The most powerful way to get your audience hooked into your brand or product, is story telling.
As a startup, your brand story is one of your greatest asset. It’s what sets you apart from your competitors and connects you with your customers on a deeper level. But how do you create a brand story that is both compelling and memorable? The answer may lie in an ancient storytelling structure known as the Hero's Journey. What is it? ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
The Hero's Journey is a story framework that has been used for centuries to create epic tales of adventure, growth, and transformation. It is a universal narrative pattern that appeals to our deepest desires and resonates with people from all cultures and backgrounds. The framework, developed by the author Joseph Campbell, is a 7 step framework that compromises of the protagonist's journey from their ordinary world to an extraordinary one.
Who is the protagonist? And how do use this for your brand? What are the 7 steps? Read more to find out.
The Hero's Journey in 7 steps
1. The Hero:
This is the story begins. And a common mistake that people make is positioning their brand as the hero. We're not gonna make that mistake, are we? The hero of your story is your customer. They are central to the brand narrative. They may not see themselves as the hero (and that's okay), but every person who interacts with your brand has an emotional connection to it and experiences it like a protagonist in their own life's narrative. Use this step speak to your audience. Define their current life without your product. Is it boring? Do they lack something? The point is we kick off the story with the hero living in an ordinary world. One such life that anyone would want an escape from.
2. Gets a call to adventure:
Everyone wants to transform their lives in some way. They need a better job, more money, attract the opposite sex or appear interesting amongst peers; you get the drill.
Use this step to define adventure they seek. How green is the grass on the other side, of sorts.
3. Faces a problem:
Life gets in the way. They hit a big a$$ wall and can’t cross over for the adventure. This is the hook. Everyone resists a call for adventure for many reasons. Fear, anxiety, finance, lack of information or lack of knowledge. But eventually everyone has to rise to the moment, if they intend to grow or succeed.
4. And meets a guide:
As your customer embarks on their journey, they encounter a mentor/guide who helps them and provides them with the tools needed to succeed. That Guide is you!
5. Who helps them cross the hurdle:
Position your brand as the solution to their burning problem. It is your offer that solves their problem and helps them cross over that wall. Why is your brand or product better than the other options out there? And how are you different? This is where you tell them.
6. Which helps them avoid failure:
That failure is the scenario they would have been in, if they did not come across your brand/product/service. What’s the cost of not working with you or not solving that problem of theirs? Help them see that.
7. And find success:
Show/Tell them what their new transformed life looks like. 6 pack abs, a job promotion, minty fresh breath or colorful socks. Use imagery, words or testimonies for this.
Conclusion
And that’s how you tell a story or at least one way of telling a story. This framework can be used to across different mediums like brand story, landing page or your next piece of content. You can even alter the framework needed.
But this is definitely one of the most efficient steps to differentiate yourself from the competition and connect with your audience on an emotional level. Do consider the hero's journey for your next story.
Or if you would like professional touch on developing your brand's story, we at TIKI TAVI have worked with various brands to effectively communicate their story through visually stunning and thoughtful design.
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