The Art Of The Brand Story: How To Share Your Truth (Effectively!)

There is a single element at the core of every business: Human connection. Without humans, nothing sells. No one clicks, views or buys from a company that they don’t relate to at some level — whether that be a personal choice, value-based or a split second decision. At the heart of all great client relationships is trust. So the question on a lot of marketers’ minds is: How do I establish it? One of the most effective ways to establish trust is through a brand story video. Especially if your business relies on returning customers, creating an engaging brand narrative is essential to fostering a sense of community. We work on brand story videos quite a bit here at Digital Brew, and we’ve picked up a knack for knowing what makes a great one.

Finding Your Brand’s Personality

The key objective of a good brand story is to convey your company’s personality to the viewer. This can be done in a variety of ways, but first you must have an understanding of the company culture yourself. Our recommendation before beginning any brand storytelling piece is to conceptualize what you want the customer to take home from it. How do you want to be perceived? Do you want to be seen as…

• Professional?
• Quirky?
• Laid-back?
• Aggressive?
• Philanthropic?

By mapping out the take-aways before starting the piece, you’ll have a better idea of the kind of questions you need to ask. But before you can ask questions, you’ll need to who you’re asking them to.

Selecting Interviewees For Your Brand Story Video

Especially if you’re a large company, finding the one or two employees fit to represent you can feel like a daunting task. If you have a designated PR spokesperson, they may be the most obvious choice – but to get a more human perspective, everyday employees are going to feel more authentic. It’s difficult to say, “Find someone compelling,” and call it a day, but it may be just that simple. Take a few moments to think of your workplace: is there someone who consistently has the brightest personality, first thing in the morning? Anyone who’s recently celebrated a huge milestone? If you’re having a hard time thinking of someone, the easiest solution is to simply ask. Ask both upper-level management and your hard-working custodial staff who their favorite person in the workplace is, then approach that person about their interest in the video. Odds are, if they’re consistently pleasant to be around at work, they probably have some nice things to say about your workplace.

What To Ask During The Interview

So you’ve found your perfect candidate to show what your company is all about. Now what the heck do you ask them? If your video partner is anything like us here at Digital Brew, they’ll probably have a few interviewing tricks up their sleeve already. Much like anything else in business, though, you’ll always be better off if you come prepared on your own. Think back to those qualities you decided on before. How do you want your business to be seen? If you’re focused on spotlighting your philanthropic efforts, clearly it makes sense to ask about their involvement. But how do you ask a question and provoke an interviewee to make you seem reliable, without being inauthentic? Here are some of the best interview questions we’ve found for fostering genuine answers:

• Tell me about the best day you’ve ever had at work.
• What are some of the things that make you proud to work here?
• When people ask what we do, what do you tell them?
• Tell me about what makes our company different.

Always use open-ended questions to facilitate the best and most articulate responses, and make sure to keep the interviewing environment as comfortable as possible (even if that means you leaving the room!).

The 2 A’s: Elements Your Brand Story Won’t Survive Without

Authenticity

Don’t script your video. We’ll say it again: Don’t. Script. Your. Video. Unless you’re in the entertainment business, chances are your employees and spokespeople aren’t trained actors — and your customers will notice. If you walk away with your brand story showing nothing else, let it exude authenticity. Not every company is a millennial workplace filled with scooters and pool tables in the break room. And that’s OK — not every customer is seeking that from their service provider! The less you try to seem cool and the more yourself you appear, the more authentic you’ll come off to your target consumer.

Authority

It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, every business seeking to be profitable should be seen as an authority in their market. Even if you’re a startup, even if you have no clue what you’re doing – your customers should be able to see your expertise from a mile away. So how do you project authority? The same way anyone does: through quality, informational content. If you’ve been in business a long time, use those numbers to your advantage — but don’t rely on them. Your customers are wondering, “What can they offer me that no one else can?” The simplest way to show them is, well, to show them. Give them facts on a silver platter. Use authoritative tones when speaking about structural elements of your business. Dress professionally. Be sure. If you’re interested in learning more about brand story videos and what makes them effective, you can set up a call with Digital Brew by clicking here. No sales-y mumbo jumbo (We promise!).