How Social Media and StoryBranding Are Inseparable

Brand expert Jim Signorelli is the author of StoryBranding and StoryBranding 2.0. The StoryBranding process is very similar to social media marketing. It's all about telling a story that emotionally connects with consumers, and social media marketing is a great tool for doing that.

In StoryBranding, your brand becomes the main character in its own story. It has a purpose in people's lives, beyond features, benefits, and profits. People are more than just consumers, and brands need to represent something meaningful in their lives. They don't want to do business with a faceless, commonplace companies; they want an authentic story to connect with.

In StoryBranding 2.0, Signorelli says that the purpose, or theme, of the brand should be shown and not told. Don't brag or make empty promises. No one is going to believe you, or even listen to you. With a simple message, the brand's theme naturally becomes apparent. All stories have themes, but no good story outright says what its theme is. The theme is interpreted and felt by the listener or reader. The same goes for brands: its value shouldn't be explained or pushed, or else it will be ignored or even discounted. In fact, according to an article on CMS Wire, a survey by Experticity finds that mistrust for brands and advertising is growing among consumers.

People want transparency and authenticity. They want to interpret a brand's purpose for themselves. When it's not you telling consumers what to believe, your brand becomes more credible. Once consumers find the value in your brand, they will also form their own bond with it.

Signorelli maps out "The Journey Toward a Strong Connection" in his book. It describes how the relationship forms between a consumer and a brand.

The first level is "Product Function Awareness," in which the consumer is first introduced to a product and its features. This is when the consumer and the brand are first introduced.

The second level is "Product Feature Comprehension," in which the consumer realizes that a specific brand offers features he or she wants in the product. This is when the consumer and brand are considered friendly acquaintances.

The third level is "Brand Association," in which the brand is high on the consumer's consideration list because of the experience he or she has had with it. This is when the consumer and the brand are considered friends.

The fourth and final level is "Brand Affiliation," in which the consumer associates deep meaning with the brand aligned with specific beliefs and values. The brand represents something the consumer either identifies with or aspires to. At this point, the consumer and brand are best friends.

Signorelli says that a brand should have a soul that is real, not manufactured. The first step is figuring out what the soul of your brand is. Then, you show it. I believe that this is where social media marketing comes in. Signorelli even states that "social networks... are, in effect, storytelling portals." While he uses the example of people telling their own stories through social media, I think this also applies to brands.

If a brand is a character with a soul and a purpose, then it deserves a face and a personality as well, and social media is the perfect way to portray that and to let consumers interact with the brand and form strong bonds and connections with it. StoryBranding gives a brand its purpose and its story, and social media marketing helps it tell its story.