Businesses can no longer afford to be faceless entities, especially during these times. With many distractions out there and the marketplace being so crowded, businesses will need to find ways to be unforgettable.

That’s where brand storytelling comes in.

Brand storytelling is the cohesive narrative that weaves together the facts and emotions that your brand evokes. In addition to giving your customers reasons why they should buy a product or service, businesses need to start sharing the story behind their brand, why it exists, and why this matters, consistently across all communication.

Big brands like Apple and Nike have done brand storytelling so well that sometimes if you ask one of their loyal clients why they buy the products, they say it’s a lifestyle and not necessarily the product.

Nike in one of their best campaigns “Equality”, make a strong statement about the company as a force for positive social change by offering something more to today’s athletes than just a pair of sneakers and branded workout gear.

Another great Nike campaign that uses great brand storytelling is “Find Your Greatness”, it speaks on Nike being more than just workout gear and more about the people in it.

A prospective customer will make a decision on whether to buy-in to a company based on its brand narrative. It makes sense, then, to consider your brand story and how it goes beyond the "you-buy-we-sell" principle and opens the door to connect authentically.

So how do you create a brand story?

Here are three steps:

Three Steps to Write a Great Brand Story (www.inc.com)

Take a notepad and write your past, present, and future story. The story of your company and brand starts with the founder and why he or she started the business in the first place. Highlight the parts that reveal the purpose of your organization, and you'll be ready for step two.
Develop a statement to sum up why the company exists. A brand statement considers what matters to customers and stakeholders and the deeper purpose of the company. It goes beyond the money you want to earn and sets an ideal future to reach for, driven by values. It asks, "Why are we here?" and "How are we making the world a better place?" By answering these questions, you find the seed from which you'll build your statement.
Write a story around that statement. The statement you created in step two becomes the starting point for what will become your brand story, and you'll write a one-page document to support it. A great brand story must be true, authentic, and honest. A great brand story must also be deep rooted in purpose.

How do you portray it online?

Your brand story should be in everything you put out. In your brand message/voice, in your captions in your campaigns and for it to be true, honest, and believable, it needs to be consistently told.

Launch a campaign that tells the story of who you are and why the business was started. What is your purpose? How do you add value to your customer’s life? Share that.

Include your customer in the process, allow them to share and be a part of your story. Get to the core of why you do what you do. It should be more than moving product. It should be bigger than the service you are providing. Share that.

Add BTS content to your online presence, put out engagement posts that allow the consumers to comment and engage with your brand. Create campaigns that allow your audience to have fun and be in the moment, without thinking of having to buy or support your business. Push narratives and discussions true to your essence of existence as a business.

Consistently sell this and you’ll be way on your way to having a community as big as Nike’s.

Creating your online brand story