Person 1: “What do you do?”
Me: “I’m a Visual Brand Storyteller.”
Person 1: “Interesting. What is that?”
Me: “I help aspiring business owners tell their brand story through all visual aspects of their communication, helping them to create authenticity, loyalty and excitement in their brand.”
Person 1: “So you’re a Graphic Designer then?”
Me: “No – I am a Visual Brand Storyteller.”
Person 1: “What’s the difference.”
Me: “I concentrate on your brand story, not your product, service or event. I work on creating emotion and a connection between a business and its ideal customers by using images.”
Having conversations like this makes me realise how much work I need to do to help businesses realise the power of Visual Brand Storytelling. So I start here, right at the beginning with the focus to get all you aspiring business owners to see the potential of Visual Brand Storytelling.
What is Visual Brand Storytelling?
Visual Brand Storytelling is a method that centres on your customers needs and feelings, rather than your product or service. By visually communicating your brand story, promise or values you simply focus on the human need to connect what is important to you with others through story.
When you share relatable stories about your life experiences, days at the office and problems you have faced to your audience, you create a strong and emotional connection with your ideal customer. By building this emotional connection, you build brand awareness, and trust which then turn into loyal customers that will buy almost everything you create.
A survey of UK adults found when people love a brand story, they are 55% more likely to buy the product in the future, 44% will share the story on social media, and 15% will buy the product on the spot. Aston University
Why should I use Visual Brand Storytelling?
There is a well known story told by Simon Sinek about how Microsoft were so focused on what Apple were doing that they spent all their time talking about how they were were going to beat Apple. Apple spent 100% of their time telling people how they were going to help teachers teach and help students learn. One was obsessed with where they were going, the other obsessed with their product and their competition. Visual Brand Storytellers focus directly on your brand vision, story and values to bring your ideal customer to you rather than trying to sell a product or service to them.
What does a Visual Brand Storyteller do?
The main aim of a Visual brand Storyteller is to consistently make your brand part of a bigger story that is meaningful to its customers.
Great examples of companies that use Visual Brand Storytelling are John Lewis, Apple and Nike. They are so tuned into their ideal customer as they no longer use direct narrative about their company, product or offering – they simply use images to evoke emotion and connection.
An experienced brand storyteller will take time to get to know you and your brand, so they can paint a picture of the people, events and experiences that connect your audiences to the values of your brand.
Although the companies I mentioned above are very well known, the concept can be easily applied into your business. For example, if you are an accountant, you can tell stories about how you helped people, visually explain tricky information and how amazing your client felt after receiving a tax rebate after you had completed their tax return.
People are influenced by real life challenges and our emotional responses to our lives. They like to see that there are real people behind the brand and that they make mistakes too, so never shy away from showing how you fixed things when they didn’t go as planned.
The main aim of a storyteller is to consistently make your brand part of a bigger story that is meaningful to its customers. To do this you need to tell stories about the lives you have impacted through what you do. Share your vision for the future. Reminisce about past stories and events.
Start sharing how you impact people’s lives in all forms of communication and become an inspiring brand!
