Your company is more than one thing. It’s an idea or an MVP. It’s the product you sell or the service you offer. It’s your values and vision, and it’s the people on your team.
Fundamentally, however, your company is a story. The thing you might think you’re selling isn’t what your customers or clients are purchasing. Instead, they’re buying into a story — which is why it’s so important to tell the right one.
In business, the best stories win. Here’s how to tell yours.
The Mistake Most Companies Make
Every business is excited about the thing they sell. A founder saw a need in the market and came up with a way to meet it better, cheaper, or faster than someone else. That’s worth some excitement. Their impulse to tell everyone about it makes sense.
Most companies start their story right here — with the exciting solution they’ve developed — and it’s a huge mistake. Here’s why:
Just like investors, customers and clients are inundated with messaging that is solution focused. They see this sort of marketing all the time and are largely unmoved. Mentally and emotionally, it’s just another company talking about how great they are. It’s boring.
In short, these businesses are leading with the solution to an undefined problem. It’s a weird way to make a first impression, but so many companies do just that.
Everything that comes next in this blog post will be an attempt to help you and your company avoid making this mistake.
Company Storytelling 101
1. Your audience has a problem
Remember just a few paragraphs ago, when we mentioned that most founders saw a need in the market? Let’s press pause right there. In the story of your company, this moment is pivotal.
Focus on the problem your company solves. What was the need in the market you initially saw? In reality, it was probably more than one thing. Every audience has more than a few pain points. What were the problems that made you think “I can do something about this?”
Your company story opens — or leads — with the problem your customers or clients have. By focusing on your audience’s problems, you’re engaging them right where they are.
Leading with the problem you solve makes your audience think “they’re talking about me.”
Not only does this allow your ideal clients to feel seen and heard, but it demonstrates empathy as well. Your company understands its audience — but you don’t stop there.
2. Your company has the solution
After you’ve identified your customers’ pain points and learned how to speak to them effectively, you’re at the right place in the story to introduce your company’s solution. Here’s how you’ll do that without losing the engagement you’ve been building.
Don’t just talk about the features and benefits of your solution. Use your company story to connect your solution to the problems or pain points you opened with.
Remember, even when you’re talking about your business, you don’t need to take the focus off your customer. If you do, they’ll begin to check out. Keep the spotlight on how your product or service solves their problem.
If leading with the problem demonstrates empathy, clearly explaining how your company solves that same problem is how you demonstrate your credibility. It’s an authority statement.
Together, empathy and authority are the building blocks of brand loyalty.
3. You call them to action with results
You led with the problem your audience is facing.
You introduced your clear solution to that problem.
Now, your company story comes together at the end when you call them to action. You’ve reached the point in the story where your clients or customers need to do something.
The good news is they’re ready to act because you’ve taken the time to engage them with their own wants and needs and how you meet them. Now it’s time to tell them what they can expect when they buy in.
Those future results are motivating. They paint a clear picture of what your customer or client can expect from working with you.
Key Takeaways
As you begin to imagine (or reimagine) your company story, don’t forget these key points.
- Your target audience is the main character in your company story
- Lead with their problems, wants, or needs to build engagement
- Introduce your solution as a response to their pain points
- Call your audience to action with the results they expect from your product or service
This guest post is from the Creative Team at Eleventh House Agency. The Main Stage has recently partnered with Eleventh House to help our users craft company stories — like the ones that bring our Story Vault to life — that engage investors and compel them to act. For more information about Eleventh House and their services, click here.
