Storytelling is powerful. When we read or listen to a narrative, our brains light up. Stories can help strengthen our memory, engagement and empathy, and they can even change our attitude about something.
The stories you tell about your brand shape how people feel about your business. But companies must be intentional about the stories they tell to illustrate their purpose in action. Too often, I’ve seen companies talk a big game about purpose without ever really demonstrating the value they provide to the people they serve.
If you really want your stories to resonate, stop telling stories about your brand. Dig deeper to find the stories that show why and how you make an impact through your business.
Here are three ways to garner positive attention and brand affinity by making others the main characters of your stories:
1. Give your partners and suppliers a platform in your marketing.
If your company produces a physical product, who are the people who make it? How does their work tie into your larger purpose? Make your production partners and purveyors a focal point of your brand story.
For example, Rothy’s is a sustainable fashion brand that makes shoes from plastic water bottles. In addition to using recycling materials to create its products, Rothy’s partners with the Envira Amazonia Project to offset carbon emissions, which helps the company get in front of eco-conscious consumers through press coverage.
Starfish Project is another example of a company that leverages its commitment to ethical production in its marketing. The jewellery company gives artisan opportunities to exploited women and girls. It has a “Stories of Hope” section on its website where you can read dozens of jewellery makers’ stories and shop the pieces that they designed and crafted themselves.
Consumers like knowing how their products are made. When you show the faces, places and impact of the work that goes into your products, customers will feel a deeper connection to your brand.
2. Spotlight your employees and your community engagement impact.
Your employees are just as important as your customers in upholding your brand values.
Rather than talking about how stellar your employees are, tell stories about how your company has helped your employees realize their own goals and purpose. Show that you don’t just hire great people; you actively nurture your employees to achieve their full potential.
Stryker, a medical manufacturing company that was voted the No. 1 workplace for diversity by Fortune, has stated it has a mission to make healthcare better and more inclusive of people from all backgrounds. It commits to that mission through its diverse hiring practices, which it showcases on its career blog profiles of employees who bring a wide range of perspectives and experiences to the company.
When it comes to community engagement impact reporting, numbers and accomplishments are impressive, but they can’t illustrate how you helped people on the ground. Try focusing on the story of someone who participated in a social impact program.
Salesforce, for example, has stated equality is one of its core values. (Full disclosure: Salesforce is a client of my company.) The company’s website has a dedicated section called “Our Impact” that details, among other initiatives, a workforce development program that serves veterans and people with disabilities, and one blog post highlighted how a veteran transitioned to a career in tech with the help of a Salesforce program.
Instead of a barebones employee engagement or corporate social responsibility report, empower the beneficiaries of your work to speak for themselves.
3. Put your customers’ stories front and centre to communicate brand value.
Make your brand’s core values more meaningful by allowing your customers to share them with your target audience.
It’s one thing to say, “We make clothes that last forever,” and another to let a customer share how, in their own words, they’ve spent more than 20 years hiking, building and spending time with his family in the same pair of shorts.
Patagonia is a beloved brand known for making sustainable outdoor apparel that people wear for life, but it doesn’t need to tell you that. Instead, the brand shows it through its Worn Wear webpage, which showcases long-time customer stories who have worn their Patagonia clothes through meaningful life experiences, travels and environmental work.
From my perspective, Patagonia demonstrates three central features of its business by sharing its customers’ compelling stories:
• Product quality: Stories about customers wearing the brand’s clothes help show the products are made to last.
• Company mission: Sustainability and environmental conservation are Patagonia’s bread and butter, and these stories endorse practicing mindful consumption.
• Customer ethos: Patagonia can attract like-minded people who identify with the customers in the stories they share.
Leading with brand messaging through your customers doesn’t just create goodwill for your company; it can also drive action tied to your purpose. One Porter Novelli study (registration required) found that purpose messaging is actually more likely to influence customer behaviour than product messaging.
If you can’t find a good story to tell, find something to do.
Purpose begets business opportunities when companies are vocal about how they’re making a difference. By illustrating your mission through the stories of individual people and programs, you build brand affinity in a world where consumers now expect businesses to care about the greater good.
And if you don’t yet have a great brand story to tell about how you help people, it’s never too late to start giving back.
Feature Image Credit: Getty
By Leeatt Rothschild
Founder and CEO of Packed with Purpose, where business gifts foster meaningful relationships and create deep societal impact. Read Leeatt Rothschild’s full executive profile here.
