What Is StoryBrand and How Can It Make Your Business More Successful?

Introduction

Many business owners and marketing executives know that their companies need a brand story, but few take the time to craft one. We're here to change that! This article will outline everything you need to know about StoryBrand and how it can make your business more successful. You'll also learn about the problems that occur when brands don't have a clear story, something our team calls "brand bewilderment."

What is StoryBrand?

StoryBrand is a process developed by best-selling author Donald Miller, who wrote Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen. It uses a seven-part messaging framework (known as the SB 7 Framework) to help businesses simplify their communications using a classicstorystructure.

By using the power of story, the framework helps companies create marketing messages that speak directly to customers' and prospects' subconscious minds. One important concept is that your customer, not your brand, is the hero in the story. It seems obvious, but so few companies think this way using it is like a secret weapon. Like any good story, your brand narrative must address common questions:

• Who does your customer want to become?
• What are your customer's external, internal, and philosophical problems?
• What is your primary call to action?
• What is at stake?
• What does success look like for the hero?

The StoryBrand approach is a powerful tool that helps businesses and organizations share to engage customers, employees, partners, and prospects. It does this by aligning your message with the emotions people care about most: fear of loss or change, desire for gain or reward, love or belonging. The story framework also helps you refine your message to tell it clearly and compellingly. The simplicity of StoryBrand's approach means it can be easily applied by any organization, resulting in an increased ability to capture attention and influence decision-making—within and outside an organization.

How it can help your businessbecome more successful

Great marketers know that humans only have an attention span of about eight seconds. If your message is too complex, confusing, or poorly presented, people won't pay attention long enough to understand it. Customers who are unclear about your brand or your products may turn to competitors, costing you lost sales. Most businesses waste money on marketing that doesn't work because it is too confusing. When you rethink your marketing strategy to use StoryBrand principles, you replace confusion with clarity.

People don't buy products; they buy solutions to their problems. Focus your messages on your customers and make your customers the hero of the story. Make it easy for potential customers to buy by providing a three-step plan. When you create a marketing plan that incorporates these ideas, you get a greater return from your marketing efforts and more satisfied customers.

Four Ways To Learn the StoryBrand Framework

Depending on the amount of time and money you want to invest, there are four ways to start using the SB 7 framework:

Buy the Book
Grab a copy from Amazon or your favorite local bookseller.

Subscribe to Business Made Simple University
It has a variety of business courses that teach crucial business skills and life skills. On top of the courses on messaging, marketing, and communication, the Hero on a Mission course helps you create a life plan and experience greater meaning in life.

Take a live workshop
There are in-person workshops in Nashville and virtual ones online. Both types include real-time coaching from StoryBrand Certified Guides.

StoryBrand Marketing Workshop Livestream

Work with a StoryBrand Certified Guide
If you don't want to invest time mastering the framework yourself, you can work with a guide like StorySimple to walk you through it.

Conclusion

Thousands of businesses have used the StoryBrand framework to bring stories into their marketing strategies. Whether you are a small business owner, a marketing director, or a team memberat a large enterprise, StoryBrand can help. As StoryBrand Certified Guides, ourteamof experts applies the StoryBrand Framework to helpbusinesses of all types to build trust with audiences and ultimately get more customers.