You probably have since it’s plastered all over our website, collateral, social media posts, etc. I don’t have a tattoo… yet but if I did it would probably be our company’s BrandScript.
The reason we talk so much about the framework is because it has changed the way we look at so many aspects of marketing. The simplicity of the framework eliminates so much of the clutter we marketers tend to build into our messaging.
So, every so often I’ll be writing on some of the specific ways it has changed how we look at marketing strategy, techniques, and activities.
We’ll start with one of the most basic and essential pieces of a company’s marketing, the website.
Around the turn of the millennium, websites became all about the flash (literally) and creative design ruled. Developers stretched the concept of what a website could be to the limitations of browsers and our internet bandwidth. Unfortunately, to do so, they sacrificed what drives buying decisions… the message.
I’m not trying to downplay the importance of beauty in design. If you take an inspiring quote and have a third grader write it out using a crayon with spelling and grammatical errors, you’re not going to elicit the same response as if it’s written out by a calligrapher and decorated with intricate artwork.
But this isn’t the case for many businesses. It’s not difficult to find a talented designer who can build a beautiful, functional website. It is hard to talk about your product or service in a clear, concise, compelling way.
That’s where the StoryBrand framework makes a difference.
Here are a few of the most important things this process has taught me.
Be clear about how people can do business with you
Contact us just isn’t cutting it.
We know that’s where the address and phone number reside, but it’s not compelling.
The StoryBrand framework asks you to consider what the next step looks like for your customer. What is the one thing they need to do next to start the process?
With so many businesses the process of working together looks complicated. And when it does, we have the tendency to avoid it because we don’t have the time or the mental bandwidth to deal with it.
As a business, your priority is to make the process of doing business look easy and give people a compelling first step. If products can be ordered on your site, the call to action is easy; Buy Now. But what if you really need to talk to the person to help them? Then maybe the call to action is “Schedule a Call” or “Book a Call.” Make sure it is action-oriented with words like buy, try, schedule, book, or start.
Don’t rely on contact us to drive visitors to a buying action. Make it easy for them to know exactly what to do next.
You need to get to the point and quickly.
Today, more than ever before, getting your point across quickly is critical. With the average person bombarded by 5,000 marketing messages a day, there isn’t enough time to ask a visitor to unravel metaphors or decipher riddles. And there certainly isn’t time to waste on complicated navigation.
StoryBrand makes this paramount. As Donald Miller describes in Building a StoryBrand, “People don’t buy the best products and services, they buy the ones they can understand the fastest.” Quality is important, but if you spend your time confusing your customers by listing out features or asking them to solve a complicated puzzle, you’ve lost them.
This is why we put so much emphasis on the messaging of website design. Without the right message, your website is just a digital billboard with people flying past it on their way to what’s important in life. If you want to get them to stop, you need to be clear about why it matters to them.
Instead of using vague statements about your company, talk specifically about the success your customers experience.
Offer visitors something in exchange for their email address
So many websites see visitors come and go without knowing who they are. In many cases they leave because they don’t really need your product or can’t understand the services you are offering. But some of them just aren’t ready to buy yet. They’re researching and learning and won’t come to a decision for a little while. The danger is these people may not come back to your site at all. Someone else may catch their attention and convince them to buy before they return and you’ve lost a sale.
Companies try and overcome this by asking people to “Follow Us on Social Media” or “Sign Up for Our Newsletter.” Social media is best used to drive traffic to your website, not a great catch-all for visitors. And no one really wants to sign up for your newsletter. Unless it’s a competitor to see what you’re up to.
What you need is a transitional call-to-action, something to exchange for the visitor’s contact information so you can follow-up with them. You know what I’m talking about, the pop ups that offer ‘5 Ways to Maximize Sales’ or ‘Learn How to Avoid the Million Dollar Mistake.’ If positioned correctly, these lead generators or lead magnets are great ways to grab your visitors email addresses and follow up.
Staying in front of them, even after they leave your website gives you the opportunity to be first in line when they’re ready to buy.
These are just a few of the ways StoryBrand has helped our customers get more effective websites. Ready to put yours to the test?
