4 minute read
“We need to tell our brand story.”
It’s a phrase I hear all the time. Executives, marketers, and founders alike believe that telling their story is the key to differentiating their brand.
But here’s the truth:
Brand storytelling isn’t about telling your story at all.
Because customers don’t care about where your company started, the technology you’ve built, or how passionate you are about geospatial innovation.
They care about their own challenges. Their own goals. Their own transformation.
The moment your brand shifts from being the main character in the story to being the guide who helps your customer succeed—that’s when everything changes.
Here’s how to make that shift.
Your Brand Lives Inside Your Customer’s Story
Every potential customer goes through a journey before they choose to buy from you.
They start in a problem state—struggling with outdated workflows, disconnected data, or inefficient decision-making.
They’re looking for a path forward. A solution that makes their life easier. And more importantly, a brand that truly understands what they’re up against.
If you want to build a category-leading brand, you need to position yourself inside their story—not try to pull them into yours.
That means:
1️⃣ Deeply understanding their struggles (not just on a functional level, but on an emotional level)
2️⃣ Clearly articulating the transformation they seek (not just the benefits of your product, but the real-world change they want to see)
3️⃣ Positioning your brand as the trusted guide (so that choosing you feels like the obvious next step)
If your messaging doesn’t reflect your audience’s story, they won’t see themselves in it. And if they don’t see themselves in it, they won’t engage.
The Role of a Guide, Not a Hero
Your customers are the heroes of their own journey. They don’t need another hero competing for the spotlight.
They need a guide—someone who understands their challenges, has seen them play out before, and can confidently help them navigate the path to success.
That’s where your brand comes in. But to be an effective guide, you need to communicate two things:
1️⃣ Empathy: Show them that you truly understand their pain points—not just in generic terms, but in ways that reflect their lived experience.
2️⃣ Authority: Demonstrate that you’ve helped others overcome these same challenges, and that your expertise makes the transformation they seek possible.
Without empathy, your brand feels disconnected.
Without authority, your brand feels unproven.
Without both, your brand feels forgettable.
The brands that build trust the fastest are the ones that listen, reflect, and guide—not the ones that talk about themselves.
Brand Storytelling Is Not Just “Telling Stories”
A common misconception about brand storytelling is that it means literally telling stories.
Yes, stories are powerful. But brand storytelling isn’t about crafting the perfect “once upon a time” narrative.
It’s about embedding your messaging within your customers’ internal narrative—the story they are already telling themselves about their challenges, their aspirations, and what’s possible for them.
For example:
❌ Weak message: “Our geospatial platform helps you make better decisions.”
✅ Strong message: “Disconnected data is costing you millions. Our platform brings every spatial insight into one place—so you can act fast, reduce risk, and stay ahead.”
See the difference? The second message isn’t just a claim—it mirrors the problem the audience is already experiencing and makes the solution feel essential.
That’s the power of embedding your messaging within the customer’s story.
Bringing It All Together
When done right, brand storytelling isn’t about persuasion—it’s about alignment.
It’s about making your audience feel deeply understood.
It’s about positioning your solution as the natural next step.
It’s about making your marketing feel less like marketing—and more like guidance.
And when you do that, your marketing stops feeling like a sales pitch. It becomes a gift—an invitation for your audience to achieve the transformation they’re looking for.
That’s how you build trust. That’s how you drive demand. That’s how you win.
Need help? We’ve got you.
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If you need a storytelling strategy that grabs your prospects by the eyeballs 👉 Check out our Brand Messaging Workshop
If you’ve got your stories sussed but need help with getting them out there 👉 Check out our Website Copywriting and Content Marketing offerings.
If you’d just like to have a chat about where you’re at and what you’d like to achieve 👉 Contact Us (no strings, no sales pitch)