Tag: brand story

  • Reputation Management and Social Proof

    Reputation Management and Social Proof

    Updated July 6, 2024

    Understanding Social Proof and Reputation Management

    I use the term “social proof” when discussing customer reviews because I emphasize the power of positive feedback. A series of glowing testimonials can put a business on the map—social proof is powerful. It highlights how positive reviews can validate your brand story.

    However, social proof focuses solely on positive feedback and doesn’t address negative reviews or provide strategies for handling them. We’re leveraging your customers’ positive reviews to support your story.

    On the other hand, reputation management considers the bigger picture. It’s a more comprehensive approach that deals with negative reviews and is commonly used in SEO and other industries, focusing on a business’s overall customer feedback.

    For additional information on the idea of social proof, you can refer to this blog post as well as in this webinar.

    Why Reputation Management and Social Proof Matter?

    The following statistics highlight why reputation management and social proof matter. If you ignored customer reviews before, you will now. These numbers are eye-opening and illustrate the importance of providing an excellent customer experience.

    • Most people (88%) like companies that reply to their reviews
    • Almost everyone (92%) trusts what their friends say, and many (70%) trust what strangers say
    • Most shopping (87%) starts with looking up stuff online first
    • Nearly everyone (97%) says online reviews help them decide what to buy
    • Sales pages sell 34% more with testimonials (people saying good things)
    • Over half (56%) of American social media users feel FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).
    • Good reviews make people spend 31% more money.
    • Most people (83%) think reviews older than three months aren’t helpful anymore.

    40+ Social Proof Statistics (Latest 2024 DATA)

    Can I Pay a Company to Delete Negative Reviews?

    No! Negative reviews offer valuable insights into your business and how your audience perceives their experience. Deleting them won’t solve the underlying issues and can lead to a loss of trust. Instead, view each review as an opportunity to improve your customer experience.

    Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative. The quicker you respond, the better your chance of improving your rating. Often, people want to be heard. Show empathy and put yourself in their shoes. Before making any judgments, ensure you verify both sides of the story.

    Use these experiences as teaching moments for your team. Negative reviews can be powerful tools for growth and improvement if handled correctly.

    Reputation Management: Key Steps for Handling Negative Reviews

    Negative reviews can significantly impact your business, as clients trust and value the opinions of their peers. Often, one negative review reflects the experiences of multiple customers who didn’t take the time to write a review themselves. Never underestimate the power of a negative review, but remember that handling it properly can help you gain respect and authority.

    Turning a negative review into a positive experience can demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction. Here are the steps you should take when dealing with an unsatisfied customer:

    Immediate Steps to Take

    1. Respond to the review immediately. The quicker you react, the higher the chance the reviewer will improve their rating. Resolving the issue within 24 hours makes the reviewer 33% more likely to increase their score. Additionally, responding to reviews shows future customers that you value their experience and are committed to ensuring each interaction is positive.
    2. Take the time to understand what happened. Listen for key phrases like, “if they had only,” or “I wish that,” which can highlight what the customer was hoping for. These insights are crucial for reaching a favorable resolution.
    3. If an immediate resolution isn’t possible, let the reviewer know you’re looking into the situation and set a time to follow up within 12-24 hours. This demonstrates your commitment to addressing their concerns promptly.

    Within 12-24 hours of Review

    1. Gather Information: Get both sides of the story. Did the customer mention names in the review? What was their impression of the interaction? Was anyone else present? Always discuss these details in private.
    2. Review and Reach Out: Assess all the information you’ve collected and then contact the customer. Seize the chance to develop a personal connection.
    3. Be Empathetic and Understanding: Show empathy and understanding while remaining impartial. Put yourself in your client’s shoes before responding. Each interaction is an opportunity to positively impact, it is not a burden.
    4. Listen and Resolve: Have a resolution in mind, but let the customer lead the conversation. This approach shows you value their input and are committed to resolving their concerns effectively.

    Within 36 Hours of the Review

    1. Find a Solution Quickly: Aim to resolve the problem by the 36-hour mark. Consider what it will take to make the customer feel better about their experience. Remember, a lost customer means lost revenue for a lifetime.
    2. Agree on a Resolution: Once you’ve found a solution, agree with the client. Before ending the conversation, ask if there’s anything else you can assist them with. Often, customers will give you another chance to impress them.
    3. Request a Rating Update: After agreeing on a resolution, politely ask if the customer can update their rating. Don’t request a specific score or offer incentives for a higher rating.
    4. Implement Changes: If the resolution involves changing policies, ensure everyone on your team is informed. This prevents the same negative experience from reoccurring with the same customer or others.

    Immediately Following the Resolution with the Customer

    1. Document the Experience: Take detailed notes on the incident, including the customer’s name, contact information, and specifics of the event. Record the resolution details and keep them on file for future reference.
    2. Respond Online: Publicly respond to the review. Apologize for the sub-par experience, mention the resolution, and thank the individual for their business.
    3. Educate Your Team: Use the experience as a teaching opportunity. Discuss the preferred solution for handling similar situations in the future. Focus on learning and improvement rather than punishment.

    Preventing Future Negative Experiences

    1. Make Necessary Changes: To avoid similar negative experiences in the future, consider what changes can be implemented in training, policies, or employee practices. Think outside the box to find effective solutions.
    2. Seek Additional Information: If you receive a negative review about an unfamiliar situation, don’t hesitate to contact the review site for more details. If the site cannot reach the customer to verify the details, they may delete the negative review.
    3. Follow Up Respectfully: If the customer does not change their review, reach out once to check if they are still dissatisfied. However, do not badger them to change the rating. Respect their decision and focus on improving for the future.

    Striving for the Ideal Outcome

    The goal is always a five-star review. We’ve fallen short of that goal when we receive a negative review. It’s time to make the best of a bad situation. Acting quickly, showing empathy, and truly listening to the customer’s concerns can transform a two-star review into a more acceptable rating. Demonstrate to your customers that you value them by addressing their issues promptly and effectively.

    Identify and eliminate pain points in your organization’s customer experience. Remember, your customer should always be the number one priority for your entire team. The moment the customer is no longer the focus, your business starts to lose ground.

  • 9 Ways to Get Out of Your Social Media Rut

    9 Ways to Get Out of Your Social Media Rut

    Revised June 2024

    Stuck in a Social Media Rut?

    You might be in a social media rut if any of these sound familiar:

    • Your content feels uninspired.
    • Your posts lack engagement and feel flat.
    • Every post feels like a chore.
    • You feel disconnected from what you’re posting.

    Don’t worry; we’re here to help! Revitalize your spirit and social media presence with these 9 Ways to Get Out of Your Social Media Rut. These tips will help you reframe, refocus, and re-energize your posts without wasting time and effort.

    Save yourself the hassle and try these 9 Ways first!

