We all know the term ‘content is king’ and in the digital marketing world it’s bandied around fairly frequently. There are so many ways customers now consume content; through online streaming of videos, traditional media, social media channels, and the huge increase of mobile devices, means that we are now engaging with content 24/7.

Some of the best marketing comes from brands that tear down traditional corporate messaging, and create stories with feeling, based around people or characters that are perfect for sharing, for example the Google series of adverts that showcased how Chrome could bring people together.

Marketers have been telling stories for years through advertising, and customer experience, but the new challenge is how to convey these brand stories into the newer forms of media that are available today. Consumers now have much more control over what marketing messages they see on a daily basis, and the internet is full of distractions, so now more than ever, companies need to step up their game to get noticed.

You may know customers aren’t necessarily interested in what you provide, but what pulls them towards your product or service specifically, is the brand behind it. What matters to them is your history, if you’re trustworthy, and that you’re different from competitors. Brand storytelling is a key part of creating a company’s identity and USP - just look at the world’s giants such as Apple, Coca-Cola and Heinz. So let’s take a look at some key pointers for successful brand storytelling:

1. Keep your brand values at the core

Your brand’s story should represent what your company is about; this includes your all-important brand values. Harvard Business Review says that shared values are what builds strong brand relationships, as shared value is a broader philosophy that both the brand and consumer believe in. For example, Innocent Smoothies have strong values around being green and not taking life too seriously, with their ‘banana phones’ and ‘fruit towers’ HQ. So, to make this storytelling exercise successful you must first put your brand values at the heart of everything you do, define and embrace what your brand is about, and make sure you can back this up with all your activities.

2. Create a character and personality

A key aspect of a brand’s story is a character that your online audience can root for (or against). You don’t always have to create a fictional character for this to work, you could use a key person or object in your brand’s history, create stories from your employees, or use something symbolic that represents your brand. For example Isaiah Mustafah’s Old Spice Man series was so compelling that it created an internet sensation where users created spin-off memes. Characters represent your brand, encompass your company values, and it is important that your audience can connect with them emotionally and wish to follow their ideals.

Successful brand stories have personalities and they are not there solely as a marketing material. At the centre of the brand needs to be a persona, something that the customer can identify with, as a boring story will just fall flat. A story full of personality will engage and encourage interaction with the audience.

3. Give customers behind-the-scenes access

People are naturally inquisitive, so showing your customers what goes on at the head office or on the factory floor can really help engagement with your customers. It shows that you’re not just another faceless brand, and people prefer to deal with people that they feel they know - it helps them form a connection with the brand and what they stand for. You could make your employees your brand ambassadors by sharing their stories and work roles on the company blog or social channels such as Instagram or Facebook. Burberry have successfully incorporated this human element to their brand with exclusive catwalk access and sneak previews of their fashion collections on their Instagram feed.

4. Re-live your origins

Something we are taught in school is that every story needs a beginning, middle, and an end - and this is also true in marketing your brand. People like to know how and where you started, so provide a context to your storytelling by recounting your humble beginnings, whether you’re an SME or a global enterprise - it’s nice to share how far you’ve come and maintain that you’re true to your roots. It doesn’t have to be a flashy, long narrative like the Johnnie Walker ‘The Man Who Walked Around the World’ video, but just providing snippets of your brand’s history can make this come alive, Subway and Captain Morgan have done this through the Facebook Timeline.

It’s clear that the world of branded storytelling is evolving. The way content can be published and shared has been revolutionised, and with new social media tools such as Snapchat and Vine, this will only continue to change and bring a host of new opportunities for brands.

Brand storytelling doesn’t need to be elaborate, brands just need to be more authentic and concentrate on putting their values at the heart of everything they do, while showing how the company fits into the customer’s life. To make sure this is a success, brands will need to listen and respond to the needs and interests of their customers, by using the right channels for the audience, and ensuring that content produced will be engaging.

Do you have any favourite brand campaigns that use storytelling? Or is this something that you have used successfully in your own marketing? Let us know in the comments…