Want to sell more? Start with a story.

Remember when that Target commercial came out? The one that featured Bea Dixon, the founder of Honey Pot. 

In it she spoke of her challenges starting her business and shared why its success was important to her – “so that the next Black girl that comes up with a great idea can have a better opportunity,” she said. 

I remember thinking wow that’s so nice…not knowing what was happening online.

I remember thinking wow that’s so nice…not knowing what was happening online.
People got triggered and their reaction was swift.

People got triggered and their reaction was swift. Target and Honey Pot were accused of discrimination against white people, and a swarm of trolls left thousands of negative reviews for the company.  

Then something interesting happened. After the wave of backlash, other social media users started a drive for positive reviews. A community emerged to publicly show their support and defend their values of empowerment.  

Storytelling helps you build a community of loyal customers. ​With the power of storytelling, Honey Pot pulled their users together to stand for their shared values. ​

Your successful story can help you show your values and attract those who align and want to associate with what you stand for. That’s the power of storytelling.

Storytelling differentiates your brand and helps you captivate your audience. We live in times when everyone is competing for the attention of consumers. Storytelling differentiates you and you capture that attention. 

There are so many businesses out there that offer similar product offerings. Think about gluten-free desserts. There are so many brands out there but for me I will always buy from a chef named Jessica. 

Her desserts sell at the famous Devon House bakery, a landmark attraction in Kingston, Jamaica. When I asked her how she got started, she told me about her husband who was having mysterious chest pains. Doctors couldn’t find the problem. It was scary.

Jessica decided it was time for the family to get healthy. She revamped their meals removing allergens one by one. When she removed gluten, her husband noticed that the heart trouble stopped. She made her home a gluten-free zone and a business was born.

Whether your story causes a firestorm like Honey Pot or is heartwarming like Jessica’s, the principle is the same. 

People remember businesses that have a story. In the case of Honey Pot, despite the controversy, sales increased. And Jessica’s story has her desserts selling in the country’s top bakeries.  Customers don’t forget the brand.

Create an unforgettable story. It must be meaningful, personal, emotional, simple, and authentic. In the words of Maya Angelou people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Start telling stories in your marketing and social media. As your audience gets to know like and trust you, they will be more likely to buy from you.

Are you struggling with telling your story? This is the first in a 3-part series about selling more through storytelling. Find out how to tell stories that will resonate with your audience.

 

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Is Branding Fake?

It was the first time I’d woken up so early on a Saturday morning in a long time. Do you remember? We couldn’t wait to see who the invited guests were and what they were wearing. Oprah, Serena, Idris, Priyanka — ooh. 

Then Meghan strode in with twin pageboys carrying her 25-foot train. It was wonderful. The Harry and Meghan wedding did not disappoint, but unfortunately one of her best friends and guests that day eventually would.

You see the twins holding her veil that day were the sons of her best friend and stylist Jessica Mulroney who recently got embroiled in a huge scandal here in Canada. 

 The Harry and Meghan wedding did not disappoint, but unfortunately one of her best friends and guests that day eventually would.

Branding is based on relationships

Jessica’s brand is heavily based on her close friendship with Meghan. In fact in her pitch deck, the first slide is a photo of her and Meghan. She’s also the daughter-in-law of a former Prime Minister and has leveraged her relationships into her own TV show, sponsorships and a correspondent role on Good Morning America.

All of that came crashing down when Toronto Blogger, Sasha Exeter revealed what Jessica had done to her.  

In the wake of the protests in June 2020, Sasha made a general call for support of Black Lives Matter on social media. Jessica saw her post and thinking this was directed to her personally, responded that she would not because her brand sponsors would be turned off if she spoke out.

When Sasha pressed her, especially given her famous friend, Jessica got heated and came after her, letting her know that she had contacted Sasha’s brand sponsors and told them to cut their sponsorship.

