How to Engineer Fiercely Loyal Fans With a “Signature Story”

3 Power tips for creating loyal fans of your brand, through story telling.

A “Signature Story” is a real (but sometimes fictitious) story that portrays a companies values through the eyes of a client or customer. In a recent article “Why Your Brand Needs a Signature Story”, pascal fiedler said:

“One day, a guest staying at Ritz-Carlton decided to do some standup paddling. While paddling he lost control, plunged into the water and his sunglasses sank to the ocean’s ground. In the afternoon, an employee of the hotel handed him his recently lost sunglasses. The guest was flabbergasted and speechless. Although he hadn’t mentioned anything to the staff, the savvy employee observed the guest’s misadventure and recovered the sunglasses.”

Is this story true? Maybe, maybe not. Does it matter? For the brand, not really. The story serves as a powerful “signature story” showing just how far the Ritz-Carlton will go to serve their guests.

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” — (Simon Sinek)

Because of this, explaining that “why” effectively is essential to the success of your company today. Your signature story is how you connect with your customers on a deeper level and turn regular clients into loyal fans.

Story-telling has become one of the most effective ways to sell products in recent years.

Period.

The gurus agree and the sales show this to be true, so why are so many of us bad at telling our business’s stories?

Below I am going to give a few tips on how to be a better signature-story-teller by getting past the “what” and focusing on the “why”.

1. Find Your Companies “Why” and Build Around It

The “Why” of your company is the reason your company does what it does. This includes the values and qualities you believe to be important.

Finding the “why” of your company takes “what your company does” one step further. It is the difference between The Ritz Carlton saying “We have luxury hotels with nice beds” and “We believe everyone has right to experience luxury and total care”.

When building your “Signature Story”, make sure that your story focuses on the “why” of your company-not just what your company does.

Simon Sinek explains how to find your “Why” in the video below:

2. Address a Relatable Pain

When writing your story, you need full engagement. For this, it’s important to find a relatable pain and address that issue. In the Story of the Ritz Carlton, the man dropping his sunglasses into the ocean was relatable; it could have been anyone.

By going off of a probable and relatable story, customers are able to imagine themselves in the main characters situation. This allows them to feel the man’s frustration when he drops his glasses as well as his delight and amazement for the Ritz Carlton when they are returned to him.

See the video below for a good refresher on customer pain points:

3. Keep the Story Short and Concise

When designing or finding a story to be shared, ensure that the story isn’t too long. Remember that it needs to be something that can be passed on in a couple minutes from one friend to another or in a short paragraph in the company email.

While this technique is particularly effective, it can also be difficult. David Tintner, in an article titled “Keep It Short”, said:

“There’s something poetic about being able to write an article in just a few paragraphs, and still make your point. It makes for much better writing. It works especially well on the Internet in an age when a reader’s attention is a premium commodity.

However, keeping it short requires serious editing. It also requires a very focused understanding of the point you are trying to make.”

Writing your signature story in a concise manner, focusing on your “Why”, and addressing your customers pains will ensure that more people have a clear vision of your company.

This clear vision leads to more customer loyalty -and more sales for your bottom line.

Use a Checklist

If you are serious about writing that “Signature Story” and need a little help on the creativity side, I’ve created a free checklist for putting yourself into peak productivity & creativity. If you follow this daily, you’ll be able to prioritize your life and proactively create the business of your dreams.

Get the checklist here!