The choice of who to work with when there are myriad options for a buyer can be daunting. Everyone can look bland and similar especially when the marketing messages are about features, benefits and great service, none of which is unique compared to your competition. When everything looks the same, buyers choose the leader in a category. It is the default and safe choice.
However, there is one thing that does make you unique which your competition cannot match. It is your backstory for how and why you exist in the first place. Story naturally engages us as human beings. Peter Guber’s book, Tell To Win, shares Guber’s own repeated success in business through his storytelling to frame a deal rather than the prototypical approach of selling features, benefits or statistics. A story connects where facts may be benign towards persuading a buyer.
Here are aspects which need to position your brand effectively with the use of backstory:
- Speak about your passion. When you started your business, there was a reason to push past the adversity and make a dream come true. Recount the backstory with what fueled your desire to push past the hard times. It helps your audience understand what is driving your business and the underlying values which you bring to the market.
- Open access to the creative process. When you decide on a new product line, flavor or approach, tell the story about how you came to the decision. Did you fly around the world researching all the options? Was it a moment of epiphany? Help your audience connect the dots between what originated as an idea and how it culminated into something tangible that they would consider buying. It provides meaning behind a product that enhances its branding and value.
- Keep it real. Every business has problems and the successful teams who keep learning and improving their operations get rewarded with loyalty, referrals and revenue. There is an ongoing story to how you are continually growing. This doesn’t mean airing all your dirty laundry, but sharing how you handle problems and overcome builds relationship and trust with a more human touch.
Your backstory is your own and nobody else’s. When we learn about Blake Mycoskie’s passion to help kids with his shoes or the renegade spirit of Richard Branson in his personal life, there is a connection to the brand which comes from the congruent story that happened or is continually being told.
How are you telling your story in your marketing?