. They come up with fool-proof marketing gimmicks which don’t seem like marketing gimmicks to the public.
Take Dove for example. It focuses on being true to self and being happy in one’s authentic beauty for all skin colours — exemplification of breakthrough branding which is consistent, much more deeper and well-implemented.
Your Brand Is The Protagonist Of The Story
Why does everyone love watching movies? It is simply because loving storytelling is in human nature. Always remember, in your story, the protagonist is your brand. Some brands push their product on different channels and make unyielding sales pitches to expensively bought leads. Whereas, smart brands get the people talking about the product without the brand going out and talking aggressively about the product. They create content, giving only subtle attention to the product but making the overall story so engaging that people share, like and the word spreads like wildfire. Brand still remains the hero, although subtly!
For example, Almarai, a renowned dairy brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia got the world talking about it when it launched a breastfeeding video which became the second most shared video in the world at almost 1.3 million shares, within a week of its launch. Its Facebook Page became the third fastest growing page in the world after Nestle and P&G. Almarai garnered over 39,000 new followers every day.
All you need to ensure at marketing level is that your story is told effortlessly and consistently without seeming too desperate to make a mark. There is of course a very fine line between powerful storytelling and desperate storytelling — something which creative agencies understand the best. In today’s cut-throat competition, storytelling bags you the golden medal. Storytelling is essential for a brand to become successful in such overcrowded markets, almost saturated with every kind of product.
What is the story about?
It could be a story about anything you find peculiar in your brand — it could be about how your venture came to life, a story about how you process your products, a story about the place you source the raw materials from, a story about the artisans, a story about if and how you use a part of your profits towards social causes, a story about how your brand gives employment to the underprivileged people living in the poor geographies and the list goes on.
For Example: Dubai-based makeup brand Huda Beauty founded by beauty blogger Huda Kattan raked in record sales in 2020 despite the pandemic. Although her products are priced at a higher end, her brand story is clear and simple. She promotes her brand as a means of expression, as a means to feel confident. About her brand, Huda says,” It is about giving people the power to express who they want to be no matter who they are, or where they are from. Beauty is not about how much you spend, but how confident you feel, so that will always be the ultimate goal for us.” Indeed, a lovely way to swap the customers’ worries about spending more with the “feel good” factor. Next thing you know, that sense of self expression makes the customer almost addicted to the brand and keep coming back for more.
Conclusion
“If your stories are all about your products and services, that’s not storytelling. It’s a brochure. Give yourself permission to make the story bigger.” - Jay Baer
If people today ask you what’s your business’s USP - it could mean Unique Selling Proposition as we have traditionally known the acronym or Unique Story Proposition, as rightly introduced by renowned author Jim Signorelli. This is the age of storytelling, really! An age where a brand potentially reaches the ultimatum of attention and wide success purely because of a well-articulated story. The idea is not to ring in fame overnight through extensive social media campaigns and rigorous storytelling. The idea is to uniquely position the brand and stand out from the competitors, with a story that is hard to go unnoticed, even when narrated periodically to keep your community waiting for more.
If you have been planning to launch a new startup or rebrand an existing one, now is the time to get started. Whether it is a logo redesign, a website redesign, refreshed messaging, or a complete brand makeover, it’s time you get in touch with professional branding agencies like Vowels to make your vision come true. We specialize in brand consultancy, strategy, brand guidelines, CI manual, brand presentation, and corporate branding.
Extended across multiple countries like the Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain, we believe in providing exclusive solutions to all your brand problems.
Also read - 8 New Year’s Business Resolution To Make In 2021
Contact Us
Check out our work at Vowels
We are always available at [email protected].
Want to get in touch over a call?
(+91) 97858 40004