Your Story is Your Brand. Find a form and an approach that works for you, and tell your story right.

1. THE TAG
PLAYBOOK
A GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING

2. WHOYOUARE
CHAPTER4
Y O U R S T O R Y = Y O U R B R A N D
TAG's Story
"Founded by a veteran and entrepreneur obsessed with supporting businesses to elevate
their brand(s), grow their influence, and navigate their current industry trends and processes.
TAG Marketing works exclusively with small businesses. We are attracted to our Client Partners
because they have big ideas and also desire to maintain influence within their local communities.
They are experts at the top of their industry with innovative goals who desire an easily-consumable
road map to their successes.
We have a map, let's talk. Don't just elevate your business. TAG it."

3. TELL YOUR STORY
connects you with customers and engagers quicker and for a longer period of time
supports a grassroots message and humanizes the brand
differentiates your company as desirable
establishes greater trust in your market and the community by empowering your company’s
message and defining its purpose
WHY
HOW
“Brand stories are not marketing materials. They are not ads, and they are not sales pitches. Brand stories should be told with the brand persona and
the writer’s personality at center stage. Boring stories won’t attract and retain readers, but stories brimming with personality can.”
– Susan G, Forbes
Your story is inspired by the presence of people who participate, create, connect, and develop the saga of
growth and success. This is not the biography of an individual. Instead it is the evolution of an entity told with
personality. Focus on the active struggle and skip the slow parts. A successful story needs to be able to
create a purpose, a community, and a culture that consumers can share and be a part of.
“Purpose” is about values – values about who you are, what you stand for, what you do for others, the causes
you serve. A compelling purpose gives consumers a way to connect with your brand and values, and to get to
know how your products or services add real value to people’s lives beyond just selling things for profits.
Brands that can successfully target consumers based on these shared values are ones that will ultimately win
their attention and dollars.

4. STORY FORM OPTIONS
For (your target customer)
Who (statement of their need or opportunity)
(Your product name) is a (product category)
That (statement of key benefit)
Unlike (your competing alternative)
(Your product name) (its primary differentiation)
Positioning Statement
For small business marketers who desire to streamline their content marketing programs,
TAG Marketing is a service that supports small businesses to elevate their brands, grow their
influence, and navigate their current industry trends and processes. TAG Marketing Services are
beneficial to the content marketer who wants a custom-tailored success plan for their marketing
programs, unlike the big agencies where small business owners don't receive the same personal
attention and real-talk.
Example

5. STORY FORM OPTIONS
Simple Form
Beginning: Problem.
Explain the problem that you set out to solve. With newer brands, people care and expect that the brand is coming into
existence for a good reason: to solve a problem, to change how we do things, to meet a specific need; and the story is central
to communicating the brand’s purpose.
Middle: Solution.
Describe how you solved it. Many brands were/are underdogs who were undeterred when it came to tackling competitors.
They’re the so-called disruptors. And they have good stories to tell as a result.
We have redefined an experience. How did we do that? Who (our fans and supporters) helped get us there? How are we
doing good for the community?
Brands incorporate an element of social good into their stories – whether that’s giving back to communities or fostering
sustainability or helping consumers find their best selves.
End: Success.
Get excited about the success this produced. But this isn’t an end like the end of a road, it’s a beginning of success and
continuation. Also, Avoid “moral of the story” endings.
Truly powerful stories stay with us and allow us to draw our own conclusions. When you tell your audience what they should
learn from the story, you take away their opportunity to consider what you shared and discover things for themselves.
Plus, when you bring up a specific lesson or moral, your brand story feels less like a compelling sales piece and more like a
mildly interesting fairy tale--the exact opposite effect of what you want.

6. STORY FORM OPTIONS
Harvard's Take
SAP sourced a professor of storytelling at Harvard, who had this story form to offer:
“Self”
The first step to creating an effective narrative for your brand is to start with “self.” This focuses on explaining how certain events in
your life established specific personal values that will later link to your company’s values.
An excellent example is Steve Jobs’ famous commencement address at Stanford University in 2015. Jobs shared three stories that
were largely a personal reflection of his life – his humble working-class upbringing and dropping out of college, founding and later
getting fired by Apple, and his cancer diagnosis.
Jobs spoke about how his passion for calligraphy would later guide his design work at Apple, and how his cancer diagnosis
encouraged him to live more passionately and authentically, as if every day were his last. Each story gave the audience a glimpse
into who Jobs was and his values, motivations, and passions.
A great story of self should be authentic and genuine. Finding that story may require a deep reflection on your past and your values,
and sharing these personal experiences and moments with your audience.
“Us”
Connecting your values with broader values shared by your audience. By weaving your personal stories into the experiences, values,
and passions of others, you create a common narrative for your audience.
A good “us” story aims to build a community and a set of collective values, and share how these values came about.
“Now”
The final step is a call to action for your audience who wishes to join in on the purpose of your brand.

