Are you struggling to come up with content that engages your audience and leads to conversions?
You're not alone. Many marketers find themselves stuck in a content rut, churning out the same old stuff that doesn't really work. The good news is that there are techniques you can use to break out of that rut and create content that really resonates with your audience.
The StoryBrand Framework is a methodology created by Donald Miller that helps businesses create better content. The idea behind it is that people buy based on their own story, not features or benefits. When you can tap into the story your customer wants to hear, you can sell them just about anything. It’s a seven-part framework based on the greatest stories ever told.
Miller noticed a similar pattern between the most famous stories in human history and created the StoryBrand Framework. You can apply this framework to your business’ brand messaging to reach your ideal customers.
Donald Miller has developed the StoryBrand marketing approach that can be integrated into your marketing materials and strategy to improve your brand’s marketing effectiveness to help you reach more potential customers effectively using the power of stories. This template helps you craft a clearer message. It all starts when you create the BrandScript for your business.
What Is a StoryBrand BrandScript?
A StoryBrand BrandScript defines how the StoryBrand Framework fits your organization. Let's walk through each part of this framework and see how your brand fits right into the narrative you'll be sharing with your customer.
A BrandScript is like a roadmap for your brand. It clearly defines why your brand exists and the kind of people your brand is serving. It puts your customer as the main character because they should be the main focus of your business, right?
Once you’ve got your BrandScript, it’s time to explore the StoryBrand Framework. You can use this as the template for all your marketing messages.
StoryBrand Script Template: The SB-7 Framework
The StoryBrand Framework is a powerful framework that helps brands simplify their message through a story-based approach that places customers at the core of the hero journey. Through using this framework you create immediate value communication connecting to your Ideal customer and further developing your business.
This framework is a popular messaging tool designed to enhance your marketing strategies by clarifying your message. It has helped many businesses, brands, even nonprofit organizations engage with their ideal audience.
Let’s take a look at each part of the SB-7 Framework. While we’re at it, try to see how you can create a story about your business based on this framework.
1. Character (Hero)
In your brand's story, your customer or your audience is the hero - they're the reason why your brand exists in the first place. These days, a lot of brands make the mistake of talking about themselves too much. No one really cares about your mission, vision, goals, and how you started with just $2,000 and a dream.
What they want to know is how you can solve their problems.
Since the dawn of the internet, the human brain has evolved. We can sense an irrelevant ad from a mile away, so if you're not telling a story that's all about your character, it's so easy to ignore your brand.
Whenever you’re creating marketing messages, writing sales letters, social media posts, blogs, or building your StoryBrand website, ask this question:
Who is this for?
Make it all about your customer, and they'll immediately get hooked with your story.
2. Problem
Miller suggests that in business, exactly like movies, there are 3 different kinds of problems the character faces: Internal Problem, External Problem, and Philosophical Problem. Miller says that there are various kinds of problems with the same name given to each character.
Internal Problem
Viewers cannot identify or be sympathetic to McClane's actions in Die Hard if he is just blocking a terrorist organization. Therefore, when McClane's internal problem threatens his wife's safety the audience can relate to it. Company product teams need to discuss how their products solve internal problems.
That's how consumers buy into it. If you're running a plumbing business, for example, your customer's problems go beyond a clogged toilet. The smell, the look, the overall feel of the home changes all because a very important part of the house got compromised.
Whenever you create your marketing messages or a StoryBrand website, ask this question about your customers:
What do their problems make them feel?
External Problem
External problems are often illustrated as physical barriers that the villain must deal with in order to achieve success. Think of Frodo's long, arduous journey to Mordor in Lord of the Rings or John McClane's mission to neutralize the terrorist menace in Nakatomi Plaza in Die Hard.
In business, an external cause is typically easier to find in the process of solving. People wake up feeling sluggish because of a bad mattress, your customers may need a printer that isn't a pain to operate, or the toilet might simply be clogged. Whenever you create your brand's messaging, always ask and define clearly:
What's standing on their way to a better life?
Philosophical Problem
The last major problem facing characters and customers alike is philosophical problems. In films, that's the bigger context within which the movie itself runs. If Frodo can't destroy the ring in the fires of Mt. Doom, the world would literally be doomed. If Danny LaRuso loses the Karate tournament, he'd get bullied all his life.
A good night's sleep shouldn't be so hard to get. Printing a document shouldn't feel like rocket science. Everyone in your home deserves a toilet that works well.
What are the reasons why your customers shouldn't go through these problems?
3. Guide
Each hero has a guide for his journey. Luke Skywalker had Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars), Harry Potter had Professor Dumbledore (Harry Potter), and Daniel had Mr. Miyagi(Karate Kid). Your job is to guide customers toward your goal set by showing them their journey to success.