    9 Ways to Get Out of Your Social Media Rut: 3 Inspirational Strategies

     

    Plan a Day of Inspiration

    The top recommendation for getting out of your social media rut is to plan a day of inspiration for yourself. Forget about social media and the stress it’s causing. Don’t post anything! Dedicate this day to activities that make you happy. Engage in things you love, whether related to your business or not.

    The idea is to spend a day genuinely focused on what you enjoy without considering social media. This break will help you re-center your energy and efforts on what truly matters. Content creation should come from the heart and reflect your passion for your business. Focusing on what you love will reignite your creativity, and meaningful content will naturally surface.

    A Day of Inspiration for Jonathan at Success on .Social

    A day of inspiration for Jonathan at Success on .Social can take many forms. I plan a day behind my camera when I’m stuck in a content creation rut. On this day, my focus is solely on what my camera sees, not on what I want it to capture. The key difference between a content creation day (where I control what the camera sees) and an inspiration day (where the camera leads) is this shift in perspective.

    I don’t plan where I’ll go; I simply walk and see where I end up. With no schedule or specific purpose, I let the camera guide me. This spontaneous walking clears my head. I’m not thinking about creating social media posts or how I will use a photo to tell my story—I’m just taking pictures.

    Get Unstuck by Looking at Leaders and Brands That Inspire You

    Do you follow leaders, influencers, or brands because their content inspires you? Have you ever followed a brand hoping to create content as strong as theirs? Looking at the content of others that inspire you is a great way to reignite your creativity. Sometimes, all it takes is one great post to pull you out of your rut.

    When using others’ content as inspiration, ask yourself:

    • How would this post work with my brand?
    • What creative elements would I use to make this my own?
    • How could I adapt this focus for my brand?

    By asking these questions, you can analyze the content’s objectives that inspire you and create something uniquely your own.

    Get Out of Your Social Media Rut by Getting Inspired by Your Competition

    What is your competition posting? Do they have a new product, concept, or campaign? Sometimes, a little friendly rivalry can spark inspiration. There’s no harm in observing what your competitors are doing and using it as a source of inspiration. However, it’s crucial not to compare yourself directly to your competition or copy their content. Instead, view their efforts as a springboard for your creativity. Your goal is to be inspired to create unique and engaging content for your brand.

    Get Out of Your Social Media Rut: 4 Content-Based Strategies

    Did the 3 inspirational strategies not catapult you out of your social media rut? Sometimes, it’s not just inspiration that’s missing; sometimes, you need to mix up your content and engagement strategies. If you think this might be the case, try these four strategies to help get you back on track.

    Invest in the Relationships You Have

    You have a relationship with every follower. Invest in those relationships by engaging directly. Respond to all comments, acknowledge likes, and answer your followers’ questions. Basic engagement strategies encourage your followers to keep interacting with your posts.

    Every time an audience member asks a question, it’s an opportunity. How can you resolve their problem in a post or a series of posts? The more questions you can answer, the more content you can create. More importantly, you become a valuable resource for them. Investing in relationships is not just a strategy to get you out of your social media rut; it’s also a great way to build a loyal following.

    Reframe Your Role

    This strategy is closely related to investing in the relationships you have with your customers. Position yourself as a resource and an expert in your niche. Reframing your role on social media can dramatically impact what you can post. Let’s compare the content from Jonathan Howard, Everyday Guy with 2 Puggles, and Jonathan Howard, Owner of Success on .Social.

    Jonathan Howard, Everyday Dog Owner

    • Posts about my dogs
    • Content about my house
    • Talking about my photos
    • Discussing what I ate
    • Day-to-day activities
    • Talking about my family
    • Where I am going

    Jonathan Howard, Owner of Success on .Social

    • All the things the dog owner can post about
    • Content creation
    • Social media strategies
    • Storytelling and Building Your Story Bank
    • Developing Your Signature Style
    • Basic business strategies
    • Small business success tips

    By reframing your role, you can expand your content possibilities and establish yourself as a trusted expert in your field.

     

    Get Unstuck by Reposting or Repurposing Existing Content

    This type of content creation became popular with the rise of short-form videos. Experts often suggest finding your top-performing piece and recreating it as a reel. Previously, many of us relied on photo + caption style posts. Over the years, we’ve touched on many topics but often don’t revisit them because we think, “I’ve already done that!” However, this mindset can hold you back. If the content is still relevant, you can repost it or change the format and repurpose it.

    One key to being recognized as a leader in your niche is consistently repeating your message.

    Transforming photo posts into video posts forces you to rethink how to deliver the content effectively in a new format. By doing this, you create a new and relevant post. Each format—whether a live video, a recorded video, a short-form video, or a YouTube tutorial—requires a different approach. This strategy can lead to a wealth of content simply by reframing what you’ve already created.

    Have Your Blog Help You Out of the Rut

    I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Your blog is a powerful social media tool! It’s one of my favorite strategies to expand your reach on social media because it maximizes each piece of content. Your blog is also a great source of material to post on social media. Pair your words, a quote, or an action item with a relevant picture, and voilà—you have a piece of content to post.

    What’s even better is that you can include a call-to-action (CTA) that links back to your blog. A CTA that directs readers to your blog adds authority to your post and drives traffic to your platform.

    Get Out of Your Rut with These Two “Lone Wolf” Strategies

    Let Users Create Content for You

    Social proof is a powerful social media strategy that enlists your product or service users to tell your story without brand bias. User-generated content (UGC) is a form of social proof created by your followers. While encouraging UGC by reposting it in your feed or stories is beneficial, it’s not the most effective content creation strategy alone, as it relies on your audience to create content.

    UGC helps you understand how your followers use your product or service daily. Once you know this, you can build content encouraging others to share similarly. It also allows you to create content that serves the needs of those using your products.

    Challenge Yourself with a Challenge

    Social media challenges are plentiful, but finding the right one can push you out of your comfort zone and revitalize your content creation. Join a challenge that is within reach but still challenging enough to keep you engaged. Avoid too easy or difficult challenges, as you’re more likely to quit. Look for challenges that require daily content creation and have a structure with built-in accountability.

    Unexpected Benefits

    Every challenge I’ve participated in has led to unexpected discoveries and a renewed focus on content creation. Challenges are designed to teach you something new, prompting you to review your current practices and see how the new lessons fit into your business.

    Eve Voyevoda — Business & Brand Creator — Visibility Gym

    “I wasn’t in a rut, but I wanted to stretch myself. I knew I needed to explore different ways to include video in my content strategy. I’ve always been afraid of video, and when the opportunity to participate in this challenge arose, I was looking for every reason not to do it. So, I signed up before I could talk myself out of it and couldn’t have been happier. Not only did I improve my video presentations, but I also ended the experience with a ton of fresh content ideas. While this was one of the best challenges I’ve ever participated in, the lessons and content inspiration are benefits that come with every challenge if you make the most of the opportunity.”

     

    Free Yourself from the Rut & Create Engaging Content with Ease!

