StoryBrand marketing has helped thousands of local businesses clarify their message, make a plan, and make sure that what they are doing is right so that people engage with them when they visit their website. Learn the simple way to get more clients in 90 days.
90 Days StoryBrand Marketing Strategy:
- Fill Out a BrandScript
- Write a One-Liner
- Copywrite Website Homepage
- Create a Lead Generating PDF
- Develop a Nurture Email Campaign
- Write a Sales Email Campaign
- Copywrite a Sales Page
It was April of 2018, I was volunteering on the marketing and sales team for a non-profit. The director said, “here are my logins, go through this course, and build us a new website following StoryBrand.”
I had never heard of Donald Miller or his marketing messages. In 90 days, our team did those 7 steps above and used this powerful tool to launch a new website and multiple sales funnels.
Then the results started showing. They got found on more local and national Google searches, they had daily email opt-ins, and people joined the one-year school of ministry.
We normally do online work with brick-and-mortar businesses but StoryBrand marketing can help a non-profit, church, e-commerce, coach, or agency.
With the StoryBrand method you have the power to choose your adventure:
- DIY – Do It Yourself
- DWY – Done With You
- DFY – Done For You
For this blog, I’m focusing on DIY.
It’s the most affordable. You just need to buy a $275 Business Made Simple subscription. When you buy through my link DM me on Instagram and I’ll give you 2 free 30-minute coaching calls to review your work ($500 value).
You may be thinking that’s a lot of work to do in 90 days. You are RIGHT! For the average local business owner, it takes 12 months since you already wear multiple hats at work.
The point is progress, not perfection. I believe in you!
Read on to learn about the steps you’ll take to StoryBrand your business.
Once we discovered the StoryBrand Framework and started to implement it in our copy for our clients, we never looked back.
Fill Out a BrandScript
This is the first step in your StoryBrand marketing strategy. This step will require some brainstorming sessions to complete. Think of the StoryBrand BrandScript as a script that takes you (your customer/client) on a journey. The StoryBrand messaging framework gives us an outline that enables us to get to the root of each step, which in turn, helps us clarify our message.
Inviting your customer to take a journey that puts them into the role of hero is the foundation of effective messaging, and this is where so many business owners go wrong. We confuse and sometimes alienate our potential customers when we cast ourselves as the hero who has it all figured out. You’ll hear StoryBrand consistently say… “confuse and lose.”
When is the last time you saw a film or read a book where the hero had it all figured out from the beginning? These scripts usually don’t get past a first cursory read by unpaid Hollywood interns because nobody wants to watch this story unfold. Why? There’s nothing to be unfolded.
Humans can’t relate to a hero that already has it figured out. We’re not designed this way. So, when you’re marketing material doesn’t tell a story that your potential customers can relate to, you’ll lose them. It’s that simple.
Onto covering the elements of a StoryBrand Brandscript and what you’ll need to brainstorm about:
- A Character – What do they want? This is your customer and they are the hero of their own story!
- A Problem – This one is threefold and includes an external problem, an internal problem, and a philosophical problem.
- Meets A Guide – This is YOU! You are the guide and you can guide them because you’ve been there and come through on the other side. You can relate to and understand them. This is empathy and authority. You have both to offer along with the solution to their problem.
- The Plan – This is the solution to the problem. The product or service you have to offer.
- Call To Action – This is where you call your hero to action. This is when you ask for the sale. Your call to action must be clear and concise and you need to be prepared to repeat it over time using the same language. This section of your BrandScript will ask you to create a direct call to action as well as a transitional call to action. This is the part in the story (think film/book) where the hero is challenged to make a decision. It’s ‘go time.’
- That Helps Them Avoid Failure – The two great motivators in life are avoiding failure and experiencing success. Your job here will be to identify and clearly communicate the negative consequences if they choose not to do business with you. This one can be tricky as you don’t want to alienate them so tread lightly.
- Ends In SUCCESS – This one here, is the fun part. Who doesn’t want to think about all the positive things that come along with success? We all want this! Many times we find ourselves daydreaming about what ‘life could be like’. This is what you want to tap into when you’re defining this part of your BrandScript. Paint that picture. Make it pretty.
