Tap Into Your Roots To Tell Stories That Make a Deeper Connection
Telling your company’s unique story
gives it a chance to stand out from the pack. The problem many companies run
into is the fear factor. They are afraid to be different or open up, lest they stand
out or receive negative feedback. Or they’re afraid that their story is not
interesting. So, rather than digging into their roots they stick with clichéd
marketing speak that sounds exactly like all the other bland sameness out there.
Why do you think you hear so many businesses offering that they’re a “one-stop
shop” that is “family owned and operated” and “goes the extra mile”? You’ve
heard all those phrases before and they now probably wash over you like a lukewarm
cup of water with a side of milquetoast.
Using common clichés and bland
phrases don’t enhance your brand. Instead, they cast you amongst the masses,
hiding your real story. Start by thinking of different ways to say those tired
phrases. Instead of being “family owned and operated” tell people that you’ve
been “vested in success for generations.” Instead of being open “24-hours” tell
people you’re “ready anytime you need us.” Little things like this can help you
open up to your real story and make that consumer connection.
Consumers want a reason to connect with your brand
Developing a deeper relationship
with your consumers means taking chances. It means being more transparent and giving
telling details about your company, even if it may feel uncomfortable or you
fear the unknown.
I once helped craft such a story
for a local staffing agency in the Pacific Northwest. The agency had dated
marketing materials that made them look like every other small company that
launched in the ’80s, and it showed in their outdated logo and website and a
color palette of teals and yellows that looked beyond tired. Plus, the language
they used was very “safe” – it was corporate, cold and didn’t have the
personality of its owner, which was odd because the owner was a community icon
and champion of local charities. Convincing them to tie the staffing brand to
the owner’s positive image and personality, and highlighting the things that he
had done to build the business and his community, brought positive recognition
to the company and led to a larger and more loyal customer base over the next
year. We updated their website to include the owner’s community stature,
spruced up the colors and fonts, and brought the owner’s story to the forefront
to create a greater connection to the community of employers and employees that
would use their services.
Lying or being vague about your
company can only lead to difficulty down the road. Just look at nearly every
sports scandal currently being investigated. Being proactively transparent can help
improve a company’s image. Look at a company like Buffer, a social media
scheduling and analytics company that grew from humble beginnings in 2010 and
now serves over 2 million. In 2013 they posted a blog that spoke to one of their
founding philosophies – “Default to Transparency”.
The blog openly talked about their revenues and the salaries of Buffer
employees, with the thinking that “transparency breeds trust.” The blog led to hundreds
of comments, many positive, and raised the profile and revenues of the company.
Even companies as big as Chipotle
and McDonald’s have benefitted from telling stories that resonated. Chipotle
recently made a positive PR move in its pledge to cook with only non-GMO
ingredients, and McDonald’s put up a site called “Our Food, Your Questions” to
get in front of their own food ingredients narrative.
While you may not have the budget
of those bigger companies, you can still tell your story inexpensively in many
ways – through social media, your website, press releases – to help build that
trust early on. The path to success changes for every business, but telling
your story helps get you noticed. So hone your message, talk with a marketing,
PR or advertising professional and build that story.
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Next: How to Craft Your Company’s Story