    Utilize these 9 strategies to get out of your social media rut, whether you use them together or pinpoint your problem and use just one. Each strategy helps you get out of your head, stop comparing yourself to others, and create content that feels authentic to you and your brand. Remember, you are doing your best at any moment, but there is always room for growth and learning.

    Even if you aren’t currently in a social media rut, these strategies can be used proactively to keep challenging yourself. Create better content that engages your customers and fosters deeper, more meaningful relationships with your followers.

  • Social Media Strategy: 9 Photos & Videos to Keep Your Content Fresh

    Social Media Strategy: 9 Photos & Videos to Keep Your Content Fresh

    Updated June 2024

    Social Media Strategy: 9 Photos to Keep Your Content Fresh

    Creating fresh and current content for your social media posts can seem daunting. Or is it? In this blog, we’ll provide you with ideas for 9 photos and 9 videos that you can easily capture each week to keep your content vibrant. These will streamline your content creation process and ensure all your social media profiles remain engaging and on point.

    Yes, 9 photos and videos a week, and the best part is they feature you going about your daily life. While these won’t replace the need for professional shoots, they will complement them with high-quality content, helping you build your own custom stock photo and video library. For more details on maximizing a photoshoot, check out this blog post! As you know, I am a huge advocate for using your own photos on social media; it’s the best way to differentiate yourself from the get-go.

    It’s Almost Time to Reveal the 9 Photos, But First…

    First, take a moment to consider the type of content you typically post on social media.

    What kind of content generally resonates with your audience?
    Are you regularly posting on specific topics or categories?
    What do you have planned for the next three to five weeks?

    Keep these questions in mind as you review the nine photos you can take daily. You can tweak, stretch, or expand on one or all of them to fit your specific needs. Remember, I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. I’m giving you these nine images and videos as guidelines based on my social media expertise and what has the potential to engage. Feel free to adapt them to your needs!

    9 Photos and Videos to Keep Your Content Fresh

    Drumroll Please

    1. Daily Routine
    2. Morning Coffee
    3. Full Body Shot/Big Movement Video
    4. Detail Shot
    5. At the Office
    6. With a client or customer
    7. Work close up
    8. Behind the scenes
    9. Life Outside of Work Shot

    The Daily Routine

    I made this the first of the 9 Photos and Videos to Keep Your Content Fresh because it’s the easiest to capture. Simply take a photo or video of something you do every day.

    Why this?

    Because it’s something you do daily, there’s a high chance you’ll talk about it on social media or it will impact your content in some way. Having a relevant visual ready to use when discussing this routine saves you from scrambling for a post idea. Plus, you won’t need to rely on overused stock photos to showcase a unique aspect of yourself or your business.

    Additional Tips and Tricks

    Think about what you enjoy posting and what your audience engages with. Is it your fitness routine? Haircare? Outfits? Are they asking you specific questions? Use this insight to guide which daily routines you should document. Need a starting point? Pizza, pets, and babies always perform well on social media.

    The Morning Coffee Shot

    I know what you’re thinking: “Really, coffee? You want me to take a photo of my coffee first thing in the morning?” And maybe even worse, “You expect me to take a video of it?” Yes, even if it’s before you’ve had your first sip! Capture that perfect coffee cup shot or a video of your coffee-making ritual.

    Why This?

    Food, babies, and dogs are universal favorites; everyone eats, dogs are man’s best friend, and babies are cute! Similarly, coffee is a nearly universal connector on social media—something almost everyone can relate to.

    Additional Tips and Tricks

    Not a coffee drinker? No problem! What’s your drink of choice in the morning? What jumpstarts your day? Whether it’s tea, a donut, a protein smoothie, or even a pair of stylish shoes, whatever gets you moving and motivated in the morning works. The key idea behind the coffee posts is to share what energizes you, so feel free to substitute with your own morning motivator.

    The Full Body Shot & The Big Motion Video

    Next on your list of daily photos to keep your content fresh is the full body shot. This means capturing a photo of yourself from head to toe, doing something—anything. As long as your attire is brand-appropriate, you can’t go wrong. For the video, aim for a big movement, such as walking.

    Why This?

    A full body shot is versatile and can be used in both your stories and feed on social media. People do business with other people, not faceless companies. To get people to do business with you, you need to build trust and let them feel like they know you. These photos and videos help create that connection and build trust more effectively.

    Additional Tips and Tricks

    Don’t worry about looking like a model. You don’t have to be a model—just be yourself. Avoid overthinking, over-staging, or over-editing. This photo isn’t about creating a perfect, imaginary life. It’s about featuring your authentic self, the real face of your brand.

    The Detail Shot

    The detail shot or video is essential for defining your signature style. For example, my Converse sneakers have been a staple in my brand. This was intentional, as I often feature content of my shoes in stories and on my feed. My footwear subtly communicates that my brand is fun, bright, disruptive, and not your typical business. Similarly, my sequin hat reflects the fun and sparkly nature of my brand.

    Why This?

    Detail shots and videos can be used for various purposes on social media. I used my shoes to convey an abstract aspect of my signature style. For a simpler, more straightforward example, a watch could be used in a post about deadlines, setting SMART goals, or your dislike of waiting.

    Additional Tips and Tricks

    Be creative with this one. It can be details of what you’re wearing, elements of your office, or a part of your everyday life. This approach is also useful for future content about specific aspects of your business. For example, if a housing form is due by a certain date, take a photo of the top of that form on a desk, or a video of someone filling out the form and use it in your post. It’s much more engaging than a generic stock photo.

    In The Office/Work Shot and Video

    Another great way to keep your content fresh is with office shots. These are photos or videos of you at work, doing what you do best. While a day at the office might seem mundane to you, your loyal followers are interested in seeing more about your daily routine. Mix it up by capturing different parts of your office or various aspects of your job. Focus on the more interesting tasks you perform and document them through photos or short videos.

    Why This?

    You’re on social media to showcase the work you do and attract your ideal clients. It’s natural to show your audience what you do, how you do it, why you do it, and where you do it. Consider what your ideal client would want to see from someone in your role, and create content that will engage them.

    Additional Tips and Tricks

    Review your previous content to identify what performed well on social media. If you’re a web developer, for instance, you could include photos of you working at your computer, videos of you collaborating with a web designer, or attending a training session on a new programming language. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and get creative with your shots.

    With a Client

    I know you might be hesitant about this next photo or video idea, so let me say this: the client does not need to be identifiable. The focus should be on you. Be creative and find a way to show yourself interacting with a client or customer. It could be as simple as you behind a desk with the back of your clients’ heads facing the camera, or a close-up video of you demonstrating something to the client, with only your hands visible.

    Why This?

    You can’t build trust on social media and demonstrate your expertise without showcasing your work. Featuring client interactions is crucial. Highlight your first touchpoints or ways you build trust with clients. Even if you use stand-ins instead of real clients (totally our secret), it’s so important to depict these interactions.

