Whether you’ve just written a new chapter or there’s a major plot twist, you want to make sure your words reach your intended audiences—and that they receive the messages as you intended. Here are some thoughts on creating and conveying a brand story that will be embraced and shared.
IT STARTS AS AN INSIDE JOB
You need to know what your story is before you can start telling it to others. Assuming that you’ve done a thorough discovery process, you could now start crafting internal messaging to make sure everyone in your organization is on the same page:
- A positioning line to describe your product/service, your target audience and how you fill a market need
- A value proposition stating why your audiences should choose you over competitors
This can also be a good time to review and update your organization’s mission, vision and values statements to make sure they are clear and free of jargon and that they accurately reflect your new brand story.
CAPTURE HEARTS AS WELL AS MINDS
A well-crafted tagline that resonates with emotional impact can become your brand. A great tagline doesn’t even have to be a full sentence. It could be a string of powerful verbs. For example, our client the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation uses “Innovate. Educate. Advocate.” The most iconic taglines—like Nike’s “Just Do It”—are intriguing enough to encourage curiosity, specific enough to capture the brand’s essence and, most of all, memorable.
Don’t Set Your Words in Stone
Choose your brand words carefully, and use them consistently, but don’t be so rigid that you can’t adjust your messaging over time to keep it up to date. You’ll also want to make sure that you can tailor your message for specific audiences, for example:
- Consumers/clients
- Donors
- Different vertical markets
- Industry partners
- Professionals
Keep it simple and easily sharable. Finally, make sure your story is flexible enough for different uses across different media, from printed pieces to websites to social posts and more.
Share. Check. Adjust. Go!
Before launching, run your new brand story past your stakeholders. How is it received? If necessary, make final adjustments before your official launch. It often makes sense to launch in phases, evaluating as you go in order to maximize overall impact and allow time to provide any needed operational support.
Find Your Storytellers
Make people care about your story, so they’ll share it. Use town halls, huddles, board meetings and other avenues to let internal stakeholders know how the new brand serves them. Be sure to recognize those who had a hand in creating it and those who will shape it moving forward.
Outside your organization, identify social media influencers and other opportunities. We’ve seen healthcare clients offer webinars with key opinion leaders and share video stories at local film festivals as well as at professional conferences.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Great brands don’t just happen. They require deep understanding of the organization and its vision as well as its audiences and their perceptions. Those insights can then drive development of messages that engage your audiences, earn their trust and encourage them to share your brand story with others as a “must read.”
