You know exactly how your brand is different from the competition. You have heart and soul where other companies only care about the bottom line, and your offices are packed full of people who are passionate about the work they do.

But there’s a disconnect. You likely know how your brand stands out, but do your customers and other critical audiences?

In today’s marketplace, it’s not enough for clients or consumers to know you exist; they need to connect to you emotionally to make that brand connection, which means they need to understand the values and mission that drive your company. Is everything you’re doing to build and sustain business directly related to your mission and values? If not, you may need to re-evaluate your business, likely rewrite your business and marketing plans to ensure they sustain your true meaning for being in business in the first place, because this is how you will gain and retain more customers or clients, by being true to what you really believe.

A BuzzStream survey found that 45 percent of respondents will unfollow a brand that’s too self-promotional on social media. That makes sense as who wants to follow a brand that’s self-righteous? However, there’s a fine balance here, because likeability is key to building your brand reputation.

That same BuzzStream survey also showed the number one reason people follow a company is they simply like the brand. Brands become likeable by showing consumers or clients the authentic personality and values of a company. This is where story telling comes in, by making your story, your brand story, and your employee’s stories personal and relatable.

HootSuite recommends following the rule of thirds:

One-third self-promotional content
One-third sharing ideas from relevant thought leaders
One-third personal interactions that build your brand

*When it comes to branding, storytelling and content marketing are like peanut butter and jelly.*

The good news is that using a balanced combination can be the first step toward your brand story.

So how do you get to that storytelling aspect of your brand?When it comes to branding, storytelling and content marketing are like peanut butter and jelly – it just works. By making intentional storytelling a part of your content strategy, you’ll be able to increase brand awareness and boost your company’s reputation seamlessly. Here are five ideas to help start sharing your brand’s unique story:

The most successful brands share their story by balancing emotion with just the right amount of information.

1. Share Your Origin Story – If you want clients/customers to see the nucleus of your brand, your story has to start at the beginning. The most successful brands share their origin’s story by balancing emotion with just the right amount of information. A great story is easy to understand and simplifies big ideas in a way that sticks in people’s minds. This is where sharing those humble beginnings and establishing your brand voice comes through. A good example of this tactic includes Toms, where they believe in changing lives one pair of shoes at a time. This type of story is not solely about making money – rather, it’s about making a positive impact on the world at large, and people can relate to that. Where does your story have those sorts of impactful anecdotes for customers to relate too?

2. Make your Brand Voice Human – Your company is made up of people, and people are the ones buying from you, so why not humanize your brand voice? This means that building your brand voice to fit the tone of the clients/customers you want to connect with is crucial. There are a lot of things to consider when coming up with your brand voice, but the most important is how will you best relate to your client/customer. Choose a handful of words that represent the tone you’re aiming for, then create guidelines in a branding guide to stay consistent. Remember that your brand voice is front and center in all your marketing communications, and the same values that drive your mission should also come through in your brand voice.

Company transparency is key to brand loyalty.

3. Transparency is King – When running a business, it’s sometimes hard to be totally honest with consumers if you know it’ll hurt your bottom line but consider this – if whatever you’re not telling consumers leaks, imagine the blow back and repercussions of such actions. If you come up with an honest and easy-to-relate to story that explains the situation with a thought solution, you will gain oodles of props, and reaffirm to your brand loyalists that they have made the right decision to stick with you. Label Insight created a study that stated nearly all consumers (94%) are likely to be loyal to a brand that offers complete transparency.

40 percent of all consumers are willing to abandon brands that don’t give back to society.

4. Helping the Causes You Believe In – Who wants to be friends with someone that’s self-revolving and doesn’t care about those around them? It’s stifling, and off-setting, and your brand shares those traits. Millennial’s in particular want to put their money behind sustainable companies and brands that are committed to social responsibility. Research from Net Imperative found that 40 percent of all consumers are willing to abandon brands that don’t give back to society, so what does your company stand for? By committing to a cause that positively impacts people’s lives will only boost your brand reputation and solidify you company as a business to stand by.

5. Company Culture Says Something – People relate to people, so why not share the stories of your staff to show what your company stands behind? It will not only boost employee morale, but your clients/customers will likely find some sort of emotional connection, which breaks down barriers and boosts trust and loyalty within a brand. Brand authenticity is a huge factor in building a solid reputation, and the people that work for you is what makes your brand unique. By encouraging employee advocacy in an organic way using blogs, vlogs and social media, it’ll not only boost your reputation, but it’ll build brand awareness too.

At the end of the day, storytelling and content marketing are the peanut butter and jelly for spreading the word about a company brand, and the more authentic and transparent you can be, the better. Need help with this? Contact me and let’s chat.