What You Missed at the Most Recent StoryBrand Marketing Livestream
If you’re a marketing team on a budget, then you’ve probably heard of the StoryBrand framework. It’s a marketing methodology designed to help businesses get their messaging right using the narrative structure we all know from movies. Recently, StoryBrand hosted a livestream focused on how any business - no matter what niche or how small - could clarify their message. As a StoryBrand Guide I was able to facilitate a small group. Here's a peak into our Zoom room.
What is the StoryBrand Marketing Livestream?
The StoryBrand Marketing Livestream is a two day workshop where you learn a framework for talking about your brand. Then you work with a StoryBrand Certified Guide (like yours truly) to come up with the messaging for that brand. Throughout the two days you also get a masterclass on what does and doesn’t go into a website and learn how to use the messaging you’ve created to build a sales funnel.
If you’ve read the book Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller then you’re probably already familiar with the framework. The livestream sets you up with a facilitator so that when you leave you have your messaging and a five point marketing plan. Here, Donald Miller talks about how the livestream is different from solely reading the book.
Takeaways from February’s Livestream
During our breakout sessions together, the small group of four other business leaders - whether solopreneurs or marketers for a company - and I worked together to create their messaging.
Here are some of the takeaways:
consider your audience
figure out your process
uncover your differentiator
Let’s take a look at what each of those look like.
Consider Your Audience
During the livestream, one of the business owners that I was working with realized that the people she was thinking were her audience actually weren’t her audience at all. And we realized this right at the top of our session together when we were identifying the character in her brand’s story.
Her product - still in its infancy - is all about capturing the stories and moments from your loved ones to pass on to the youngest generation. But in working together we realized that the people who would actually buy this are those in the middle generation: not the elders who would be sharing their stories, but their children, who would want to honor their parents.
During our conversations we realized that by focusing on the middle generation, there was a whole host of problems and solutions that her product was solving.
She was able to leave the workshop with a much clearer idea of who she was talking to and how her product was going to make their lives better.
Bottom line:
Sometimes you need to have a someone look at your product with fresh eyes, because the people within your company have been staring inward for too long and may have lost perspective.
Outline Your Processes
One key element of the StoryBrand Marketing Framework is laying out a plan for your customer to follow. Many brands overlook this, but it is so important.
Think about it, if someone thinks that the process of working with you is going to be too complicated, then they won’t work with you. But if you make it seem as easy as 1, 2, 3 then they are going to overlook many of their initial objections.
In our small group Zoom room, we worked through the sales process with a few of the attendees who weren’t clear. I asked questions like:
what is the first step someone needs to take to work with you
and then what happens after that
and then what happens after that
Many people have said to me, “they just get in touch with me.”
But how?
Now there are so many ways to get in touch with a company that it’s imperative that you clearly define it. That you say something like, “schedule an intro call” so the audience knows to click a button, and pick a time that works for them.
But what is that process? Who is on the other side of that button click? Who gets the notification? Who follows up?
We worked through what the three step process was for each of the attendees so they knew exactly what to say when someone told them they were ready to get started.
Bottom Line:
Talk through with your team how you are going to field new sales inquiries. Is it a simple button click? Placing an order? Filling out a form? Consider what processes you are willing and able to implement quickly, easily, and within your budget.
Consider Your Differentiator.
Throughout the two day livestream, we discussed not only the seven parts of the StoryBrand framework, but an additional layer to add on - the differentiator.
One of our the attendees was a photographer.
But not just a photographer, a headshot photographer.
But not just a headshot photographer, a business headshot photographer.
But nailing down what made him unique from other photographers, that allowed us to filter his lens (pardon the pun) through his own differentiator. So this way, when he goes to create further marketing assets - like emails and social media posts - he knows how to speak in a way that sets him apart from other photographer.
Bottom Line:
It’s not enough to know who your unique audience is, it’s vital you also know your own uniqueness and use it throughout your marketing.
Get Clear So Your Audience Gets You Right Away
In our StoryBrand Marketing Livestream, the five attendees and I made each and every BrandScript super clear: both for the companies themselves and their audiences. By asking questions, stress testing, trying on, and trying out we were able to put each brand through its paces. And give each person a simple framework they can use going forward as their business inevitably grows and changes.
You can do the same thing, by joining in at the next StoryBrand Marketing Livestream. I’m also happy to take a look through your messaging, your branding, and your overall marketing to help you get clear on who your customer is, what your processes are, and what makes you different from the rest.
