Suppose your business is losing money because of its failed marketing efforts. In that case, the StoryBrand framework might be the solution you’re looking for.
StoryBrand can help your marketing strategy, especially if you’ve already created stunning graphics for your collaterals, but it still seems useless. It is because the problem lies maybe not on the design itself but elsewhere. It could be the message of your campaign.
What Is a StoryBrand?
The StoryBrand refers to a framework that every good story follows to communicate a clear and engaging message. It is the basis of many major brand campaigns to clarify a message and avoid confusion.
Donald Miller discovered this framework. It was a product of his realization when he sat on a plane next to a guy reading his book. The guy didn’t know who Miller was. Miller asked the guy what made his book a great one, but the guy couldn’t point out what makes it great.
This encounter made Miller realize that his book wasn’t communicating a clear message. He said that if he wanted people to spread a message about it, he should give them a clear message on what it is all about. It was how he came up with the StoryBrand framework.
How StoryBrand Framework Works?
The StoryBrand framework works the same way as every good story does, just like in the books and movies. It consists of seven parts. Once you apply it to create your brand’s marketing campaign, it becomes a BrandScript.
The seven-part framework consists of the following:
Hero
The main character wants something. The story revolves around the process of getting this want.
Let’s set the Disney movie Aladdin as an example.
In this movie, Aladdin is the hero who wants Princess Jasmine to fall in love with him.
In marketing, the hero will never be you. Don’t talk about your products, brand, or services because these are not the star of your story. It’s all about the customers because they’re the hero.
Problem
The problem is the barrier that stops or slows the hero from getting this want. In the movie Aladdin, the hero has a problem: Aladdin is a street rat, and Jasmine is a princess.
In marketing, the problem refers to the customers’ needs. Make sure to choose a problem that your customers can relate to.
Guide
The guide is another character who helps the hero.
In Aladdin’s journey, he meets the guide Genie.
In StoryBrand marketing, it is where your part comes in. You are the guide. Your character is empathic and authoritative.
You have to be the one who has a strong character because you should be capable enough to help the hero.
Plan
It is what the guide gives to the hero. It consists of actionable baby steps, aiming to eliminate the hero’s doubts from taking action.
In the movie, Genie gives three wishes, which is the plan.
In marketing, the plan that you should give your customers should not be more than four. You aim to make your customers realize how easy it is to work with you or use your products or services.
Call to Action
It is the part where the hero has to take action, which will lead to either a failed or successful result.
When the villain Jafar steals Genie, Aladdin has to face and outwit Jafar.
In StoryBrand, the call to action is where the customer has to sacrifice something to get what they want. It is in the form of “Buy Now” or “Subscribe Now,” where your customers need to pay or give their email addresses.
Failure
It is what everybody commonly calls a tragedy. It is the result that the guide and the hero are trying to avoid.
If Aladdin fails, he and Jasmine will never be together because all their lives are in Jafar’s hands. Jafar will marry Jasmine instead.
In a StoryBrand framework, failure is the stake. It is the possible result that can happen if the customers don’t act.
Success
It is the favourable result that the hero and the guide strive for in the story.
If Aladdin succeeds, Jasmine and her father will forgive his lies. Jasmine will become Agrabah’s new ruler, who has the power to change the law that will allow her and Aladdin to be together.
In Storybrand, it is the result that your customers want. Make sure that this part is clear enough to make the customers envision themselves enjoying this result.
If you’re one of those people who ask, “What is a storybrand?” The answer is that it is a strategy you use in marketing campaigns to provide a clear message to the audience.
If you’ve never done it before, try applying the framework. It can be the reason your campaigns don’t work. They may not be communicating your message clearly.
Try to learn this seven-part framework, apply it to your business, and see tremendous growth in your sales. If you want a detailed answer to the question, “What is a StoryBrand,” consult a StoryBrand guide who will discuss it with you.
Using this StoryBrand framework as a marketing filter, you’ll see that your customers will better understand you. They will buy your products or services.
