The most important thing in marketing is to create a story how you can solve the problems of your customer/s.
This is not a book about how to tell your company’s story. Such a book would be a waste of time. Customers are usually not interested in this topic; they have their own story to tell. What they are interested in is how your company can help them solve the problem or problems they are facing. This is how Donald Miller argues in the book “Model Story Brand. Build an effective message for your brand”.
In the book, Miller introduces the SB7 model (Story Brand 7). Where did the seven come from? Because the model he proposes contains 7 elements. They are:
Thanks for reading Przemek Kocur. Curious Guy! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
- Character. It is the client. He plays the leading role, not us, not our company, not our product.
- Problem. The client has a problem that needs to be solved. Companies often offer a solution to an objective problem, while for the client, the most important thing is to solve the emotional problem.
- Guide. Our company should be a guide for the client, which will show him the way to solve the problem.
- Plan. Since we already know what problem the hero, i.e. our client, is facing, and we play the role of a guide, we must develop and introduce to him a plan that will allow us to deal with this problem.
- Call to action. It is not enough to present a plan, talk about it, you need to call the client to action.
- Disaster prevention. To get the client to act, you need to make him aware of what he will lose if he does not use the solution we propose.
- Success. The guide must clearly communicate to his hero how his life will change if he implements the proposed plan.
Miller likens this approach to a movie script where a character has a problem. Usually someone or something comes along that triggers action in him. An action plan appears. The hero realizes what will happen if he solves the problem and what if he doesn’t.
Miller emphasizes that in today’s times of enormous information noise, it is important to simplify the message, bearing in mind that it is the hero, i.e. the customer, who is in the center of attention. He advises, for example, not to start a story, website, promotional materials with a description of the company or product or service but advises you to focus on the benefits they give and how they will help solve the problems of the customer if uses them.
It is a simple and logical approach, but is it really? Let’s look at the websites of many companies, where we learn everything about their history, how the owner graduated from such and such a university and when he founded his first company.
The customer absolutely does not care, and certainly not when he is searching the Internet in search of a solution to his problem. He is interested in whether he has found a solution – whether he will buy the components he needs, whether this course will provide him with the desired knowledge, etc. etc.
The book “Model Story Brand” is a collection of very practical advice, there is no sophisticated vocabulary here, typical for the marketing industry jargon. This makes it possible to immediately implement the advice presented in the consecutive chapters.
There are also parts in which the author tries to sell his services. No wonder, he just does what he preaches.
(Cover photo: firmbee.com – Unsplash)
Title: Model Story Brand (in Poland)
Original title: Building a StoryBrand
Author: Donald Miller
Published in various formats and languages.