Storytelling Tips for Place Branding Professionals

Facts tell, stories sell – which is why storytelling has become such an important aspect of brand building in general and place (city, destination, country) branding in particular. Humans have always loved a good story, and in the age of social media, storytelling really ought to thrive.

There are, however, a few things to keep in mind to make storytelling a success. Author and entrepreneur Brian Horn recently shared some useful advice on stories and brand building in The Huffington Post, summarized below.

Tips for Succesful Brand Storytelling

Here are four tips for telling stories that enhance, rather than ruin, your product or place brand reputation. Want to add some aspects or share your storytelling experience? Leave a comment!

Speak the Truth

Storytelling sometimes brings to mind exaggerated fishing stories or a boat captain’s yarn of adventure. However, when speaking about your brand, you need to be truthful, but it is okay to use colorful or flowery language and spin it a bit to suit your purpose. In other words, don’t claim your product can do something it cannot through a story. However, it’s okay to set up a “fiction” story as long as your clients know it’s fiction.

Create a Well Crafted Story That Serves a Purpose

When creating your brand story, you must be purposeful in your storytelling. Outline the steps you want customers to take and illustrate why your product or service is important to their lives. Remember your purpose for storytelling is to create a memory. Creating an interesting, genuine story about your brand that people will remember is the best kind of story to craft.

Choose the Right Stories

Selecting the correct story to use for your brand is a must. The stories are more impactful when they are personal. Consider the needs of your audience when choosing a story to use for your brand. Make the customer or client the main character and share a story of how your service has made them successful or fulfilled a need.

Be Indirect, Not Overly Pushy

Although you are selling your brand, you don’t want it to be obvious that is what you are doing. You want to craft your story to have three acts, just as any good story should, the situation, the conflict and the resolution. However, when creating a story for your brand, you also want to add a fourth element, that being a call to action.

Via How to Build Your Brand Through Storytelling | Brian Horn on Huffington Post. Image source: pixabay


Did you find those storytelling tips for place branding professionals useful? Please share!

Tip: Subscribe to the Place Brand Observer newsletter to benefit from updates on latest place branding and reputation insights, strategy, thoughts and examples.

TPBO
TPBOhttps://placebrandobserver.com

Join us at the intersection of research and practice in place branding. TPBO spotlights impactful place brand stories, from showcases to our flagship yearbook. Learn from leaders in our Who is Who World Map. Connect with us on LinkedIn for insights and join our mailing list for the latest place brand impact stories and strategies.

- Introducing: World's Best in Place Branding -spot_img

Latest articles