    Additional Tips and Tricks

    Professional development sessions, speaking opportunities, media events, and more are perfect for capturing photos and videos of you working with clients or potential clients. Make sure someone is available to capture these moments, whether it’s your hubby, friend, or a professional photographer. Take advantage of these opportunities to showcase your client interactions.

    The Work Closeup

    This is what I am doing right now, as I revise this blog post I am recording myself (two birds, one stone) So the idea here is to capture some content up close of you doing something in your business. This is great for stock photography and also to use as B-roll for short-form video. Think about things like, you writing out your plans on an eisel, or your fingers typing on the computer, or writing in a jourmal. Those all work.

    Why This?

    Because when you talk about your work, it is great to have photos that you can post that show you working. Be sure to capture  a variety of photos and videos so you have a library to choose from, although It doesn’t matter that you are writing down the steps to take in your business over the next nine months, but you use the photo in a post about how writing allows your thoughts to flow. In most cases they can’t see the text. You will find that these are the most flexible and useful photos to take as many of them as you can!

    Additional Tips and Tricks

    Think about the things that you tend to post about and what an excellent generic visual could be that highlights either what you are talking about in the post, or the feeling you want people to get from the post, etc. We are working on creating a library of flexible and usable stock photos and videos for your business.

    Behind the Scenes

    What are some of the things that you do for your business behind the scenes, or what things would people not ever be able to guess about your business? Photos and videos of different behind the scenes aspects or videos of prepping for an event, photoshoot, or other special occasions are always phenomenal for engagement. Be sure to grab content of this. 

    Why This?

    This is essential because everybody likes a peek behind the curtain. Behind the scenes is always engaging because people want to see the real life person behind what they see that they assume is scripted and perfected.

    Additional Tips and Tricks

    All of the images you take should feel real; they shouldn’t be too polished. They should not depict a beautifully perfect life. Make sure to leave your behind the scenes content believable. If it’s too perfect, it shows up as inauthentic, and you could lose credibility.

    Life Outside of Work Shot

    I completely respect a person’s choice not to include aspects such as children in their brand. That is your choice. What I do advocate for is that every business shows off a little bit of life outside of work. If it is you going home and reading a book, walking a dog, cooking, or going to the gym. Those are all great, and you should take photos or videos of you doing them.

    Why This?

    It makes you human, a real person outside of the walls of the business that does cool things and has actual struggles, goals, and dreams. Don’t wipe all the things that make you human from your business; it will erase any possibility of you being able to engage your ideal audience out with it.

    Additional Tips and Tricks

    Social Media is supposed to be social. The things you do outside of work are just as important as those you do at work. 

    Those Are The 9 Photos and Videos to Keep Your Content Fresh

    Using these nine photos as a guide will help you eliminate some of the stress caused by social media. We promise you will feel less overwhelmed, have stronger posts and be able to level up on social media much more quickly.

  • Brand Alignment: New Year, (Re)New Brand

    Brand Alignment: New Year, (Re)New Brand

    Brand Alignment: Conducting Brand Reviews to Ensure Brand Health

    It is a commonplace for a brand to overlook the importance of alignment. Companies view a brand as something that is completed once and requires little or no maintenance. This tendency to overlook brand alignment is why we developed the New Year (Re)New Brand webinar. The webinar serves as a reminder of the importance of conducting a yearly review of your brand.

    Completing a yearly brand review ensures that any adjustments and realignment necessary for your brand occurs. The practice of completing a regular brand review also creates awareness of shifts in the marketplace, your business, or your employees. It also allows your businesses to adjust to small changes before any significant issues arise. When a brand is no longer appropriately aligned, the impact can be dramatic.

    The Impact of A Poorly Aligned Brand

    What happens when your brand is no longer aligned with your story and values? One of the significant impacts of a brand being out of alignment is the loss of trust from your customers. This loss of confidence is most visible when customers no longer believe the claims that a brand is making. Additionally, customers don’t think the company is making good on its claims. Another significant impact of poor brand alignment is the perception that the brand is out of touch with the current marketplace or possibly even reality. These are generally symptoms of brands that are dramatically misaligned. The practice of conducting a yearly brand review will prevent poor brand alignment from ever occurring.

    Yearly Brand Alignment Review

    Conducting an annual brand review is an essential part of maintaining a healthy brand. This will ensure that youer brand remains appropriately aligned with your unique brand story and values. At JRH Graphics, we recommend utilizing the 9 Components of Brand Workbook as the starting point for your annual Brand Review. During this review, you should look at the changes you have made in the past year. Additionally, account for shifts in the market and eliminate any invalid differentiators.

    A thorough brand review helps you feel confident that you are entering the new year on the right foot. Go into 2020 as a brand and business that is fully aligned and ready to make a difference.

  • 7 Strategies for Successful Storytelling Webinar

    7 Strategies for Successful Storytelling Webinar

    Power Up Your Brand Story on Social Media Webinar

    We developed the 7 Strategies for Successful Storytelling webinar as a companion lesson to the blog post, Your Story on Social: 7 Ways to Maximize Impact. With storytelling being the foundation of the services we offer at JRH Graphics we wanted to take a deeper dive on this topic and highlight ways businesses can utilize these strategies immediately. We also wanted to highlight how each of these strategies could be utilized in various organizations and businesses so we provided specific exxamples of each in practice and shared some of the results we have seen.

    Storytelling on Social Media

    Goldfish attention span longer than human We reviewed the following seven strategies on the webinar, including why the strategy is successful and how to actually utilize the strategy.

    1. Get Visual
    2. Enroll Users Help
    3. Verify with Proof
    4. Create a Story Arc
    5. Expand on the Blog
    6. Enroll Influencers to Help Magnify Your Story
    7. Create Connections

    The 3 Big Win Strategies

    We focused the webinar of the following 3 Strategies that we consider our Big Win Strategies.

    1. Create an expanded narrative by utilizing the concept of story arcs. A story arc allows you to tell more of your brand story over the course of multiple posts creating deeper engagement. You brand story touches multiple aspects of your business so it should naturally touch multiple areas of your social media marketing.
    2. The second strategy is expanding your story on your business blog. Expanding your story on your blog helps highlight your knowledge within your niche and establishes you as a leader. This strategy can result in significant payoffs as blogging has a tremendous return on investment.
    3. BIG WIN strategy number three is to build relationships with your audience and followers. Social media is meant to be social, and businesses must utilize the tools available to build relationships with followers. Engaging with your followers will build trust. Talking with your followers builds loyalty. Educating your followers establishes you as an expert.

    Enjoy The Webinar

    Since we build flexible and adaptable solutions into our strategies all of the tips and strategies are moldable to your unique situation. We make sure that each strategy is adaptable to a variety of companies and that it will help you tell your winning story. Please enjoy the webinar. If you have additional questions or want to provide feedback or suggestions please reach out. Webinar also visible on the JRH Graphics channel on YouTube

    9 Essential Posts for the Holidays

    Please join us for our next webinar.  We will look at the 9 Essential Posts Framework utilized by JRH Graphics and review how to use it to get the most from your posts on social media this holiday season. Using the 9 Essential posts framework and pairing it with a content calendar you can plan the best ways to engage with followers. The framework makes it easy to provide varied content that is educational, entertaining and useful for your audience. Join us on this webinar, and “sleigh” your social media this Holiday! Get it, sleigh instead of slay!

