In week 4 at YSYS FoundersDoor, we had a “Storytelling for Startup Success” workshop ran by Abiola Babarinde. We learnt that naturally we are visual beings. Storytelling is important in this modern age of marketing using social media. The story is engaging and if done well transcends demographics.
Many brands are telling stories incorrectly. In any given story there are 3 main characters: the villain (the bad guy), the hero (the good guy) and the guide (the information source that helps the hero). Many brands position themselves as the hero, leaving the customer to be either the guide or the villain.
The correct way to tell a story is as a brand is to play and be the guide – if you’re a Star Wars fan think Yoda or Obi-Wan. The guide is empathic and a pillar of knowledge; they aim to help the hero overcome their problems. The three types of problems a hero may face are psychological, internal and external (see my next article for more information about those).
When telling a story as a brand when you position yourself as a guide, the customer as the hero this only leaves the villain. The villain could be an issue a customer faces when trusting brands in your industry, in most cases your USP is the solution to that issue.
With you as the guide and the customer as the hero, you can work together to overcome the obstacles and ultimately win.
Bedroom 2 Boardroom 🚀 