If you're looking to create a clear and compelling message that resonates with your audience and drives business success, Donald Miller's "Building a StoryBrand" framework is an excellent place to start. By following these steps, you can implement Miller's framework and create a powerful brand message that engages and inspires your audience.
I strongly recommend reading his book to get the full spectrum of his amazing job. In this article, I am going to walk you through some of the key-takeaways I have applied on my work in build brand messages, offers, and other marketing initiatives.
The 7 Elements
The first thing you have to keep in mind is that every powerful story has 7 powerful elements:
1 . A Character or Hero: The character is the hero of your story. This is the person or group of people who are facing a challenge or problem that needs to be solved.
2. A Problem or Villain: The villain is the obstacle or challenge that your character is facing. This could be a person, an idea, or an external force that is standing in the way of your character's success.
3. A Solution or Guide: The guide is the person or entity that helps your character overcome the challenge and achieve their goal. This could be a mentor, a coach, a product or service, or a company. The guide should be knowledgeable, trustworthy, and capable of providing a clear path to success.
4. A Plan: The plan is the clear and concise path that your character and guide will take to overcome the challenge and achieve their goal.
5. A Call To action: Create a clear call to action that encourages your customers to take action. The call to action should be specific and relevant to the problem your customers are facing.
6. Failures: Help your customers avoid failure by providing them with the tools, resources, and support they need to be successful.
7. and Successes: Define what success looks like for your customers and how your product or service can help them achieve it.
In addition to these 7 key elements, Miller also emphasizes the importance of creating a clear and concise message that focuses on the benefits of your product or service. He suggests that businesses should create a message that answers three key questions:
What problem do you solve?
How do you solve it?
What is the result?
By answering these questions, businesses can create a clear and compelling message that resonates with their audience and inspires them to take action.
The Pillars
There are 4 pillars that can provide a framework for creating effective stories that engage and inspire audiences. The four pillars are:
Empathy: Effective storytelling starts with empathy. This involves understanding the needs, desires, and pain points of your audience and crafting a story that resonates with them. Empathy helps you create a connection with your audience and makes your story more relatable and impactful.
Clarity: Clarity is essential for effective storytelling. Your story should be clear and concise, with a defined structure and message. A clear story helps your audience understand your message and makes it easier for them to remember it.
Story: A great story is at the heart of effective storytelling. Your story should have a clear character, problem, and guide, and should be structured in a way that engages and inspires your audience. Storytelling helps you create an emotional connection with your audience and makes your message more memorable.
Novelty: Finally, novelty is important for effective storytelling. Your story should be fresh, original, and unexpected. Novelty helps your story stand out and captures your audience's attention.
By using these four pillars as a framework for creating stories, businesses can create more effective marketing materials and build stronger connections with their audience.
Whether you're creating a brand message, a marketing campaign, or a customer testimonial, focusing on empathy, clarity, story, and novelty can help you create a compelling and impactful story that resonates with your audience.
The Roadmap
The roadmap is a step-by-step guide that outlines the key elements of the StoryBrand framework and provides specific actions businesses can take to implement them.
The Roadmap includes seven stages, each with specific action steps:
1. Clarify your message: This stage involves identifying your target audience, their pain points, and how your product or service can help solve their problems. The action steps in this stage include creating a customer persona, identifying the problems your customers face, and creating a clear and concise brand message.
2. Create a one-liner: In this stage, you will create a one-sentence summary of your brand message that clearly communicates what you offer and how it solves your customers' problems.
3. Build a wireframe website: This stage involves creating a website that is designed to guide customers through the buying process. The action steps in this stage include creating a wireframe or site map, identifying the key pages and content, and designing the website to be visually appealing and easy to navigate.
4. Create a lead-generating PDF: In this stage, you will create a lead magnet or free resource that customers can download in exchange for their contact information. The action steps in this stage include identifying the topic of the lead magnet, creating the content, and designing the PDF to be visually appealing and informative.
5. Develop a sales funnel: This stage involves creating a series of emails or other marketing materials that guide customers through the buying process. The action steps in this stage include creating a series of emails or other marketing materials, identifying the key touchpoints in the customer journey, and designing the materials to be engaging and informative.
6. Drive traffic: In this stage, you will identify the best channels to drive traffic to your website and lead magnet. The action steps in this stage include identifying the most effective marketing channels for your business, creating targeted ads or other marketing materials, and tracking your results to optimize your marketing efforts.
7. Measure results: This stage involves tracking your marketing efforts and measuring your results to determine what is working and what is not. The action steps in this stage include setting up tracking and analytics tools, monitoring your results, and making adjustments to your marketing strategy as needed.
PRACTICAL EXAMPLE - The RoadMap
In this example, I would use "Closets" as the main product and use the framework to develop a Marketing Roadmap.
PRACTICAL EXAMPLE - The Miller Approach
PRACTICAL EXAMPLE - The Story
In this example I am going to use 2 case studies: Nike and Apple.
Case Study 1: Nike
Nike is a brand that is synonymous with inspiration, motivation, and achievement. They have used the power of storytelling to create a message that resonates with their audience and inspires them to take action. Nike's story includes a character, villain, and guide, as well as a clear and concise plan and desirable outcome.
The character in Nike's story is the athlete, who faces challenges and obstacles on their journey to success. The villain is self-doubt and fear, which hold the athlete back from achieving their goals. The guide is Nike itself, which provides the tools and resources the athlete needs to overcome their challenges and achieve their goals.
Nike's plan is to provide high-quality athletic apparel and equipment that is designed to help athletes perform at their best. Their desirable outcome is to inspire and motivate athletes to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.
Through their powerful brand message, Nike has created a loyal and passionate following of athletes who are inspired by their message and motivated to achieve greatness.
Case Study 2: Apple
Apple is a brand that is known for its innovation, creativity, and design. They have used storytelling to create a message that resonates with their audience and sets them apart from their competitors. Apple's story includes a character, villain, and guide, as well as a clear and concise plan and desirable outcome.
The character in Apple's story is the creative individual, who seeks to express themselves and bring their ideas to life. The villain is complexity and confusion, which inhibit the creative process and prevent individuals from achieving their goals. The guide is Apple itself, which provides the tools and resources individuals need to bring their ideas to life and express themselves creatively.
Apple's plan is to provide user-friendly and intuitive technology that is designed to help individuals express themselves creatively and easily. Their desirable outcome is to empower individuals to bring their ideas to life and make a positive impact on the world.
Through their powerful brand message, Apple has created a loyal and passionate following of creative individuals who are inspired by their message and empowered to express themselves creatively.
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