Well Sasha wasn’t having it. She went public on Instagram and spilled the entire tea. The backlash was swift and Jessica responded quickly, publicly apologizing citing her experience “with her closest friend where race was front and center.”

Then 5 minutes later, she privately DM’ed Sasha and threatened to sue her for libel. 😱

The reason why so many people hate branding.

It’s fake.

Branding has been abused

The truth is branding has been used to cover up so much bad behavior that people are completely turned off from the idea of branding itself. There are people and companies whose approach to branding is to use strong branding to create a false persona. One that allows them to get away with bad behavior rather than do the hard work of actually living up to their mission statement.

This has allowed them to continue to get away with behavior that if their loyal customer base knew about, they would abandon them immediately.

The rise of social media

The fortunate thing though is one thing has changed that’s taking down all that fake branding people are doing … social media.

Big brands are scrutinized on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok more than ever before and there’s an outcry whenever they fall short of their image. They simply can’t get away with putting lipstick on a pig anymore.

That’s why it’s so important today for your brand to be authentic and true to who you really are. Successful branding can stand up to the scrutiny of social media when it’s authentic because it is true to your character, your values and who you are in the image of your loyal customers.

And customers reward authentic brands. 

Nearly nine out of 10 consumers are willing to take action to reward a brand for its authenticity, including 52 percent who would recommend the brand to others and 49 percent who would pledge loyalty to the brand. (crowdspring.com)

You can’t get away with a fake brand anymore, so don’t try

So Sasha posted Jessica’s threat to sue for libel straight on to Instagram. Shortly after that Jessica’s world came crashing down. First they cancelled her TV show, then one-by-one her sponsors dropped her, citing support for Black Lives Matter, then GMA said goodbye.

As the final blow, the Duchess of Sussex put out word through her friends that she was appalled at Jessica’s behavior, and they are no longer friends.
Stand in your truth

The lesson — build a brand that’s true to who you are and what you stand for because you just can’t get away with faking it anymore. 

Take the first step to building your own authentic brand. Take the brand archetype quiz and get your guide to building an authentic brand based on your personality and strengths.

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We were Branded

Our ancestors were literally branded. They were tied up, held down and a red hot iron brand held against their skin searing each layer. 

400 years later the acts of torture have not stopped. The death of George Floyd shows this. The deaths of Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Freddie Gray, Laquan McDonald among many others show this.

As a brand strategist and black woman, amid the protests I think about how we continue to be branded today, not with a scalding iron rod but with constant messages about who we are.

Messages like “essential and yet expendable” have attempted to define our value, but in 2013 three women created a new message saying instead that our lives matter. 

Whether it was shared on social media, written on walls or shouted in the streets, the message was the same — our lives matter.

In the face of backlash and criticism, they continued to insist — our lives matter.

Then last week something new happened. Tens of thousands of individuals, organizations and corporations publicly declared — after years of staying silent or, like the NFL, being actively opposed — that our lives matter.

And that’s how branding works. When you consciously and deliberately define who you are and what your value is like Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi did in 2013.

When you confidently and persistently repeat it again and again without apology.

When you continue to state it in the face of disapproval and even opposition — your message starts to take hold and overcome the pervasive assumptions people make about you.

Now that these companies have declared that Black Lives Matter, they can be held to account. Because branding is more than lip service. It fails unless it’s a reflection of your core values. 

I think about how we continue to be branded today, not with a scalding iron rod but with constant messages about who we are.

How many of us have taken the time to consciously and deliberately define who we are?

A simple yet powerful way is by creating your “I am” statement. Your “I am” statement that says something about yourself that’s really important to you.

It can be as simple as “I am a great mother.”

It can be a statement of your dreams and aspirations. “I am an awesome chef. People travel from all over the world for a taste of my cooking.”

It can be a statement of your spiritual self. “I am a beloved child of God.”

As long as it remains an expression of who you are and what’s important to you, it is the beginning of defining your presence in this world and not allowing others define it for you.