If you're a black woman running a business in retail, health, education, government, or social services, here's a heads-up:
61% of Black female entrepreneurs [are] starting businesses in the retail/wholesale, health, education, government or social services sectors. [...] Because these sectors are crowded with low margins and high competition, these types of businesses are more difficult to sustain over time.
That's something, right?
Here's the thing — those industries are becoming tougher spaces to play in. Packed with tons of competitors and usually tight profits, making it a challenge to keep afloat, let alone stand out.
But don't hit the brakes!
Flip the script instead.
You've gotta get creative to grab your future stans' and backers' attention. It might mean mixing it up with unusual strategies, finding partners you align with, or sometimes, even investing a little more than originally anticipated.
One such strategy is to make deeper connections with your people out the gate. To do this for our clients, we use StoryBrand BrandScript by Donald Miller.
It's all about hooking people in with storytelling and making THEM the hero of your brand and business story. (Not that you won't be able to tell or show yours, it's just a matter of tailoring the perspective of your business to be instantly recognized by the people you want to be seen and engaged with most.)
Picture crafting stories that strike a chord, your brand can truly spark inspiration and make a meaningful connection that sticks — and it happens in an instant.
If you're finding that you're not resonating with your people as well as you were hoping you would, exploring the StoryBrand method — and how to use it to attract your people — might be the key to sharpening your brand's story like never before (improving your marketing efforts and snowballing revenue).
Let's get into it.
At the heart of the StoryBrand framework is the BrandScript method, which is grounded in (what seems obvious after you see it) storytelling. By creating stories that capture the hearts and minds of your audience, your brand can instantly inspire, educate, and ultimately, connect with your people at a much deeper level — faster.
The StoryBrand method is based on a simple, eight-part framework:
The Character
The Problem
The Guide
The Plan
The Call to Action
The Success
The Failure
And ultimately (The Transformation)
Each of these elements play a crucial role in building the brand narrative that walks your audience through a journey where they emerge as the hero, and your business is the all-knowing guide that gets them to conquer their villain or problem(s).
Start by referring back to your 5Ps — the People section — to have your customer's character profile (or persona) ready to include in your brand's story.
But first, keep this in mind:
Your customer is the hero. Not you and Not your brand.
Reflect on your target audience and think of them as the main character or the hero of a movie. Think about what they're searching for, wanting to find or experience, and the problems that are hindering them from succeeding in their quest.
If you don't have your 5P Framework, here are questions to ask yourself:
Who is my ideal customer or target audience?
What are their needs and wants? What irks their nerves?
What do they do for a living?
How do they see themselves in relation to my brand?
What do they ultimately want out of life (as it pertains to my brand/business)?
Once you know the problems and challenges faced by your people, it's time to get empathic. To build an affinity with them, reflect on what grinds their gears and how you can meet them in their frustration, disappointment, defeat, etc.
Get into a space of truly understanding them as though they were right in front of you right now sharing what brings them down the most — in relation to your business of course.
Questions to ask in this moment:
What are the biggest problems and challenges they're facing right now?
How are these issues affecting their lives?
How can I express empathy towards their pain?
Enter: Your brand and business looking like Alfred from Batman, your hero's trusted guide and mentor.
Your role is to help the hero (your customer) navigate their challenges and achieve success. It's important not to overshadow the hero but to assist them and provide valuable advice.
Questions to ask yourself here:
What expertise does my brand offer to help guide my people to success?
How can I showcase my brand's knowledge and experience without overshadowing the hero?
What are the values my brand represents, and how can they resonate with my target audience?
Ok guide and guru, now it's time to tell the hero (your customer) what the deal is. What do they need to do to be successful in conquering the villain of their story aka their problem(s).
Offer a simple and clear plan that shows how your brand will help them overcome their problem(s). Keep your plan aligned with your 5P Framework or the core of your brand — include the benefits that your brand provides.
Questions to ask here:
What is the step-by-step plan future customers need to take to succeed through my brand?
How do these steps connect with my products or services?
Are the benefits to what I offer super clear and easy for my people to quickly understand?
Challenge your hero to take action, be it booking a call, making a purchase, subscribing, or finding more information. Compelling calls to action direct your people to move forward in the story, putting a little fire or FOMO when addressing the problems or villains they're facing.
Questions to ask yourself:
What specific actions do I want my ideal customers to take?
How can I create a sense of urgency for them to act?
Are my calls to action clear, concise, personable and persuasive?
Draw a vision for the outcome and the success that your customers can expect by following your guidance and going with your plan. This reinforces the possibility of a positive experience and motivates your people to believe in what you can do for them.
Questions to ask yourself:
What does success look like for my customers?
How can I vividly describe the positive results they will experience?
How does my brand contribute to their success in overcoming their problem(s)?
Weird we know. But think of every story you've ever read or been told or movie you've seen. The hero (and audience) has to know what's at stake if they should fail.
So contrast that vision of success with the negative consequences of them not taking action. This creates a sense of urgency and helps motivate your customers to engage with your brand and act — sooner vs later.
Questions to ask yourself:
What are the potential negative outcomes if my customers don't take action to resolve their problem (let alone with another brand)?
How can I present these consequences without inducing fear or anxiety?
How can I strike a balance between illustrating success and the consequences of inaction?
And although, if you're DIYing it, you do have to put in some elbow grease, it's not hard when you have the right guidance. Regardless of if you use StoryBrand's BrandScript method, Simon Sinek's Golden Circle — or through our Brand Framework method — or some other expert process, you'll be better positioned to guide your audience through an immersive journey that ultimately creates a meaningful connection with your brand.