Why Brand Storytelling Matters
I feel like any business owner should be able to easily get behind sales copywriting. You know the kind. That highly-converting, bottom-of-funnel, “this is going to make you money and pay for itself,” type of copywriting.
I get it. It makes total sense.
If you invest in highly-converting sales copy, you’re likely to recoup your investment, making it a no-brainer. You can even tell everyone the ROI for your campaign and it would sound super-impressive.
But, I am here to make a case against jumping into creating sales copy for your business. You see, when a customer sees your sales copy, they may click. They may convert. But will they stay?
Sales copy leads to a transaction. And without careful cultivation, the relationship with this customer becomes, well … transactional.
While a solid sale is certainly nothing to sneeze at, a deeper relationship with your customer will yield repeat business and will likely create a brand ambassador in the process.
Just to be clear, I am not saying to set aside sales copy. So, what am I saying?
I’m saying to invest in top-of-funnel brand awareness messaging and brand storytelling before pumping out sales messages.
What is Top-of-Funnel?
Top-of-funnel (the sales funnel, that is) is where you’re generating awareness. The content here casts a wide net. It typically consists of blog content, articles, SEO, website content, social content, etc. This content is created with an intent to appeal to a large target.
Rarely does top-of-funnel content drill down into product features or service specifications. Rather, this content appeals to the audience’s needs, desires, and pain points.
Additionally, this type of content is created to communicate the brand. Brand awareness here is the goal. The primary intent is to allow the audience to get to know the brand, its core values, its position in the market, and its general offerings.
How is Top-of-Funnel Content Different?
Think of this as first-date type of content. Best foot forward. Not too pushy. Don’t talk about yourself too much.
Since you’re looking to attract a wide audience of people who don’t really know or care about your brand, you’ve got to be exceptionally compelling here.
This means that you’ve got to engage the audience quickly, and keep their attention as they absorb your content. Top-of-funnel content should be engaging, easy-to-skim, optimized for SEO (this audience probably isn’t already following you, so you’ve got to be able to be found), and shareable.
When creating this type of content, think about how you can provide value to your reader. What counts as value? Sharing tips and tricks, eliciting a laugh, commiserating with pain points, and more give you value points.
In short, the content has to connect.
Why is Top-of-Funnel Content Important?
Broad brand content is important because it fosters a connection between you and your audience.
It creates a basis upon which to build a relationship. Think about your relationships IRL. Relationships are built upon a two-way exchange that often starts with one person initiating by providing a helping hand, commenting on a common interest, or sharing in a struggle.
The two-way exchange only starts happening after one person opens the door.
Your business is that one person. Your content is the door knob. And your audience will start engaging with you once you’ve shown that you can help, you have common interests, or you share in a common struggle.
Where Does Brand Storytelling Come Into Play?
Gone are the days of stale “about us” website pages. Today’s audience is inundated with content, especially on the web, and they are looking to be engaged. The human brain is wired to respond to stories, and has been since the beginning of time. Storytelling transports an audience into a particular environment and connects people with the characters and plot.
Creating a company story helps you identify what your values are and why you do what you do. It helps you clarify who the main and supporting characters are and what you’re all trying to achieve together.
Basically, your story helps reinforce your values and purpose.
When your audience reads your story, they should gain an understanding of who you are and what’s important to you. More importantly, the audience should start to feel a connection that comes from shared values. Finally, your story should excite the audience and make them want to join you in the quest toward your purpose.
When you lead with brand storytelling, every other element of your communication can stem from that story, creating consistency. And when consistency comes into play, your communication becomes more powerful and sticky. It becomes a drumbeat and one that aligns with your company values.
Plus, when people identify with your story, they are likely to respond favorably to your sales messaging, even telling others to engage.
NOTE: The people who identify with your story aren’t just your customers. They are also your employees and the community at large.
What’s Your Story?
Your brand story may be something kept as a reference piece, but it can also be used on your website, as part of your bio, in part on your resume, as a corporate video script, etc.
If you’re looking to tell your story, let’s talk. You just be you. I’ll do the heavy lifting.