  • Your Story On Social: 7 Ways to Maximize Impact

    Maximize the Impact of Your Story On Social Media

    Your brand story is a powerful and versatile marketing asset. Here at JRH Graphics we believe that your brand story should come first. When told correctly, it can connect with your audience at an emotional level and build relationships that can lead to loyal customers, brand advocates, and eventually, customers for life. There are many things you can do to maximize the impact of your story, including the 7 Strategies we outline below. Using the 7 strategies on social media will result in an audience that is more engaged with your brand as well as fiercely loyal to your business.

    story strategy get visualVisual Storytelling

    Using videos and images to tell your story on social media because after all, a picture is worth 1000 words, or more!

    Today, people have an attention span of approximately 8 seconds. As a result, images are more important than ever, especially on social media. Our brains can process images much more quickly (about 60,000 times) than words, and it only takes a few milliseconds to recognize a familiar object. Also, humans can recall images better than text. So by using images to tell your story, you will be able to get your point across quickly. Plus the audience will be able to recall your message better than if you used words. 

    Similiar to photos, video content boasts similar numbers because our brains are hardwired to understand visual cues. Video also has the power to ignite emotion and personal connections, and it entices viewers to seek more information. Social media is seeing a huge increase in video content because it’s ROI is the highest of any form of media. Check out these incredible video stats, and then if you have any questions about why you should use video, you can let me know!

    Visual Storytelling Should Be Standard

    If you aren’t utilizing visual storytelling techniques, you are missing out on an excellent opportunity to engage more customers. Make sure your visuals are unique, powerful, and contribute to your story. Keep this in mind to get the most benefit from visual storytelling. Create videos that speak to your brand and entertaining to get the most engagement. Include your videos on your site, on YouTube, and share them on social media. If you are concerned about spending too much money or time creating video content, start by creating videos for the content you consider to be evergreen. AKA the everyday stuff that ain’t changing!

    story strategies users helpEnroll Users Help Telling Your Story

    Encourage the creation of user-generated content. Repost and credit users for any user-generated content that you receive. In last month’s Social Proof Webinar, I reviewed the value of social proof in the form of User-Generated Content. But as a reminder, the most significant value of user-generated content is that it is someone else supporting your story. A consumer recommending a product or sharing how they utilize a product will always have more power than a brand or business talking about a product or service.

    More Powerful Story with Bias Removed

    As a business or marketer, you are inherently biased. A customer is relatable and not biases in favor of your business. Therefore, the audience trusts what they have to say. People listen to their peers. Some of the most potent recommendations are peer recommendations. Peers share the same experiences, struggle through similar issues, and take suggestions from one another. After all, who do you go to if you need a dentist, plumber, new massage therapist, or recommendation on where to go for yoga? Your friends, family, loved ones, and other peers. 92% of consumers trust recommendations made by their peers. User-generated content is an indirect recommendation for a service or product.

    When you get user content that supports your brand story, you should use it but make sure to use it properly. Get permission from the person who posted it. Schedule it to run in support of a campaign or at a time when the visibility will be highest.Tag the content-creator when you repost. For more info on the proper use of user-generated content, see this post.

    story strategies social proofDo More Than Talk the Talk

    The next way to maximize the impact of your story on social media is to verify your story with social proof. Positive reviews show your audience that you are doing more than just talking the talk. You are actually, walking the walk. Your customers have noticed and provided positive reviews that prove that you do what you say. This is incredibly important for a new business that is attempting to establish themselves and build a new audience. It is also vital that existing companies don’t lose sight of the importance of reviews and verifying their story with social proof.

    I Got the Reviews; I Am Good Now!

    Your first year in business, you were great at encouraging customers and clients to leave reviews. You even had an email campaign and links in your email signature that led right to Google and Yelp. In 2016, when you opened you got 44 reviews that were 4-Stars or higher. You also recieved eight 3-Star Reviews! In 2017 the reviews stopped pouring in as your regular customers had already written reviews. Your campaign to push for testimonials grew tedious, and you had other things to worry about. In 2017 you received ten reviews that were 4-Stars or higher, ten 3-Star Reviews and two 1-Star reviews. For 2018 you got three 3 Star Reviews, and in 2019 you have three 2-Star reviews.

    In total you have:

    1. Fifty-four 4-Star or higher reviews
    2. Twenty-one 3-Star Reviews
    3. Three 2-Star Reviews
    4. Two 1-Star Reviews

    The problem is the customer is going to value the most recent reviews more than the older ones. Older ratings are more likely to be discounted because time has passed, and things change. A potential customer may see you as a business that is now less focused on the customer. A place that used to get great reviews but is in a state of decline.

    Every Day Opportunities

    As you build relationships with clients and customers, you have plenty of opportunities to surprise and delight them. So you have a similar number of chances to ask them to write a review/recommendation/testimonial. Make it easy for them; some retail establishments even provide them with a computer on-site to write the review. Remember, don’t offer sales and promotions in exchange for good reviews. And always frame the discussion as a way to help other customers.

    story strategies create arcCreating an Arc

    Maximize the impact of your story on social media by merely telling more of it. When you create a story arc, you can feature more of your story. This increases engagement and builds a deeper connection with your audience. Plus with the possible elimination of “likes” on Instagram, saves will be the most influential metric for Instagram to measure the value of a post. It is likely we will see a shift towards longer-form captions that make creating a story arc easier. Creating a story arc also helps you plan and deliver content that is EDUTAINING (educational, useful, and entertaining).

    Planning is an essential step for creating a story arc. Make sure that all the posts that you weave together highlight varying viewpoints and aspects of the story. They all must also contribute to the main idea in the story arc. Where possible, attempt to weave in user-generated content, and social proof to help “prove” your story.

    Practical Uses and Notes on Story Arcs

    Not only can you utilize the concept of story arcs to tell your brand story. You can also use story arcs for a more practical purpose. Many times we see great content we wish to share like a post highlighting the 6 Skyscrapers You Must See Before They Topple, or 4 Amazing Sharks That Look Like Celebrities. However, 6 Skyscrapers is a lot to feature in a single post. Utilize the story arc in these situations and deliver these cool but poorly constructed buildings in a 4-6 post arc.

    Providing content in this way also creates a bit of anticipation and excitement. It keeps your audience wanting more! If you do utilize the concept of story arcs and don’t post the posts consecutively, make sure you let people know when to expect the next post.

    story strategy expand on blogExpand The Story On Your Business Blog

    As a small business owner, you want to establish yourself as a leader in your niche. A blog allows you to go deep on topics, flesh out concepts more fully, and create usable tools that will engage your followers. In previous posts, we provided statistics and other great reasons to start blogging, take a look at them if you have not yet begun to blog.

