Most people make a StoryBrand BrandScript but then don’t know how to use it. Learn how to implement your BrandScript 7 ways so that you attract more new clients.
Ways To Use A StoryBrand BrandScript:
- Elevator Pitch
- Video Script
- Calendly Call Description
- Website Homepage
- LinkedIn Profile
- Review Site About Section
- Social Media Post
When we implement the StoryBrand BrandScript into our messaging, we will see increased engagement. It’s as simple as that! Implementing this BrandScript will help your potential customers and clients understand why they need your product or service. It’s your job to figure out how to tell them in a way that creates inspiration and motivation.
First, let’s review the 7 part framework. It’s important to review the BrandScript first so we can move forward with a clear and fresh understanding of the StoryBrand way.
StoryBrand BrandScript Review
1. A Character
The most important distinction to make here is that your customer is the hero of their own story. Your brand is not the hero and neither are you. When the story clearly identifies the ambition of the hero, the story begins to mean something more. When we are able to clearly define what it is the customer is wanting and looking for, they will be ‘all ears’ and ready to listen to what you have to tell them.
Question: Who is your character?
You want to identify an aspirational identity. What this means is that you want to define WHO your customer wants to become (as it relates to your brand). A good way to help you arrive at this ultimate identity is to ask how your customer wants to be perceived. Break it down that way and you’ll find your character.
2. With a Problem
When does a story really pick up? When there’s a clearly defined problem. Where there is no conflict, there is no need to overcome. Simply put… it’s boring. Nobody wants to be part of a boring story. Okay, we really don’t ‘want’ problems either, but the fact is that life is full of them.
Defining and repeating the problem is what you’ll need to do. You want to sound like a broken record when it comes to talking about the hero’s problem. You have the answer to their problem and that is what brings them to you.
StoryBrand asserts that while most companies are selling solutions to external problems, customers only purchase solutions to internal problems. Your job is to identify these problems. There are 3. The first two are the most important to identify.
- External Problem – the external problem is the actual problem itself. Think ‘broken down car’.
- Internal Problem – the internal problem has to do with how the hero of the story is ‘feeling’ about the problem.
If you want some extra credit, solve this one too.
- Philosophical Problem – the philosophical problem has to do with the ‘injustice’ of the problem overall; the ‘why’ behind the reason it ‘shouldn’t be this way!’
If people have to think too hard in order to figure out what it is that you do, you’re losing potential customers and sales.
3. Meets a Guide
This is YOU! This is your company. You are the guide. You are the one that has been there already and solved that problem so you know exactly what needs to be done. As the guide, you understand their position and the fear behind the problem. As the guide, you need to show empathy and demonstrate authority. This will position you to give them a plan.
4. Who Gives Them a Plan
You provide a clear-cut and simple plan with no more than a few steps.
5. And Calls Them to Action
People are people, am I right? We don’t usually take action until we’re forced to take action. We like staying comfortable; even in our misery. As the guide, you must call the hero to action. So, what does this look like? A buy now button, schedule an appointment, register today, or any other action that you can call them to make.
CTA’s can result in an immediate purchase and commitment or in a continued relationship.
6. That Helps Them Avoid Failure
You need to be clear about what it is you’re helping the hero of the story avoid. What troubles will they not experience once they decide to buy from you? This does not need to be overdone. What I mean by that is that you don’t need to lay it on thick. Too much fear can be a turnoff.
7. That Ends in Success
This is what it’s all about! This is where you want to paint that picture of all the positive results you know the hero is after. What does life look like for them once they’ve achieved success? Details, details, details!
What do they have now that they didn’t before? How are they feeling now that is different from before?
We know it can seem like an insurmountable task, but if you take it one step at a time you’ll get the hang of it. Read on to see just how you can apply the StoryBrand BrandScript to your business in each of the 7 following ways.
Elevator Pitch
If you’ve read the book Building A StoryBrand by Donald Miller then you know they call an elevator pitch a One-Liner.
It uses 3 parts of your BrandScript:
- Start by stating the problem or pain point that most of your clients face
- Talk about your solution to the problem you just stated.
- Finally, ramp up the success. Clearly explain how your customer will feel after you solve their problem.
Your One-Liner should be so easy to remember that a stranger at Starbucks could repeat it back to you and your employees can memorize it if they read it aloud 7 times.
How do you make it easy to remember?
This video is my favorite and gives examples of how to make your one-liner better.
Video Script
Much like your elevator pitch, you want to paint a picture explaining the problem, solution, and success once they implement your plan. Depending on how much time you have for your video, you can include multiple elements. If you’re pressed for time, however, we think the following points should be highlighted.
Start with the hero (your customer), and talk about the problem they have. This is where you can really get into the external problem. Remember, the external problem is the actual problem itself. It’s straightforward and easily identified. It’s the broken down car, those last stubborn twenty pounds, the fact that they seem to be endlessly broke and can never make ends meet.
Then, identify the internal problem. This is how the hero feels about the external problem. If their car is constantly breaking down, how do they feel about the fact that they never have reliable transportation? Maybe they feel as though others look at them as if they can’t be dependable? Forget the car… if people think I’m not dependable, that hurts!
Be sure to hit that extra credit bar for your video script by talking about the philosophical problem. Why not, right? If you recall, this is about the injustice of the problem. The fact that the problem shouldn’t exist in the first place. It’s just plain wrong that it does exist.
If the problem is that you have dark spots on your face from sun damage, and as a result, you don’t feel as confident as you once did, that is just wrong and it shouldn’t be that way. You should be able to walk through your life as confidently as you know you can. You should be able to walk with your head held high and know that you’re putting your best face forward.
