The Narrative Build

©2013 Brenda van GInkel | Brand Marketing Consultant
www.thenarrativebuild.com

1

Building your brand story


2

A brand is not a logo – Marty Neumeier
Products are made:
brands live in the minds and hearts of users.


3

The Narrative Build
Early stage startups focus on the technical
parts of product development so brand and
marketing often take a back seat.
But without being able to connect with the
people a product’s made for, a startup is like a
carriage without a horse.
So I created this framework based on design
thinking and business methodologies for
startups to build brands which infuse product
development and resonate with people.

4

The Narrative Build
This process has helped startups create
brand identities and marketing presence
that’s meaningful and can be taken to any
digital platform through defining:
• Audience
• Brand attributes
• Brand vision
• Language and style

5

Audience-centric model
Brands are relevant when the people they want
to reach stay front and center.
• Product design focuses on user solutions.
• User experience is more than product
design, it extends to brand and marketing.
• Narrow focus vs mass reach creates deeper
engagement.
• Social media is the water cooler to cultivate
community around shared interests.

6

Who do you need to be connecting with?
Sometimes the customer (the person
making the purchasing decision) isn’t the
same as the user (the person using the
product).
Know them both.


7

Chart audience(s) and what’s known about
their needs, interests and pain points.
• What do they do now, without your
solution, and how does your product
improve their lives?
• What’s the problem you’re solving for
them?


8

Brand attributes
Brand attributes are like the foundation that
everything for your brand can be built on:
Positioning
Promise
Value proposition
Benefits

9

Brand attributes
Assessing brand attributes in marketing and
communications across all channels and
platforms will keep everything on-brand and
connecting with your audience.


10

Brand attributes
Positioning
• What defines the company? This is partly competitive.
Promise
• What can customers expect?
Value proposition
• What problem are you solving? What value does this
offer the people you want to reach?
Benefits
• Benefits support the value proposition and positioning.
What does this deliver to the people that use it?
Include relevant service and product attributes.


11

Brand vision
What’s your story?
The story is a mix of description and
inspiration. You’re saying who your target
audience is and what you do for them that
no one else is doing. How do you bring
value to your audience? Your story will
include elements of your
positioning, promise, value proposition and
benefits. It’s short.

12

Brand vision
What’s your specialty?
Describe your deep dive in your sector.


13

Brand vision
Differentiating: what sets the brand apart
Describe what’s special, what sets you apart
from the rest of the pack.


14

Brand vision
What’s the brand challenge?
Connecting with your audience: do others
see what you see for your brand?
Is the messaging engaging the people you
want to reach?
Does it feel relevant, does it matter?


15

Brand vision
Audience snapshot
What are the pain points and frustrations of
the people you need to reach, what do they
want and how can you improve their lives?
What can you do better for them than the
competition?


16

Language and style
Create a language style for your brand that’s
professional yet comfortable for your target
audience, keeping them in mind.
• Aim to be easily understood and concise.
• Make things easy for people.
• Listen; what do people care about? Try to
pull them in rather than talk at them.


17

Language and style
Trust and authenticity
People trust transparent messaging that
means something to them.
Connect through shared values and
interests on each marketing platform as well
as in personal phone and email
communications for tighter connections.
Ordinary language, rather than industry
jargon, makes a brand more authentic.

18

Language and style
Personality
Every brand has a personality. It comes from
the tone + voice of communications as well
as the look + feel of the design.


19

Language and style
Personality
Who are we
connecting with?

Describe the target
audience

What do they care
about?
List values and
aspirations within the
world of the problem
being solved


How does this make
their life better?

List of product benefits

20

Language and style
Communications that are on-brand to the
purpose, value proposition, positioning and
promise with a consistent eye to the target
audience = a relevant marketing message
that’s strong and compelling.


21

Language + style
Digital presence is everything. Rather than pushing out
the same content everywhere, consider the strengths of
each platform.
• Let your website be more than a brochure. Help
people experience your product.
• Facebook is great for posting original and shared
content to create a community for people who share
your brand’s passions.
• LinkedIn is great for posting product news, sharing
content that’s more relevant to business development
and thought leadership.
• Twitter can be highly effective as both a narrowly
targeted platform sparking interest with wide reach.

22

You’re ready!
You can certainly build on this presentation
as you create your brand presence.
Though I recommend avoiding template
solutions, there are things I keep coming
back to and this presentation is the
foundation I’ve used for most of the brand
and marketing strategies I do.


23

Thank you
Since 2009, I’ve worked with lots of small businesses and
early stage startups on strategies and creative that has
helped them connect with investors, attract users and
cultivate community. Hope you’ve found this to be useful.
Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions. I love helping
brands cultivate audiences and have a soft spot for social
impact and sustainability.
Brenda van Ginkel | Brand Strategist, Digital Social Content
@brendavg


24

The Narrative Build

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to The Narrative Build

Similar to The Narrative Build (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

The Narrative Build