    A blog does fantastic things like allowing you to engage your audience, on your own platform, on your terms. Blogging also expands your footprint on this little thing known as the Internet. Every time you blog, you add a page to your website, a page that can be indexed. What is so great about that? Every time you pop up in a search, you have the potential of reaching a new client or customer.

    Powerful Blogs

    Having a blog drives more people to your website. A blog helps you engages more people. It’s a powerful tool that converts your audience into clients. Your blog positions you as an expert in your field and helps foster a deeper relationship with current customers. Your business blog functions as a lead generation tool. Having a blog allows you to create in-depth content that will add a great deal of value to your clients and audience. Your blog is a searchable place to dump all that incredibly useful information in your head and share it with others. Expanding your story on your blog will lead to greater sales and higher conversion rates. It will help you build a loyal audience that will turn to you when they need your product or service.

    story magnify with influencersMagnify Your Reach With Influencers

    Want to know something that has the potential to be better than a celebrity endorsement? Working with an influencer to help maximize the reach of your brand story could help you make a mark for your business. Influencers are influencers within a specific sphere, a particular audience that is interested in let us say fashion. The influencer is a peer of this audience, but they are the super cool peer that everybody wants to be. They are the ones that throw the best parties, get invited to all the events you want to go to and use all the same product, and wear all the same designers as you. They also discover all the freshest new products first, but once they discover them, you and all your friends must have them. Man, if only you could be the super cool peer!

    Okay, Let Me Tell You A Secret

    The influencers don’t discover all the coolest new products. The products are found for them by a savvy marketing guy who knows what audience they want to target. A marketer that has researched who has pull with that specific audience. Then he narrows it down from there by weeding out those who work with a competing brand, or have an aesthetic or overall brand doesn’t match the product. Finally, they meet with the remaining folks and decide who is best for the campaign, and pitch it to the influencer they choose. Most likely they don’t let the other finalists know they are out until the preferred one agrees to the campaign.

    Now, maybe it is a little less dramatic than the scene I painted rbut you get the idea. eIn order for influencer marketing to work, you need to select the right influencer, that has access to the market you are looking to access. Your brands must complement one another sand they must actually, currently use, or want to use your product. You don’t want it to look forced or fake. If that is a possibility, it could hurt or even destroy the reputation of the influencer and your brand. Look at it this way, what fashion influencer who has long been photographed in the most elegant red souled shoes would suddenly start wearing the Crocs out in public. Not any influencer that cared about their credibility with their audience. (let the hate mail from Croc lovers commence)!

    build connectionsCreate Connections and Build Up An Engaged Following

    Easier said than done? Maybe! But when it comes down to it, the best tool to magnify the impact of your story on social media is to create connections with your followers. Listen to what they have to say. Deliver content that is engaging to your specific audience. Respond to those who take the time to reach. Yes, every single one. Why? Because you are building an authentic brand that wants to fulfill the desires of your audience to connect with them. Build these connections, both online and in-person.

    Connections That Matter

    In my past life, I had a Professor walk up to me in the local convenience store and ask if I was in a rush because he needed to grab something for me. Sure, I was off the clock, but I waited, and he came back from his car with his textbook order and handed it to me. He knew the deadline was today and was so sorry he missed it, but he wanted to get it to me as soon as possible.

    Build those connections, and your story will go farther than you could ever imagine.

    Maximizing the Impact of Your Story On Social Media

    As you can see, there are many different ways you can maximize the impact of your story on social media. Some of these will work better for your brand. Try them all and try mixing them up. Make sure you are delivering quality content and that your story is the right story for your target audience. If you want to continue to explore the ways to maximize the impact of your brand story consider joining me on Monday, October 7 at 6:30 PM for the 7 Strategies to POWER UP Your Brand Story Webinar on Zoom! Snag your free tickets below.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

  • Branding Workbook: 9 Brand Components

    Branding Workbook: 9 Brand Components

    Creating Your Brand Is Not Easy

    Are you in the process of brand building? It is overwhelming, isn’t it? There are so many things that you want to say. So many services that you offer and they are all to solve problems that are loosely related. Or you are offering an alternative to the status quo. It doesn’t matter it feels like it is going to be impossible to get all of this into 10-15 words that speak clearly about your brand! It is not impossible, many have done it and you can as well. We created the “9 Components of Brand: Branding Workbook” to help you get organized and break you “brand” into pieces that you can manage and help you work up to the big picture.

    For more information on Brand, click here

    What Exactly Is Brand

    Remember that a BRAND is not your logo. It is not your identity and your BRAND is not something that can be sold. Brand is moments, memories, sights, sounds, tastes and smells. It is a gut feeling that a person has about your business. A BRAND is emotional because humans are emotional and they make decisions based on feelings. Therefore, your brand is not what you say it is… it is what your audience feels it is. You have to make your audience feel something. What are you going to make them feel?

    For more information on Brand Storytelling, click here

    Getting the Most Out of the Branding Workbook

    In order to get the most out of the Branding Workbook, you should set aside time to work on each of the activities, time that you can focus on just the topic at hand. Be completely honest with your answers. Make sure that you are realistic with your strengths and weaknesses so that you aren’t building your brand on false pretenses. As you proceed through each component in the workbook, take a look back at the previous components and see if they align with one another. If they don’t think about why that is the case and how you may reconcile those differences as you continue to develop your brand and brand story.

    Most importantly, be open and honest with yourself about why you decided to do what you do and why it matters to your audience. Your “why” is the foundation for all the other components, if you aren’t honest with this then your brand will forever fail to be authentic. Branding is an iterative process, you won’t complete this workbook and have the perfect brand statement immediately, but you will get there. What you will have is a better understanding of all the components you should take into consideration when working on branding your business.

    What Are the 9 Components?

    1. You
    2. Your Competition
    3. Your Differentiators
    4. The Audience
    5. Your Business Personality
    6. Your Story
    7. How you React In Crisis Situations
    8. Your Vision (Goals, Plans and How You Communicate them)
    9. Perceived Authenticity

    You Are the Number One Component

    The first component of your brand is you. It is your business, after all, so it makes sense that you are the number one component of your brand. Component one is where you are going to look at your passions, your values, the things you want your business to be known for, and most importantly, you examine your “why.” Take your time with this section; honestly think about your answers to the questions.

    Don’t stretch the truth; don’t overstate the facts, and think about how your answers will be received by the audience. You are building all the other components of Brand off of this foundation, make sure it is stable. If you nail this component, you are well on your way to creating a viable brand.  Your chances of being seen as authentic by an audience are not good if you lie, stretch the truth or “fudge it.”  Be honest, real, and emotional in your answers.

