No matter the audience or the platform, a good story is a good story if it can effectively communicate meaning and emotion. And back in February 2012, Andrew Stanton – an Oscar-winning filmmaker, animator, and storyteller from Pixar Studios – exemplified this with his riveting TED Talk, outlining the clues to a great story.
He made many thought-provoking points throughout his presentation that can be applied to any business. Here are three elements that he outlined, which can help your ecommerce business effectively communicate its brand story.
1. Make It Personal
No matter what you’re selling or promoting, there’s almost always a human story behind it that a customer can relate to. Find that story and let that shine through above all else.
In addition, when telling your brand’s back-story, don’t be afraid to mention your failures and lessons learned. This brings out the humanity of your brand – and your customer would probably prefer to do business with people, not faceless corporations. Remember, authenticity travels further than perfection.
2. Appeal to Your Customers with Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
Ever since the great philosopher, Aristotle, composed “On Rhetoric” in 350 B.C.E., people have been using these three modes of persuasion. These rhetorical devices have proven to be extremely powerful, and that’s because they get to the three main cores of human understanding.
While each one can be effective individually, the most persuasive arguments include a combination of all three.
- Ethos appeals to people using authority, credibility, and reputation. Show your brand as a notable and trustworthy expert in your field, and the audience will be more inclined to listen to what you have to say.
- Pathos is an appeal to people’s emotions. Connect with your listeners on an emotional level by tapping into their empathetic desires, needs and values.
- Logos is an appeal to people’s logic and reasoning abilities. Convince your readers of your brand’s worth by providing evidence of its utility. Use facts and figures to support the claims you make throughout your brand story.
3. Convey Your Passion
If you don’t care about your brand, then nobody else will either. While people buy products they need or want, they become loyal to brands that they care about.
Encourage people to care about your brand story with your infectious passion. Simon Sinek is an author best known for popularizing the concept of “the golden circle” and penning the classic “Start With Why”. During his famous TED Talk, he constantly repeated this phrase: “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it,” so always communicate that reason and passion to your customers in everything you do.
Also, be sure to use natural language and write as you would speak. Trying to sound more experienced than you are by using awkward jargon to make a good first impression will eventually backfire. Your authenticity here will convert far more customers than the best bits of pre-scripted lingo ever could.
Telling a great brand story is a simple matter of engaging your viewer on a personal and emotional level. With the help of these three tips, your customers can become an intimate part of your brand.