Storytelling - Or How To Develop A Great Brand Message

How do I make my company stand out?
What's the best way to set my brand apart?

One of the best ways to do these things is the time-honored tradition of storytelling. Telling your company's story will share all that is unique about your company. Storytelling is an effective way of sharing your company's culture, helping you target your audience, and it will reveal the reasons people connect with your company.

When you are telling your story, you are developing your branding message. Your company's story contains information about your logo, your core values, your message, the reason you do business, and the way you treat your clients. A great brand message will help you succeed in business, make your company appear more professional, and make your message distinctive.

Developing a great brand will set your business stand apart from the crowd. Everything you do will be easier and clearer because you will know the path you are on. Customers will be easier to come by, happy clients will become adoring fans, and they will gladly spread the word about what you do because they value you.

If you don't develop a clear brand or story, you risk having a muddled message. Without the focus that a brand story can provide, your presence in the market will suffer because your clients will be confused as to what your business does. Developing a strong brand can mean the difference between success and failure.

The point is, differentiating your business is a good thing, whether you're talking about the business itself, your products or your marketing message. I like to think of your overall Brand as your reason for being. Think about it from your customer's point of view: with hundreds of options out there, the question you have to answer is, "Why should I buy your product or service?"

You must answer that question quickly, simply and completely, or your customers will move on. It's that simple. The days of "build it and they will come" are over. Gone is the time of "it is enough to have a great product to make your business a success." Today, having a great product is just the price of admission.

As a small business, it is hard to gain market share. It is not enough to have great quality; you need to state what you are all about.

• I do it differently
• I focus on X
• I will do X for you.
• This is the only place where you will get the unique experience or product that is X.

That's how Apple climbed from obscurity to success - Steve Jobs sold a lifestyle, not a computer. He sold a feeling. Apple is one of the most successful companies in the world. Almost everyone either wants an Apple product or already owns them and is looking to upgrade; probably anyone who doesn't knows someone who does.

The power of a unique branding message can make it easier for you to define your company versus your competitors.

When I opened Penguin Suits, I wanted to be a one-stop shop where clients could come and get great marketing materials - from websites, logos, and brochures to billboards and television commercials - anything. They would not have to understand all the ins and outs of the process: how to place an ad, how to put up a website, or how to film a commercial. They would just need to know they needed to market their business. Penguin Suits would work on their business while they worked in their business. It is not rocket science to do what we do, but we need passion, a plan, and a great brand message. These things help us develop the timelines we follow towards achieving sets of goals. All forward movement counts. We become the small business' marketing department. We help them with all their marketing needs and help them succeed and grow.

There are a lot of different approaches you can take to developing your brand. There's not a single right answer. Depending on what business you're in, even a small amount of differentiation could lead to success.

Here are a few suggestions on how to differentiate your business and make your own marketing easier:

• Personality of the business owner can be powerful; if you have a personality that resonates with people, leverage that - there is only one you.
• Creation of a new idea like Groupon or facebook. The "everyone-has-to-have-it" effect
• Cater to a very small market, like web designing for home builders.
• Become the expert in the field

The goal of a great brand message is to connect strongly with a small audience. Once you have a foot hold there, you will be stronger and your influence can spread more quickly.

You will never please everyone all of the time. You will leave unhappy people and they are usually loud when they are not pleased. But if you please some of the people all of the time, they will share their joy and they will sing it from the highest mountains.

A great branding message needs to be repeated clearly and often. A great name, tagline and design can really tie this whole concept of uniqueness together.

So, you have a website or business, and now you're thinking, "I did not brand my business appropriately. What do I do now?"

• First, put the elements of your story together.
• Figure out what makes your business unique.
• Identify what pieces you can use to make customers identify with you.
• What is your brand and how can you marketing it to your audience?

The important thing is that you now understand how to use your uniqueness to your advantage. Work on these points and get help with the details of implementation if you can. Your energy is much more useful working on what you know. There are plenty of professionals out there with the passion to make a difference.