    The Next Component Involves Examining Your Competition

    Presumably, you are entering the marketplace with a product or service that was not available before, or you have an improvement to an already existing item. To know this, you examined the marketplace and what other vendors and businesses had available. What were the voids in the market before your product? How does your product fill those voids? How does your product/service change the lives of users? This is a basic before and after arc in a brand or product story, and the only way to tell it is to examine your competition. Honestly and objectively look at how you compare. They will naturally do some things better than you, and you will do other things better than they do.

    Component Number 3 is Defining The Differentiators

    You have determined what you do well, you have looked at and compared what others in the market do well, and you know how you, your business, and your products compare, So now, what are some of the critical aspects of your business that makes you different. At the core level, not superficial things but a differentiator that will make someone choose you over your competition.

    Differentiators should be marketable things AND something that your customers/clients will value? Remember you can’t be everything to everybody, so if your differentiators narrow your audience down a bit but open the opportunity to have more engaged followers who share your values and believe in your business, then that trade-off is undoubtedly worth it.

    Without Component 4 Your Brand Does Not Exist

    Your audience holds a great deal of power in this process and it is imperative that you examine the likes, dislikes, habits, and expectations of your ideal clients and make sure that your brand is offering them what they are looking for. Your audience is your potential customer base and they are the reason you are in business. Without your audience, you have no customers. No customers mean no business. Oh, and if you don’t have an audience then you don’t have a brand, remember your brand is based on the emotional response to your business. So take the time here to do some research and develop a few personas that accurately represent your customer.

    What Emotion Directly Proceeds the Purchase

    You felt overwhelmed, so you bought a planner to help you keep organized. You felt old, so you bought a bright red sports car. You felt betrayed by corporate America, so you get your coffee at the local coffee house. An emotion directly proceeded these decisions to purchase and emotions are powerful motivators. Marketers know this and that’s why they capitalize on them to sell products, yes even the local coffee house does, and it’s not betrayal it is a smart business strategy. So what emotion are your customers feeling right before they come in to make a purchase with you? Pinpoint that, and your business changes. Emotions are universal, sell the emotion everybody will get it.

    Your Business Personality

    Businesses have personalities just like the people who run them. After all, you would not expect Oprah and Gary Vaynerchuk to run a business the same way. Oprah’s company has a different character, then Gary V’s who curses all the time provides blunt, real advice, and he most certainly will not be wearing a gown to a gala anytime soon. The idea here is if you are representing the company, the personality of the company should match your personality.

    If you are the chief behind the scenes guy, then the personality should match your chief front of house officer. Neither is right or wrong, but it may feel incongruous and impact the perceived authenticity if the eccentric scientist at the head of your company was forced to waddle out on stage for company presentations in a tuxedo he only wore for those occasions, and shoes he always fell in. Let the man wear his Birkenstocks and lab coat for goodness sake.

    Your Brand In A Crisis

    We don’t like to think about things like a crisis, but you are better off preparing for a disaster that will never happen then assuming it will never happen and having to scramble to make difficult decisions in unfriendly conditions. Have plans in place, communicate plans clearly, and if the worst happens, you activate those plans. The essential thing to keep in mind here is how you will respond to the crisis without undermining your values. In a crisis, you must make decisions based on your company values do not abandon them for the business as you are merely prolonging the demise. A business shaken by a crisis can recover, a business that leaves its values to save face is doomed to fail.

    Component Number 7: Your Vision

    The goals and plans for the company and how those are communicated to employees (if one of your goals is to grow).

    A vision statement is a form of internal branding that reflects the values of the company and plan for where the company wants to be in the future. Every member of your business should be able to identify with the vision statement .it should make them all feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. Think big and stretch the concept of your business with your vision statement. Your own little business may surprise you and show what it is really capable of.

    Bringing It All Together With Your Story

    Component 8 is where we start to pull it all together. You are looking to engage your followers with an authentic story that answers important questions like the following:

    • What do you do?
    • Why do you do it?
    • What problems do you solve?
    • Who is your ideal customer?
    • Who else do you serve?
    • How are you different from your competitors?
    • What does the company believe in?
    • Why should the audience care?

    Man, that is a mouthful… and I even forgot something, you need to be able to boil your story down to 10-12 words at times! As you begin the process of building out your story you may feel a need to go back to a previous component and revise it because it does not quite ring true to you. That is okay, it is why we call it a workbook. You are working to develop your brand and you should do everything possible to make sure it feels right for you. If it doesn’t feel right for you it won’t feel right for others. Go back tweak it,  make it feel good.  Be honest, and be real. Include your struggles and don’t forget your journey.

    Once you have your brand story you can use it to create your key messages, brand talking points, and other marketing materials, Brand story first so that your brand identity is reflective of the values and story.

    What is Number 9?

    Branding Tip Make decisions based on values and build relationshipsThat last component of a brand is an essential one, and that is authenticity. You have not arrived at your finalized brand, brand story, and visual components to support it until you can say, “yes, I feel good about all of that and I have no problems defending that statement for as long as this company is in existence.”

    Ask yourself if you are being real. If you can answer a truthful yes to all these questions you might be ready to go.

    • Does your brand story sound like something a human would say?
    • I can not identify a single place I embellished the story, used hyperbole, or misrepresented my experiences.
    • I made sure the emotions portrayed are real and will connect with others.
    • I talk about the struggles and hard times for myself and the company.
    • I let my passion show?
    • I highlight the unique qualities of the company in a way that will appeal to our audience.

    You know your business better than anyone else. You know what is true and what is a lie and so will your audience. Branding is a long term strategy when it is layered together with storytelling, and engaging your followers regularly on social media it helps you build an audience that likes, knows, and trusts you. An audience that will call you first when they need your services, or know somebody who does. Don’t rush it. Sit with it for a couple days, allow it simmer in your brain and if it feels good in a couple days then try it out on somebody. Edit based on the input you recieve, let it sit, repeat.

    9 Components of Brand LogoDownload Your Copy of the 9 Components of Brand: Your Branding Workbook Today

    This workbook is created as a tool to help you focus on your brand and what items should be taken into consideration when brand building. We believe in the power of stories, We recommend you develop your story first and then focus on the brand.

  • Brand Storytelling Matters: Tips for A Powerful Story

    Brand Storytelling Creates Connections

    Stories create connections, which an essential part of doing business today. Businesses can no longer remain faceless entities and be successful. In order to survive a business needs to find a way to connect with its audience, in order to thrive they need to pull on heartstrings and engage at a much deeper level than ever before. If a business isn’t making an emotional connection between its brand and its audience then they risk failure.

    This is where your brand story comes in. It gives your business a human touch. Your brand story should weave together facts and feelings. It should include your why. Why you do what you do and why you believe it matters. It should also tell your audience why they should care about what you do.

    Selling the Universal Emotion Not the Product

    I remember when I first started doing marketing work a mentor saying to me, you aren’t selling a mattress you are selling a good night’s sleep. I was very confused as he dropped this piece of wisdom on my head and walked away because I wasn’t selling mattresses I was selling books. But the more I did social media and marketing the more I understood you are not selling products you are selling the emotional connections and the universal feelings. Nobody knows how your mattress feels, but everyone knows the amazing feeling of waking up feeling revived after a good nights sleep.

