What is your brand inspiration story?

The brand describes the story behind how your company came into being. What do you believe? What’s important to you? Hopefully these are the same things that matter to your future customers. A well-communicated brand story can connect you with your customers and inspire brand loyalty.

Is a brand story invented?

If you want your customers to trust you, don’t build a brand story based on lies. Instead, look into yourself and your company. Think about how your company grew into what it is today, and how you hope it will continue building upon that foundation. Your company’s story should be inspired, not invented.

Drawing inspiration for your brand

Think about your customers and how they use your product or service. How does it impact their daily lives? Why did you build something to solve that problem? While money is almost always a motivation for building a company, there’s something more than profits that got you out of bed in the morning when things were challenging. Channel those passions and values that helped you power through the rough patches. That’s your brand story’s inspiration.

Grow your brand through storytelling

Don’t take my word for it! Just look at what Damien Dally, an executive with Jeep U.K., had to say about the value of storytelling in the automotive industry:

“Storytelling in the automotive industry has been key in marketing campaigns for some time, especially since the advent of interactive/social media. This can be something metaphoric, yet simple, like a journey, to something more in-depth, with use of roles and a plot for the more adventurous. Portraying your brand as the protagonist in either case is essential.”

Your brand needs a story to connect with new customers and build deeper bonds with existing ones. Dally makes a fantastic point: positioning your brand as a protagonist, fighting a negative aspect of an existing market, is a great way to step out from behind a crowded market.

Understanding what resonates with your customers

Companies that fail to connect with their customers miss out on potential business. Bookcab is a brand in India that connects online users with vehicle rentals in the major cities throughout India. They started out in 2011 with a mission to make car rental in their developing country more transparent and affordable. While their “About Us” page is well written, they would benefit from a story that positions them as a protagonist saving Indians on the go from overpriced car rentals.

For example, their story could be about how their founders came together in a town for an important business meeting. As their flights landed, they realized that finding a vehicle to rent for the weekend would be more expensive and more challenging than they had originally envisioned. Business travellers in India would be able to identify with the frustrations and more easily remember their brand as the result of a stronger brand story.