7. SCOPE OF THE STORY
Example: Kickstarter
The public-benefit corporation Kickstarter asks
potential candidates to join their team. Their
narrative begins with the founder Perry Chen sharing
his inspiration behind the launch of Kickstarter
(the “self”).
The next section of the site includes photos and
short bits of info about each employee on the
Kickstarter team (the “us”). The narrative ends
with a call to action on their careers page, asking
potential candidates: “Love Kickstarter? You’ll fit
right in.” People can click to view all current open
positions and apply.
Great brand stories are authentic and real, and
collectively work together to build common narratives
and values your consumers can relate to, and excite
them to join in on your purpose and community.
Design the story to be shared. “Everything you put out
is an opportunity for commonality among people.”

8. WE SHARE OUR STORY
3 Reasons
1. To make people think, feel or smile: Does it provide a
fuzzy or warm thought that make people rethink what
they know about your brand or enhance their love for you?
2. To define ourselves to others: what we put out on
social represents our own personal brand and we share
what will make others view us the way we want?
3. Positive validation: Does your brand to empower your
customers to tell a story they already want to tell?
Where do we share it?
Any place that can devote at least a couple paragraphs or a short video to your message ("About Us").
Who do we share it with?
• Our Company • Our Founders • Our Family
• Our Community • Our Partners and Supporters • Our Customer

9. GREAT STORY EXAMPLES
These are some brands that are doing it right.
Click the screens below to read their stories.

10. TAG's Story Template
1. Vision: Benefit to community and customer
2. Who we’re innovating (differentiating): How we’re improving people’s lives
3. Who we are: Roles and Responsibilities, Who we are in real life (as people),
& Why we’re rockstars in our industry
4. Why people love us: Community feedback and support
5. Call to Action: “Call or go online today!” etc.
A basic fill-in template could look something like the following:
Founded in (year and/or location), (Company/Organization)’s mission is to ___________________. People use
(Company/Organization) to _________________, to ______________, and to ______________. (Company/Organization) is
defined by ________ (value element/differentiator), which benefits/rewards ___________. We encourage people to
________(pain solving/interest points). We work with ________ (partner/asset/resource) to accomplish _________.
The phrase (“Mission Statement”) reminds us that __________________ (point you want to drive home).
______________________________________(Call to Action).

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A T T H O M A S A S S O C I A T E S G L O B A L T H E B E S T I N N O V A T O R S D O N O T T R A V E L A L O N E . I F W E H A V E A
D R E A M , I T I S N O W P O S S I B L E . W E H A V E T H E M O S T I N F O R M A T I O N A T O U R D I S P O S A L T H A N A N Y
G E N E R A T I O N B E F O R E U S . W I T H T H E R I G H T T O O L S W E C A N I N F L U E N C E O U R N E T W O R K S , A N D
S O M E O F U S W I L L C H A N G E T H E W O R L D .
A N E X P O N E N T I A L L Y C H A N G I N G D I G I T A L A N D S O C I A L L A N D S C A P E I N T I M I D A T E S S M A L L
B U S I N E S S E S A N D O R G A N I Z A T I O N S W H O T H I N K T H E Y D O N ’ T H A V E T H E T I M E O R T H E R E S O U R C E S
T O K E E P U P I N T H E I R M A R K E T P L A C E . W E D I F F E R E N T I A T E B Y C A L M I N G T H E S T R A I N A N D S H O W I N G
F U T U R E S U C C E S S F U L B U S I N E S S O W N E R S J U S T H O W A T T A I N A B L E T H E I R S U C C E S S I S .
T A G M A R K E T I N G P R O V I D E S B E N E F I C I A L S E R V I C E S F O R C L I E N T P A R T N E R S B Y I D E N T I F Y I N G
P O T E N T I A L R O A D B L O C K S A N D S O L U T I O N S , A N D D E L I V E R I N G V A L U A B L E I N S I G H T S A N D
P R O D U C T S . M O R E I M P O R T A N T L Y , W E ’ R E H E R E T O L I S T E N . W E A R E I N T E R E S T E D I N W H A T ’ S
I M P O R T A N T T O O U R C L I E N T P A R T N E R S I N O R D E R T O E L E V A T E T H E I R B R A N D ( S ) , G R O W T H E I R
I N F L U E N C E , A N D N A V I G A T E T H E I R C U R R E N T I N D U S T R Y T R E N D S A N D P R O C E S S E S .
D O N ’ T J U S T E L E V A T E Y O U R B U S I N E S S , T A G I T .
T A G M A R K E T I N G F O C U S E S O N I N F O R M A T I O N & S P E C I A L I Z E D S E R V I C E S .
• B R A N D I N G T A C T I C S
• C O N T E N T S T R A T E G Y
• M A R K E T I N G P R O G R A M S T R A T E G Y
• B U S I N E S S M O D E L A N D P L A N C O N S U L T A T I O N
• E X P E R I E N T I A L D E S I G N