The best brands in the world tell rich stories that speak to the basic human need to belong. Brands like Nike or McDonald’s have turned regular customers into brand champions by mastering the art of storytelling.
They are instantly recognizable and have ingrained themselves in our daily lives.
Many of these top brands tell their stories in only a few words.
Nike channels the fighter spirit in us all with their iconic “Just Do It,” while McDonald’s “I’m Loving It” makes us reminisce about tastier times.
But they didn’t achieve this overnight.
With customer lifetime value being a leading indicator of a sustainable business, brand storytelling has never been more valuable.
Modern marketers should use stories at the core of their campaigns to drive repeat business and form genuine connections with their audiences. Here are some guiding principles that can help you get started.
Create memorable brand experiences
We love telling stories and listening to them, but it’s easy to get burned out if you keep seeing the same message from multiple sources.
A memorable brand experience embodies your values and showcases these unique messages across every customer touchpoint. You should create experiences that go beyond your core product offerings to show your investment in your supporters’ success.
Brands like Lululemon have this locked down.
What started as a line of products for yoga lovers is now a global phenomenon for all things active. However, they didn’t win hearts by shouting their message at their supporters. They’ve built a community around the Lulu lifestyle that cements their place in their customers’ lives.
They’ve built these relationships through unique experiences, including fitness classes and activities to provide immediate value to customers and indirectly showcase their products. This approach has allowed them to build loyal fanbases who proudly represent Lululemon as their go-to activewear brand—leading to consistent growth and increasing customer LTV for the company.
Personalize when possible
With so many brands looking for attention, how do you cut through the noise?
The secret is to build personalized experiences that make your customers feel special. This tactic applies to their experiences with your brand—both online and offline.
Online personalization can be as easy as sending abandoned cart emails to trigger a purchase, personalizing shopping recommendations, or even using a customer’s name when they log into their accounts. You can take it even further by fine-tuning your messaging to target specialized audience segments with highly personalized landing page experiences.
It’s equally essential to delight your customers with any offline interactions they have with your brand. Here, creating premium cross-channel experiences comes into play.
Many brands have found success by including small bonuses like branded stickers that easily allow customers to show off their brand pride. Others have focused on making their packaging as appealing as possible and channeling their brand story through giveaways at activations to build hype.
Keeping customer experience at the forefront of your brand strategy can pay massive dividends through even the smallest actions.
Reward loyalty
Brands wouldn’t exist without the customers who champion them.
These loyal supporters can help propel your brand forward and are a significant part of your current and future success. So why not make celebrating them integral to your brand story?
These signs of gratitude can go a long way toward increasing customer affinity for your brand, and rewarding them for purchasing from your business. You can also leverage these programs to get more referrals, which gives you an even larger base to showcase your brand.
Morning Brew, publishers of a widely read newsletter, saw explosive growth during the pandemic, in large part due to their willingness to thank readers for helping spread the word.
By creating a tiered system with increasingly substantial rewards, they’ve created a referral system that significantly compensates their most loyal followers, while still offering minor incentives for newer supporters. Many other large brands have also seen the benefits that come from integrating customer perks into their marketing strategies to improve retention and increase LTV.
Focus on your customers
Building a robust brand narrative lets you create memorable, personalized experiences for your customers. It also lets you build more authentic connections with your community and gives you the chance to meaningfully reward loyalty. Taking a holistic approach to building your brand will provide short-term benefits for your business, but the true value will showcase itself in long-lasting customer loyalty and increased LTV.
If you’re curious what a robust conversion storytelling strategy would look like for your business, sign up for an Instapage demo today.