Your brand must prove understanding and authority by delivering strong communication to demonstrate that you know what you’re doing.
You can do this by adding social proof or reviews from previous customers. Remember that this step is not possible if you’re just a brand that’s out to get a quick buck. You have to show up for the people you serve and do it generously.
Your brand must demonstrate empathy with customers' situations and power to show you’re confident that you help them attain the goals of your customers.
You are running a business or an organization designed for humans. The human way we do business is through empathy—be someone that understands what they’re going through, who is also generous enough to guide others into the success stories they want to achieve.
4. Plan
Give your customers an easy-to-understand sequence about how they can achieve success. In the movies you love to watch, this is the part where the hero asks how do we get to Mt. Doom? How do you win the Karate tournament? How can we pull off this heist?
Donald Miller's book, Building a StoryBrand, teaches us how to create a three-step plan.
Three sounds complete, simple, and clear. Anything beyond that number complicates things, and you risk losing your customer.
To Get A Good Night's Sleep, You Need:
- To pick a mattress you like
- Enter your address so we know where to send your new bed
- Enjoy a restful night in your new, comfy bed
Try to do the same for your company today. How will your customers achieve the solutions they want from you in three easy steps?
5. Call to Action
After learning about how easy it is to achieve the life of their dreams, it's time for them to respond. When you're about to call your customers to action, make sure you make your Call To Action buttons clear---notice the pattern in all of StoryBranded messaging, they're all clear, simple, and easy to understand.
Your Call To Action buttons shouldn't be longer than four words. Three words, that's the sweet spot. Five words? Your brand can look shady.
You can see examples of it anywhere:
- SHOP NOW
- SCHEDULE A CALL
- BROWSE NEW BEDS
Check back on your brand's calls to action. How do they look?
6. That Ends in Success
Give them a clear view of the future. When your customer picks your brand, how will things end?
This idea goes back to empathy. You must believe that they don't deserve to have these problems, that's why your brand exists! After they choose your brand, what will their success look like?
Paint that picture so clearly and you won't lose their attention. Even better, they’ll reward you with their focus, which eventually leads to the sale.
7. And Helps Them Avoid Failure
Give your customers a taste of the risk. If you continue to live with your problem, what will happen?
Bad beds will always create bad mornings.
Complicated printers will always slow down productivity.
A clogged toilet will never bring your family closer.
When you create your brand story make sure to make this part brief. Don’t lean too much on the bad side of the story, or you’ll create a bad idea in your customers’ minds that will forever be associated with your brand.
How To Use This Framework in Your StoryBrand Website and Other Marketing Materials
If you're frustrated with your website's inability to convert leads into customers, it might be a story problem. Our StoryBrand Certified Guide can help. The guide will take you through the process of creating a story-based website that will connect with customers and drive them toward your desired outcome.
Below are the basic steps you and your StoryBrand Guide will go through once you're ready to improve your marketing message.
Step One: Create a Story Hierarchy
The first step is to create a story hierarchy. This will help you organize your ideas and ensure that all the elements of your story are included. A story hierarchy is a visual representation of the core components that make up your brand's message.
Step Two: Write Persuasive Web Copy
Once you have an understanding of what makes up your story, it's time to write a persuasive web copy. This should include information about how customers can benefit from using your product or service and why they would be better off choosing you over a competitor.
Step Three: Design Effective Landing Pages
Your landing pages are where the rubber meets the road in terms of driving conversions. They need to be designed in a way that encourages customers to take action and provides them with all the information they need to make a decision. Our StoryBrand Certified Guide can help you design effective landing pages that will support your story and drive conversions.
Step Four: Review Your Site
Once you've completed the first three steps, it's time to review everything you've done so far and make sure it all fits together. A StoryBrand website is only as strong as its weakest link, so be sure to review everything from web copy to the site design.
Step Five: Keep Your Message Consistent
The final step is keeping your message consistent across all of your brand's online channels, including social media and advertising. It may sound easy on paper but it can be tricky in practice if you haven't done a good job of crafting your story upfront. As long as you keep the seven elements of the StoryBrand framework in mind when you're creating content, you should be able to avoid any pitfalls.
Get Started Today!
The easiest way to apply the principles of StoryBrand to your business is through the StoryBrand Workshop.
This interactive, two-day online workshop gives you the chance to show up for your customers with a message they want to hear. You'll work with our StoryBrand Certified Guide and you'll get all the coaching you need to create a story that engages more ideal customers.
Improve your brand's message, enhance your team's internal communication, empower your customers to spread the word about your business. It all starts with the StoryBrand Workshop.
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