The art of storytelling is a classic way to connect emotionally with customers. Today we explain some facts about why storytelling matters for a brand’s communication strategy.

Nothing is more powerful than a good story. It captivates, inspires, and drives us into action. A well-told story connects to our deepest feelings and makes us identify ourselves with that particular story.

Brands are no strangers to making us fall in love with their stories and anecdotes, as their objective is to create a community around their purpose.

If you have a fashion brand and you need to create its storytelling, continue reading this article to learn some essential steps in creating a brand story.

Every good story starts with a key ingredient: honesty. To tell your story it is essential to know who you are -as a brand- and what do you represent. In other words, you must have a well-defined brand identity.

Brand identity is a system of values and precepts by which the brand moves, communicates, and promotes. If we lack a clear identity, our story will not be authentic, and authenticity is the key to connecting with our customers.

Storytelling is a branding tool that appeals to emotions, stories, myths, and legends engraved in our minds. Storytelling evokes our memories and presents the final brand story with a recognizable narrative to identify with.

Brands with a solid brand story are more likely to grow their community. First, because they focus on emotions and storytelling and not -only- on their product. Second, a sincere story wins over the communities and turns them into prescribers. Remember, a brand without customers is nothing.

Well-done storytelling techniques can help the brand to tell not only its origin but also its achievements, milestones, dates, and motivations.

An amusing story humanizes the brand and connects its values with the present, whether it is dealing with global issues or a social cause. Many of today’s consumers are looking for brands committed to fair business practices while improving the lives of their customers.

Storytelling can make your brand memorable. Data is often forgotten, stories are not. Include your storytelling throughout your brand voice, you will be consistent and repeat the story in the brand’s different communication channels.

How to Get Started

The brand story is a fundamental narrative axis that must be present in all your communication. According to Stern in Authenticity and the Textual Persona: Postmodern Paradoxes in Advertising Narrative, there are three starting point elements of a story: chronology, causality, and character development.

Chronology establishes the story’s tempo, as a beginning, middle, climax, and ending. Causality underlines the relationship between actions, for example, decisions made by a character to achieve a goal or solve an issue leading to an outcome. The character development shows the mind of the protagonist; what he or she desires and what motivates him or her internally.

1. Outline the Protagonist’s Journey and Character

The brand story must feature a protagonist or narrate a momentous event. We can strengthen our story by drawing on the universal archetypes present in all stories whether it be a hero, a joker, a savior, a genius, or a sage, to name a few. Archetypes are flexible and guide us to build an authentic story worthy of our brand. Storytelling provides its main character with a unique personality.

On the contrary, the absence of a protagonist in favor of a collective does not get in the way of creating a powerful and credible brand story.

In this case, it is worth highlighting the group’s milestones and challenges, as well as its path to achieving them.

2. Make Sure You Have the Key Elements for a Great Brand Story

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, authenticity is mandatory when writing or speaking your brand story. You need to convey to your customer to believe in your story and associate it with their reality.

You need to be concise when creating your story; present it in a clear and untangled way, while still covering all the important points to be understood as a whole.

Create a reversal, a climax, or a turning point. Unleash actions into a surprising twist or increase the level of emotion. This narrative will point to the journey or the motivations at its best.

Introduce a little bit of humor, your story does not have to be a comedy itself, but we all feel related to a sense of humor. You can introduce jokes and use some puns to command a positive reaction from your customers.

Storytelling has been proven to add positive brand associations, and in the long- term, strengthen brand equity.

If you create your brand story from authentic attributes embracing core brand values, certainly you will make a difference compared to other competitors who use traditional and static forms of marketing and communication.

In addition, storytelling fosters emotional brand connections and has positive effects on brand attitudes and purchase intentions among customers. Without a doubt, this is how storytelling can help your brand grow.