Clarify Your Message with the StoryBrand Framework

Do you often find that your products and services are overpowered by the chatter of your industry’s competitors? Do you experience frustration with your marketing efforts, sometimes resorting to “spaghetti on the wall” tactics with no return on effort – or investment?

Before you close up shop, know that you are not alone in these struggles. The answers to your marketing problems may lie in examining one crucial part of your brand: your messaging.

A lack of brand messaging creates a gap between your brand and its audience, affecting how your customers perceive your ability to meet their needs and improve their lives.

When customers can easily understand what a brand stands for and how it can solve their problems, they are more likely to connect with it emotionally.

A clear brand message is the foundation for all branding aspects. From design to communication to proposals and sales calls, messaging is important as the base of your strategy. But how can you make sure that your brand message is clear enough to attract the business you deserve?

The best approach is to use a proven method that hits the points necessary to attract the attention of your ideal clients and customers.

Introducing the solution: StoryBrand.

What is The StoryBrand Framework?

Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework from his book “Building a StoryBrand” is inspired by popular storytelling principles, like the Hero’s Journey.

The book has helped hundreds of thousands of business owners clarify their message using the art and psychology of storytelling.

By using this structured approach, which positions the customer as the hero of the story rather than the business, brands can create content that speaks directly to their audience’s needs and desires, resulting in more sales and loyal followers.

The StoryBrand principals focus on the following philosophies:

• The customer is the hero, not your brand.
• Address customers’ internal problems, not just external issues.
• Build trust by being a qualified and empathetic guide.
• Encourage action by presenting challenges to customers.
• Recognize the universal desire to avoid negative outcomes.
• Clearly communicate how your brand can positively impact lives; don’t assume understanding.

The human brain is designed to seek information that helps it “survive and thrive” in this world, tossing out external influences that do not meet its needs.

According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer, 81% of consumers need to trust the brand to buy from them, and trust can only be built on understanding what will help consumers better their lives.

Clarifying Your Message into 7 Simple Steps with a BrandScript

The first step in using the StoryBrand framework is to filter through your brilliant business ideas. To do this, you will take yourself through a sequence of narrative points called a BrandScript.

A BrandScript is a strategic document that outlines the core components of your message positioning. This process includes seven elements to identify:

1. The hero
2. The problem
3. The guide
4. The plan
5. The call-to-action
6. The failure
7. The success

Once you go through the exercise, you will notice that many, if not all, pop culture movies, books, and stories go through a similar outline. Let’s take Marvel’s Iron Man as an example:

• The Hero: Tony Stark
• The Problem: The shame he feels in his inventions being weaponized by Obadiah Stane, Iron Monger.
• The Guide: Yinsen, a fellow captive who inspires Tony to find a new sense of purpose.
• The Plan: Becoming Iron Man
• The Call to Action(s): A strategic battle
• Failure: Tony Stark’s technology would be used to establish military superiority, causing brute force, loss of freedom, loss of active duty members, and loss of lives.
• Success: Lives and society changed due to Tony Stark stopping the villain.

In short, the movie (which, don’t lie, you loved!) would be way less interesting if it focused on Yinsen, so the viewer must focus on the main character.

In your brand messaging, instead of creating your brand as a superhero, position yourself as the wise Yinsen, Yoda, or Dumbledore who sends them on a journey to better their lives with your products and services.

Developing Your StoryBrand Strategy with a Sales Funnel

Once you have a BrandScript in place, you are ready to craft your brand marketing strategy in the form of a sales funnel.

A sales funnel represents the steps that guide customers through a relationship with your brand, turning them from leads to purchasers. This tactic is a cost-effective marketing solution because it is intuitive and effective if your brand message is in place.

Five elements make up your lead-generating sales funnel stemming from your StoryBrand BrandScript.

• A one-liner: Your brand’s elevator pitch that condenses your brand messaging into one to two sentences. This can be used online, at networking events, on sales calls, or at parties.
• A landing page: A one-page website that follows your BrandScript with clear, concise copywriting in your brand voice.
• A lead generator:  A free downloadable resource, such as a PDF guide, a video series, a quiz, or an offer that solves the customer’s problem on a surface level. A lead generator will get them on your email list.
• An email sequence: A series of automated emails that nurture leads, warming them up to a sale. This is essentially your BrandScript broken up into management chunks spread out over a number of days.
• A sales letter: The last email of your sequence that nurtures the reader into making a purchase.

Integrating these key elements rooted in your BrandScript will effectively engage your audience, build relationships, and drive conversions. The structured approach streamlines your marketing efforts and ensures a cohesive brand message throughout the customer journey.

StoryBrand in Action

The StoryBrand framework is becoming a rising star in the marketing landscape. It helps brands of all sizes and industries sell their products and services. Let’s look at a well-known brand that is currently using StoryBrand in its messaging.

Pantene is an American brand of hair care products that focuses on repairing damaged hair, protecting it from heat, and adding moisture.

The hero is an individual who desires beautiful hair but often struggles with frizziness, dry scalp, and damage. Their problem is not just their hair but the money it can cost to visit a professional salon. They often feel self-conscious and frustrated that they cannot receive the quality hair care they deserve.

Enter Pantene, the guide of the story. Pantene understands the struggles of dealing with unhealthy hair and its impact on self-esteem. With decades of experience, they are proud to have transformed their customers’ hair using their scientifically formulated products without the price tag of an expensive salon visit.

Using Pantene is simple:

1. Identify your hair’s needs.
2. Choose the right Pantene product in your price range.
3. Follow the directions consistently for a healthy and beautiful look.

You can visit their website at www.pantene.com to find the nearest store to purchase their products, or download their free guide, “5 Secrets to Healthier, Shinier Hair.”

Pantene’s primary transformation is simply this: Stop struggling with damaged hair and start feeling confident and beautiful again—on your own terms.

Define Your Brand Message with JS Interactive

Using storytelling in your marketing will make your brand memorable and meaningful to your customers and future clients, and JS Interactive can help.

Let our team of digital marketing professionals help you create a more relatable and compelling message, drive engagement, and convert your audience into the paying customers you deserve.

Contact us to learn how we can help you use the power of story to build your brand messaging.