Sometimes, people don’t buy products. Instead, they buy stories. Depending on who you ask, it may be exclusively stories that people are buying.
The classic example from the branding literature is Harley Davidson. Their motorcycles aren’t the product. They are selling freedom. (This used to be abstract; Now they are literally doing it.) It’s not about the motorcycle. Rather, it’s about what the motorcycle represents. To their fanbase, Harley represents America, and boy, do they care a lot. Harley has one of the most rabid, committed fanbases around.
What’s your story? What do you represent? What are you really selling?
Everyone is telling you that your organization must have video content — including me here. If you aren’t a creative type, though, this task can be really daunting: “What the heck do I put in there? What do I say?”
I like to use four questions as a skeleton for any web video I produce. They are super-simple and straightforward, but I believe that they get to the heart of why people buy.
These questions, answered honestly, will give you your story.
In fact, these questions can illustrate why any story is compelling. They give us emotional anchors that we can use to empathize with the protagonist. They help us get to the root of what’s really going on, to uncover the values that are being promoted by the story — what it’s really saying.
Like this:
- Who are you? I am Luke Skywalker.
- What do you do? I fight the Galactic Empire for the cause of freedom.
- Why do you do it? I was inspired by stories about my father, a war hero.
- Why should I care? I can use the Force, so I hold the key to turning the tide of the war.
You can get on board with Luke’s story at a few different points. Maybe it’s the freedom-fighter angle. Maybe it’s the relationship between father and son. Maybe you relate to the absent father trope in your own life, or struggling to live up to expectations. Whatever the reason, audiences in 1977 definitely bought what Luke was selling, and he’s been a hero to generations of kids.
Here’s another one:
- Who are you? I am Peter Parker.
- What do you do? I fight crime and save New York City as Spider-Man.
- Why do you do it? My Uncle Ben taught me, “With great power comes great responsibility.” I have powers, so I must use them to help others.
- Why should I care? Villains are threatening the people we love, and I’m the only one who can stop them. But I need the community’s help.
Here’s a guy with clear goals and an unwavering moral compass. We watch him get placed in extreme, compromising situations over and over, but he always does the right thing because that’s how his aunt and uncle raised him. He’s an avatar of morality, but also community. He’s not the global Spider-Man; He’s the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Last one:
- Who are you? I am Odysseus.
- What do you do? I sail from Troy to get back home to Ithaca with my men.
- Why do you do it? If I don’t get back soon, I will lose my family.
- Why should I care? Because everyone has felt like they just wanted to get home and see their loved ones again.
It doesn’t matter how fantastic Odysseus’s journey is, or how unreal the obstacles in his way. It’s a story about going home, and we can all relate. And because we can relate, we can care enough to like him.
People want to do business with people they like and trust. Telling your story gives them a reason to like and trust YOU. Showing them your story in video form is even better. If a picture is worth a thousand words, video is 24k-30k words per second.
Which of these is more compelling?
Come to Joe’s Pizza. We sell the best New York-style pizza in Tampa Bay.
or
Come to Tommy’s Pizza Kitchen. I grew up in Brooklyn, bussing tables at my uncle’s pizza shop. I came down to Florida with my uncle’s sauce recipes, and I’m committed to maintaining that authenticity. I’m so committed, in fact, that I also import New York water to make the dough. That’s why I have the best pizza in Tampa Bay.
The first one is like, “Yeah, right. You and everyone else, pal.” But the second tells a story. They also claim to have the best pizza, but they justify it with details that go beyond the substance of the product and promote its authenticity. All else equal, I’m going there every time, especially if you show me all of this stuff in video form. Show me your uncle and his Brooklyn storefront. Show me the dough-making process. Show me New York City. Show me the inside of the pizza oven. Show me someone else enjoying a slice. Show me your family in the shop today — maybe even fly your uncle in!
How would you break down the four questions for Tommy’s Pizza Kitchen?
…Great, now do your own business!
Figuring out your story helps you figure out why people are really buying from you. It may be that you’re already projecting a story to the world — in fact, it’s almost certain. If you’re successful, congratulations! Whatever your story is, it’s resonating with people. If not, maybe the story they got from you is lame, and it’s time to tell the true story.
Either way, this exercise will help you identify what you’re really selling. Armed with that knowledge, you can create content that will get people talking.
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Acknowledgements for this one go to Marty Neumeier, author of two of my favorite marketing books, The Brand Gap and Zag, who helped me to understand that branding is story-driven, and what you think you’re selling isn’t important. It’s what the audience thinks you’re selling that matters.
