The art of brand storytelling

Brand publishing is not a new idea… However, straight-up editorial content on branded sites is still an evolving concept.

Good content starts with a great story – and telling that story right still seems to be a form of alchemy for some brands.

Stories are an intrinsic part of our society and define our dreams, values and desires. Get your story right and your audience will be actively engaged in what you’re saying, they will share and pass it on – it will feel like a natural extension of the brand and it organically supports business growth.

Get it wrong, however, and before you can say ‘Content Fail’, your concept will be met with indifference at best, or at worse, contempt – [cough] Peloton ad [cough]…

Take social media-centric content for example. Best practice tells us that you have three seconds to grab the attention of the average user. So knowing the best, most authentic way to tell that story and where it is going to sit should be high on your to-do list.

The main intention is, of course, to reach as many people as possible (ideally for as little spend as possible) and, in our experience, you can have as much success with a well-placed GIF as a big-budget moving-image project. So really think about the best format for your project.

On a side note, once you’ve identified your story, you’ve got to decide on the best way to tell it and the best platform for it to sit on. It’s really a case of following where your established or ideal audience is hanging out.

Getting the right media to tell your story is key – whether it’s a written article, gallery, infographic, social video, short film, podcast, session or anything else. As is the best place to publish it – be it on social media, third-party sites, your own platforms or streaming hosts like YouTube or Vimeo.

Remember if you have an idea – in our experience being prepared to be flexible with what form this takes helps you overcome client objections – scalability increases your chances of placing content and ultimately makes the story sing.

So you’ve identified the story and the platform but another question that should be top of your list is: So What? What’s in it for the brand?

If you are a freelancer or creative, why should a brand spend their marketing budget and buy into this story?

Equally, if you are internal, why should this story matter to your management team?

If you don’t know this, why should they care and get behind this?

The art of storytelling is not just the preserve of social media experts or great orators but if you start by thinking like a content creation agency and ask yourself the hard questions before you get started on a project, this will help avoid costly pitfalls and potential embarrassment further down the line.