By Donald Miller
I really enjoyed this book. The premise of the book is that in order to add clarity to your marketing and brand, you should follow the rules that a good storytelling follow:
- A Character
- Has a problem
- Meets a guide
- Who gives them a plan
- And calls them to action
- Which helps them avoid failure
- And this ends in success.
Most of the book is spend building up each of these themes in a business context. For example, when examining the character (your customer) and their problems, you should understand that all people have fundamental needs and your product should focus on providing for one of these needs.
I enjoy good storytelling and incorporating storytelling into marketing (something I know very little about) seemed like an improvement. Overall, I found the ideas intriguing enough to try them out in my own endeavors. I used the framework to redesign my subscription page in StemFox and will use them as my framework for my messaging and communications until I find something better.
The end of the book includes practical advice on applying the principals of the book in your business.
Quotes I Underlined
“What Frustrations Do Our Products Resolve?”
Page 64
Always worth keeping in mind. If a feature or product isn’t resolving a frustration, why are we adding it?
The best way to arrive at an agreement plan is to list all the things your customer might be concerned about as it relates to your product or service and then counter that list with agreements that will alleviate their fears.
Page 92
I like this quote because it reminded me of a tactic from Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. At some point he talks about heading into negotiations by listing all the problems your counterpart might have with you. By simply acknowledging these perceived shortcomings you can ease their pain.
Conclusion
It’s a good book. Worth the read if you are looking for direction or clarity on how to market to and communicate with your customers. There is an accompanying website that helps map out the different aspects of building a Story Brand.