- Identity Transformation – This is where you identify the transformation of your customer. They are now the hero that went from ________________ to ________________.
They’ve achieved their goal and become the person they dreamt of being all along. They’ve achieved their sought-after aspirational identity.
Once you’ve brainstormed for your StoryBrand BrandScript you can move on to the one-liner.
If you’re feeling even slightly overwhelmed after reading the information above, don’t worry. We understand and have been where you are. Remember, it’s one step at a time. Keep moving forward and you’ll get there, we promise.
Stick with us… it’s just starting to get good around here!
We are a StoryBrand certified agency and we’ve helped many local business owners with this marketing and messaging framework. Schedule A Call today! We’d love to see what we can do for your business.
Write a One-Liner
A one-liner is an integral component of the StoryBrand Framework.
Have you ever tried to come up with an elevator pitch only to leave even yourself confused? You’re not alone. We’ve all been there and it can be so discouraging the more we stumble over our own words trying to explain what we have to offer. I’ve used the disastrous elevator pitch as an example even though your one-liner isn’t really considered an elevator pitch.
A one-liner isn’t a slogan, a tagline, or a mission statement. A one-liner is a short statement that will help you explain the problem you solve and why someone needs your product or service. This statement will remove any doubt that you are the one to go to for their problem to be solved.
Your one-liner will present and position your product or service in a way that makes people KNOW that they need it for their lives to be better. The one-liner is a two-parter. The first part will identify the problem. Part two will present your product or service as a straightforward solution to the problem you identified. Your one-liner should leave no ambiguity. It needs to be clear and concise.
Donald Miller, the author of StoryBrand, maintains that the one-liner is the most powerful tool in your business arsenal. Once you master this one and communicate it effectively to your team, you’ll be unstoppable. They will become an automated salesforce and you’ll start to see positive results pouring into your bottom line.
Is it past time for that new car with leather interior and premium accouterments? Are you ready to take your family on that long-awaited and much-needed tropical paradise vacation? How about that kitchen remodel you can’t stop thinking about?
These things can be all yours if you take the necessary time to find the pulse of your purpose as it relates to your business.
Moving on. Let’s talk about implementing this marketing framework on your website…
Copywrite Website Homepage
We always begin with the homepage when writing copy for websites.
The image below shows you some placement for each element you need to include on your homepage. It’s important to make it clean and as clear as possible with regard to what you offer and what you want your website visitors to do.
For necessary website elements, we use something called a wireframe. A wireframe is part of the StoryBrand website creation process and basically provides a roadmap to follow. It will lead you in the creation of the design of your website.
A wireframe will include the following:
- All copy for each website page
- Placement of images and videos
- Suggestions for additional visuals
Part of the point of having a website is to provide a clear way for potential clients to take action. You want your target audience to be able to find you and then buy from you. The wireframe will help you accomplish this. It’s an invaluable tool that will guide you from start to finish and you will see the results.
Follow the link below for a blog we wrote on this very subject.
The Unconventional Guide For Writing Copy For Websites
Create a Lead Generating PDF
Raise your hand if you’re familiar with a sales funnel. This is an indispensable part of your marketing plan and will prove to be a powerful tool to help you capture emails thereby increasing your reach.
For local businesses, think about a lead-generating PDF as a net you cast out into the neighborhood water that will help you catch more customers. A lead-generator is extremely effective when created in the form of a free downloadable PDF.
A PDF will accomplish the following.
- Offer loads of VALUE for your customers
- Establishes YOU as the AUTHORITY and GUIDE for your customers
- Creates and invites RECIPROCITY helpful for establishing an ongoing relationship with your customers.
PDFs can be created in several forms.
Here are 5 types :
- The Magazine ARTICLE
- An INTERVIEW
- A CHECKLIST
- A VALUE LIST
- Free SAMPLES
Here’s a checklist for you to use for creating the most effective lead generating PDF
Develop a Nurture Email Campaign
What is it to nurture? I think it’s important to mention. To nurture is to… care for. Would you agree? We nurture our loved ones in life by caring for them in different ways. Some ways are necessary, simple, and practical, and some are more specific to the particular person.