    Be Heard in the Crowded Marketplace

    Great brand storytelling allows you to be heard in a crowded marketplace. Now more than ever there are more people making things, and offering services. The marketplace is overcrowded. Some products and services are even great. So what makes you different? Why do I choose you and not your competition? How do you stand out? Your brand story is how you stand out.

    Brand Storytelling is Powerful

    When crafting your brand story think about what you want your business to be known for. When everything else is said and done what do you want people to say when they think about your business? What is the single most important message you want to deliver? Once you have that message in mind figure out a way to wrap that message into a story that your audience will connect with and you are now on the road to having a brand story that will connect.

    Your story is the most powerful and flexible tool in your toolbelt. It should act as a compass that guides your business in all that you do.

    Aspects of a Powerful Brand Story

    So what are some things necessary to have a powerful brand story? That’s the thing with storytelling, it is not an exact science and there is not an exact formula. But we all know a good story when we hear a good story. So in my effort to figure out some things needed for a good story, I watched a lot of Ted Talks and searched around the internet for great sites on storytelling like echostories.com. I discovered great nuggets of wisdom, things that many of us already believe to be true. Unfortunately, I did not discover the silver bullet… the surefire way to have a story that connects with your audience. So since I can’t give you that yet here are a few tips.

    Get Emotional

    Inject emotion into your presentation with stories. The objective of a story is to make your audience feel something. Happy, Sad, distraught, hopeful. It doesn’t matter what emotion the story brings about per se as the emotion creates a connection. Tell the story of how your product saved a life, the story of how your business gave you a purpose, that great story about how you helped a mother connect with an estranged child. Take this commercial for example…

    JTIwJTIwJTNDZGl2JTIwc3R5bGUlM0QlMjJwb3NpdGlvbiUzQXJlbGF0aXZlJTNCd2lkdGglM0ExMDAlMjUlM0JwYWRkaW5nLXRvcCUzQTU2LjI1JTI1JTNCcGFkZGluZy1ib3R0b20lM0E0MHB4JTNCJTIyJTNFJTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwc3R5bGUlM0QlMjJwb3NpdGlvbiUzQWFic29sdXRlJTNCdG9wJTNBMCUzQnJpZ2h0JTNBMCUzQmxlZnQlM0EwJTNCYm90dG9tJTNBMCUzQndpZHRoJTNBMTAwJTI1JTNCaGVpZ2h0JTNBMTAwJTI1JTNCJTIyJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuaXNwb3QudHYlMkZzaGFyZSUyRm9aeFolMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBzY3JvbGxpbmclM0QlMjJubyUyMiUyMGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbiUzRCUyMiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRSUzQyUyRmRpdiUzRSUwQSUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMA==

    Did You Feel Something?

    No matter how you feel on the issue, I guarantee that ad for Verizon (btw) made you feel something. It injected emotion into its advertisement and that emotion made for a powerful commercial and made you feel some kind of way. Verizon is saying in this commercial that part of its brand story is the power of communication to bring people together. That love can always call back using Verizon phone service. The beauty of this for Verizon, is they didn’t even have to spell out the connection. By simply having the Verizon logo at the end of that spot creates the connection the emotions you felt there are tied to Verizon, and you want to go connect or reconnect with somebody using a Verizon phone! Yes, it just as easily could have been Sprint or Metro PCS but it wasn’t.

    Make A Connection with Your Audience

    The other thing that made the Verizon advertisement so powerful is the connection that they made with the audience. The story they are telling is aimed at those celebrating Pride in the month of June. It was created in partnership with PFLAG, a National organization that unities families and allies with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. They knew their audience. They knew that many people who identify as LGBTQ have struggled with coming out in their lives. This struggle is universal in the community so they were able to connect with the audience by being aware of, and sensitive to this universal truth. As a business, be aware of your audience and your followers. Is your brand story or aspect of a brand story something that they will connect with? If it is not, should it be part of your story?

    At First This Then That

    Change is a fundamental portion of a story including your brand story. At first, this was the truth, that is why our founder created (brand name) and now this is the truth. Apple is famous for using this in its story and in presentations. This is computing now, but with this brand new Mac we have challenged the status quo and this is what computing will look like! And those of you who are like me and want things to be easier, newer, better, and not the status quo eat it up. This then that creates suspense and excitement, both emotions and emotions create connections. And if you watch a lot of Apple product reveals you notice that they draw out the suspense to the point where your body is physically reacting to it. Ah the beauty of storytelling… when listening to a good story your body reacts like it is there and it releases hormones and endorphins. You are literally feeling the emotions and it does not matter that it is a new computer that has nothing to do with it, the feeling is what matters.

    Don’t Forget Your Why

    A key aspect of your brand story is your why. Why is it that you do what you do and why should your audience care? You need to wrap these into that emotional story to create the connection between the product/service, the emotions, and your overall brand. The why is not to make a profit, as Simon Sinek says that is just a result. The why is… why do you get out of the bed in the morning? What is it about your business or work that gets you excited? Why is your business special? That is what will connect with people and make your brand story special. I can’t tell you what your why is… you need to dig deep for that. Just remember that your story is the most amazing thing about you and your business so don’t be afraid to say what you believe. Highlight your values. And create a brand story that is awesome and will connect with your audience and beyond.[

    Simon Sinek Start With The Why

    JTNDZGl2JTIwc3R5bGUlM0QlMjJtYXgtd2lkdGglM0E4NTRweCUyMiUzRSUzQ2RpdiUyMHN0eWxlJTNEJTIycG9zaXRpb24lM0FyZWxhdGl2ZSUzQmhlaWdodCUzQTAlM0JwYWRkaW5nLWJvdHRvbSUzQTU2LjI1JTI1JTIyJTNFJTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZlbWJlZC50ZWQuY29tJTJGdGFsa3MlMkZzaW1vbl9zaW5la19ob3dfZ3JlYXRfbGVhZGVyc19pbnNwaXJlX2FjdGlvbiUyMiUyMHdpZHRoJTNEJTIyODU0JTIyJTIwaGVpZ2h0JTNEJTIyNDgwJTIyJTIwc3R5bGUlM0QlMjJwb3NpdGlvbiUzQWFic29sdXRlJTNCbGVmdCUzQTAlM0J0b3AlM0EwJTNCd2lkdGglM0ExMDAlMjUlM0JoZWlnaHQlM0ExMDAlMjUlMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBzY3JvbGxpbmclM0QlMjJubyUyMiUyMGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRSUzQyUyRmRpdiUzRSUzQyUyRmRpdiUzRQ==I hope these tips help as you begin to work on your story and make brand storytelling a hard skill in your business. If you need help with any of this check out some of our other resources or contact Jonathan at jhoward@jrhgraphics.com.

    May we also recommend taking a look at this blog post.