The next step for your video script is to introduce yourself as the guide. You need to do two things here. You need to show empathy for the hero and their problem and you need to demonstrate your authority as the guide. Showing empathy is as simple as expressing your understanding of the pain and suffering the hero is experiencing as a result of the problem. When we are able to empathize with someone it establishes a bond and that leads to trust.
Then, to demonstrate your authority, all that needs to be done is to tell them how you solved the problem. You’ve been there and done that and that’s what you need to share. It’s important to remember not to overshare. Nobody needs to hear all the details about your entire journey. There is a place and time for all that. This is not that place or that time. Be succinct.
We’d love to speak with you and see if we’d be a good fit for each other. Schedule a call with us and we’ll help you discover the best next steps for growing your business.
Calendly Call Description
The number one StoryBrand element you must include in your Calendly call description section is a CTA. You’ve already made it easy to make an appointment with you. Now, just a little nudge should do the trick. Here’s an example of what we have in our Calendly. In addition to the call to action, there is an ‘ends in success’ element in the description. We let you know that by the end of the fifteen-minute call, you will have clarity and confidence regarding the next steps in how to grow your business.
Website Homepage
Spending some time on your digital presence will start to get you more online traction. A quality presence will start with a clear message on your website. You want to be as clear as you can be in your messaging. It may take some extra brainstorming and time to break it down until you find the perfect clarity, but it can be done.
When a visitor comes to your website you want them to know exactly what problem you can solve for them. There needs to be no doubt in their mind that YOUR COMPANY has the answer they’ve been looking for. This means that your homepage should be clean and a quick and easy read. Not full of information that your potential customers need to sift through.
StoryBrand asserts that your website homepage should be the equivalent of your elevator pitch. It needs to sum up what you have to offer and how you’ll solve the problem in a glance. People don’t have time to scan through endless mounds of information, even if the font is aesthetically pleasing.
StoryBrand calls this noise. All those needless bits of information that you may have proudly added to your website pages because you just couldn’t bear to skip the mention of yet another skill or service. Noise! That is how it translates to your website visitors. To put it bluntly, it’s like navigating the not-so-spacious-carved-out pathways through the home of a hoarder. Sorry. It’s true.
Okay, let’s get on with it…
The goal of a landing page is to convert visitors, while the goal of a homepage is to engage visitors with the brand and offer solutions to their issues. If done well, a homepage visitor can become a customer.
When someone lands on your homepage, it’s important that they clearly understand the following:
- What problem do you help solve? Use that one-liner. Be as clear and concise as possible.
- What is the plan you have for them to follow? This should be preferably no more than 3 steps. If it works for your product or service, it may be a good idea to include images relating to the success others have had with you. Happy, fulfilled, and showcasing that aspirational identity your hero has been reaching for.
- Call them to action you want them to take! This can be in the form of a buy now button, schedule a call, or join our email list.
Find out more about the StoryBrand method by following StoryBrand.
LinkedIn Profile
Whether this profile is your personal profile or your company’s profile, you can use BrandScript to your advantage. These are two elements to include here.
- Authority
- Call To Action
This is LinkedIn after all, so you should certainly highlight your authority. For several years I coordinated special events. Most of these events were weddings. I’ve made sure to list the number of events I did while I was exclusive to a particular venue.
Similar to the website homepage, you don’t want to inundate your visitors with noise. In addition, I think we all know that LinkedIn profiles can come off as self-aggrandizing for those who can’t help but showcase every bit of authority they’ve ever had. So, be careful. Focus on being concise.
I think a great addition to this kind of profile is to include a call to action. Whether that call is to lead them directly to your website or social media accounts, you’re inviting them to have more interactions with you and your company. This will create more opportunities for you to show them how you can solve the problem they’re having.
Review Site About Section
Let’s take Google My Business as an example here. You definitely want to make sure all your business-related information is correct. Any deviation across platforms can confuse google and get in the way of your positive results. So, that’s your first task. As far as implementing StoryBrand elements, I would focus on the following.
- Problem
- Authority
- Plan
- Call To Action
- Success, success, success!
You can include any element, but the best ones for the about section on any review site will be the problem, the plan (make it simple), and CTA.
It won’t hurt to include some images of success either!
Social Media Post
This can not be said enough. Customers want their problems to be resolved. They want to be successful. They want and need somebody to help them. The StoryBrand Framework helps open a “story loop” when implemented well. As customers attempt to resolve their own stories/problems, an open story loop will keep them engaged with your brand message. The human brain wants resolution to its problems. This natural inclination is taken advantage of in the StoryBrand Framework.
So, how do you use the story loop in your social media posts?
Posting inspirational images that are in line with your brand and the success that your customers will experience as a result of buying your product or service will always help. Before and after pictures are a great way to demonstrate authority and position your company as the guide.
Think about the companies you follow on social media. Here’s a clothing brand that I follow on Instagram. Carly Jean Los Angeles makes it easy to build and maintain what they refer to as a ‘capsule wardrobe’. Their mission is to help you simplify your life by streamlining your closet. They offer airy, light, comfortable, and easy to mix and match pieces. The promise they make is that you’ll never be able to say “I have nothing to wear” again. I know I’ve said that and I’m sure you have too.
Carly Jean Los Angeles is constantly posting to both their social media feed and stories. They showcase their clothing on their team of women who all have different body shapes. This is much appreciated by most women these days as it’s so much easier to see how something will fit on your body type. They have a free downloadable PDF on how to put together a capsule thereby solving the issue of never having anything to wear.
You can do the same kind of thing. You can include a downloadable PDF that invites them into a deeper and continued relationship with you. And you’ll want to include a call to action in both the PDF and your social media story loops.
Don’t waste your time or money hiring a coach to help you fill out a BrandScript if you aren’t going to use it in your marketing collateral. It takes practice and that’s why being a part of a community that is trying to grow their business through following Business Made Simple courses is so helpful.