It’s the same with a nurture email campaign and your marketing efforts will not be complete without this. The email sequence will consist of one email per week and will usually last anywhere from 4-6 weeks. You’ll want to automate your email campaign once you capture an email.
There’s a reason your potential customer gave you their email and now you want to continue a relationship with them. Offering something of value is essential and it is pertinent that you call them to action at some point over the course of the campaign.
We cover more about nurture email campaigns in a blog we wrote which is linked in the next section.
Let’s talk about the SALES email campaign…
Write a Sales Email Campaign
This is all about the hard sell for a specific service or product. These emails will be clear, concise, and targeted. We’ve included the types of emails below in addition to some tips for each one.
Types of Emails for Your Campaign:
- PDF (or another asset) Delivery – They’ve given you their email in exchange for the asset you’ve created for them. It’s time to thank them for letting you into their inbox (not such a small deal these days).
- Problem & Solution – Restate the problem and explain the solution your product or service provides.
- Testimonial – This email should include a review written by one (or more) of your happy customers, or a video with a customer explaining how your product or service solved their problem. Here are some good testimonial questions to consider asking your clients to get more targeted responses for these types of emails and videos What Are Good Testimonial Questions For Clients: Here Are 20
- Overcome an Objection – At some point, you’ll need to have identified at least the number one reason why customers don’t buy your product. If it’s cost, then revisit the initial problem and raise the stakes.
Be sure to paint that picture in their minds of them experiencing success after buying your product. What does life look like for them once they’ve decided to take that final jump? It’s important to include your empathy. They need to know you understand that this is a big decision.
- Paradigm Shift – How do you stand out from your competition? What makes you different? What makes your product THE ONE? Your customers need to know! YOU need to know! Remember… SHOW don’t tell.
- Sales Letter – It’s time to ask directly for that sale. At this point, your customer has likely opened the other emails and you’ve demonstrated your authority, empathy regarding their current position, and you’ve overcome their objections. There’s not much left to do but to be direct and make it easy for them to hit that ‘buy now’ button.
You can and should have more than one direct CTA. Use that imagery language to invade their mind’s eye with the possibilities that exist beyond the click-to-buy. Make it a no-brainer!
Another tip: You can include more than one testimonial email over the course of this campaign. It’s okay to have more than 6 emails but don’t go overboard thereby overstaying your welcome in their inbox. Remember, it’s a personal thing to have been given access to someone’s online living room and you want to respect this.
Visit StoryBrand on LinkedIn to see what they say about nurture emails and sales emails.
For more detailed information on creating lead-generating PDFs, nurture email campaigns, and sales campaigns, follow the 90 Day Marketing Plan link.
Copywrite a Sales Page
I just got off of a call, she said “I need to update my systems and processes…it takes me too long to send a proposal and answer their questions.”
For most local service businesses you send a proposal but sales pages are great for services that are less than $2,000 dollars. Most people don’t need to schedule a call when they are only spending $2,000 as long as you copywriter your sales page well.
It also makes it so easy to just share the URL in your DMs, an email, or test.
If you want to check out examples, click on the tabs at the top of this page…Coaching, Workshops, Courses, or StoryBrand are all sales pages. On most of those pages, you can click and buy right from our website.
Before I write a sales page, I always start with picking a catchy and fun name. Sometimes it’s literal for the outcome the client will get like a “Website That Books Calls” or “Get More Local Traffic”.
Next, I fill out a BrandScript.
Then I do a combo of the StoryBrand wireframe template and Ray Edwards direct response copywriting frameworks.
But make sure you always start with a BrandScript.
“54% of websites don’t have goals set up in Google Analytics.” – Bright Local
So make sure you have Google Analytics setup so when you start driving traffic to your sales page you can figure out your conversion rate.
We are a StoryBrand certified agency and we’d love to help you through the steps of a StoryBrand BrandScript. Schedule A Call so you can sit back and watch your business grow with more ideal customers.