Who’s the Villain in Your Story? All Good Brand Stories Need One

Every good story has a bad guy.

Whether that’s a person, a thing, or an internal voice that keeps tripping the Hero up.

In marketing, the Hero is your ideal customer, and the Villain is the problem you help them defeat.

When you speak to the villain in your marketing, 3 things happen:

• You get the attention of your ideal clients, because they recognise themselves in your story.

• They see instantly that you understand their problem.

• And they start to think you might be able to help them solve it.

It looks like this:

1. Start with your Hero (this is your potential client).

2. Get clear on the thing they want (the external thing and the internal why).

3. Spot the Bad Guy (the person or thing that’s getting in their way).

4. Identify the Stakes (what happens if they don’t defeat the Bad Guy?)

5. Enter you to help them win the day (this is where we show them your unique value in action).

6. Your Hero gets their happy ending. With feeling (and proof).

Here’s an example to bring it to life…

Let’s say your business helps people find trustworthy solar installers.

1. Your Hero is your potential customer.

2. They want to help the planet and lower their energy bills.

3. But there’s a big bad villain in their way. Every time they try to find a reliable solar installer, they’re slapped in the face with pushy sales reps, contradictory information, and a bunch of horror stories about people getting ripped off by cowboy installers.

4. If they don’t find a way through the confusion, they’re going to keep lining the pockets of the energy companies month after month, while hurting the planet.

5. This is where you come in. You have a proven system that matches them with reliable installers in their area.

   You care about the same things as your customers, like the planet and energy efficiency. And you hate to see people being ripped off.

   You’ve even got a bunch of case studies to prove that you know what you’re doing.

You’ve got their attention, you’re clear on your value, and they’ve already started picturing life with you in it.

6. Cue the happy ending.

How do I get clients to see the story?

This isn’t a story you tell once, it’s not a copy-and-paste job, and it doesn’t mean you have to write a story every time you put out a blog, ad, or social post.

You just need to know the pillars of your foundational brand story, and all your messaging will flow from there.

Every time you create a marketing asset, your brand story provides the underlying message and framework.

It works because stories are sense-making devices. We humans are constantly using narratives to join the dots and understand the world around us. When you’ve got a solid and coherent story underlying all your messaging, people spot themselves easily, they stay engaged, and get the message without too much effort.

Add to this that stories, when done right, give people the feels. And we make most of our buying decisions based on how we feel (even if we like to justify it with logic later).

Your brand story is a narrative that underlies everything you say, everywhere you show up. You become clear and consistent, and you get known for the thing you do in the way you do it.

Sound good?

I thought so.

If you’re being stalked by the spectre of vague messaging and missed opportunities, I know exactly how to fix that.

Let’s nail down your story.

Psst. Want tips and insights like this to land in your inbox once a fortnight? Then sign up to my newsletter. It’s useful.

Photo by Hector Ivan Valencia Muñoz on Unsplash.