Who doesn’t love a good story?
Whether it’s how Steve Jobs or Jeff Bezos got their start or it’s what’s happening with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Dogecoin in the news, it’s easy to get hooked on a good story. Not only do we want to know more, but we remember more.
When facts are wrapped around a story,
they are 20 times more likely to be remembered.
If you need something to be remembered, storytelling is the way to go. For a brand, storytelling is a key skill to develop for long-term success.
Donald Miller, author of “Building Your StoryBrand,” is a renowned expert on the topic, offering a 7 part framework that anyone can use. I recommend reading the book or enrolling in the workshop for a deep dive on the topic.
However, if you are short on time, here are 3 tips I found to be helpful from the book.
If You Confuse, You Lose.
In the book, we learn that one of the big mistakes businesses can make is giving too much information or too many options. This is detrimental because “processing information demands that the brain burn calories. And…
“The burning of too many calories acts against
the brain’s primary job: to help us survive and thrive.”
Mike McHargue
Imagine if there was no search tool on Amazon, would you scroll through hundreds of pages to find what you were looking for? No, your time is precious and you know what you want. The quicker you can get to what you want, the happier and more satisfied you are, and the quicker you can get back to enjoying your life.
How can you make your customer experience so simple that making a decision feels easy and intuitive?
One of the websites I love for its simplicity is Chloe Ting’s website. The home page does not scroll, everything you need or would want to access is easily seen and accessible via 3 simple buttons or the navigation bar. Moreover, it doesn’t focus on being overly “pretty,” rather, it focuses on selling things.
Pretty Websites don’t sell things.
Words sell things.
Words offer clarity, guidance, and direction. Design offers aesthetic appeal and nurtures certain thoughts and feelings, but without words, the message is unclear and abstract.
Sometimes we unknowingly make this mistake with our websites. We have the best intentions, but we get very little sales. Is that because we are confusing our customers or because our words aren’t solving their problems?
Think about your website without any of its design aesthetic. What message, tone, and promise do your words deliver? Do they guide your customers to the next natural step in their journey?
Every Hero is looking for a Guide
Everyone is a hero in the story of their life. And everyone needs help to succeed in life. Whether it’s a recipe for dinner or a “How To” video on YouTube, we all appreciate guidance and clear directions to help us accomplish difficult or new tasks.
As a business or brand, you can be the Hero or the Guide. You can be the one who wins the day or the one who helps others win the day. A great example of this is Canva. Canva allows anyone with little to no graphic design skills to make content easily and quickly. In that story, the person who is creating is the Hero and Canva is their Guide, helping them to accomplish a goal.
As your business continues to grow, think about the role your customer needs in their life? They want to win the day in big and small ways at work, at home, and all the places in between. How does your business help them do that and how is this communicated along your customer’s journey?
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