Whose Story Are You a Part of?

Every client who walks through our doors has a story. Something or someone inspired them to create a company centered around a mission. That mission is part of their story, and that story is part of something much bigger than themselves.

As marketers, it’s our job to understand that story, embrace it as our own, and tell it better than anyone else.

A Story Built on Passion and Purpose

All of our clients can sit down in our studio and talk with us about what they do every day. At first glance, their jobs might not seem like anything groundbreaking. The conversations get interesting once we start unveiling who they do it for and, more importantly, why they do it for them.

A company’s purpose can be drawn in all kinds of ways. Sometimes, passion draws purpose. Other times, purpose draws passion. When those two things meet, you have a great story to tell.

When you can clearly, truly, and integrally understand and believe in your purpose, then you can authentically and effectively tell your story.

Your story is not only about the founder of the company or how long you have been around. It is about who you started your company for and why those people inspired you to serve them.

The Bigger Picture

Products and services can be innovative, buzzworthy, and profitable. But they are doing more than bringing in money and creating headlines. They are serving someone, somewhere, somehow. The lives that your products or services affect is the story you are a part of.

We can showcase this with an example: TOMS. TOMS does an amazing job of communicating a brand story that is bigger than themselves. TOMS exists to improve lives. They have a passion and a purpose, and they make their story at the forefront of their existence and marketing campaigns. Every customer who buys TOMS knows the story that TOMS is a part of. For every pair of TOMS sold, the company donates a pair of shoes to people in need. This story has stood out to millions of people who purchase the shoes. In the case of TOMS, many customers buy the story, not just the product.

The North Face is another great example of a company that has created a bigger brand story than itself. They tell a story for the activities and people that their products enable and empower. From the inception of their brand, they have committed to serving all people who desire to explore and conserve our natural wildland. Their story is much bigger than nice jackets and backpacks. They found their passion and purpose, and they made it the bedrock of their brand story.

Telling Your Brand Story

Every company is a part of something bigger. The solutions that you provide your customers are contributing to their stories. Find those stories and strategically tell them. You can start defining your story by answering a few questions:

• Why do you come to work every day?
• Who are the people you serve?
• What do the people you serve do?
• What does your company value or embrace?
• Who are the people who come to work for your company?

Dig into each of these questions as deeply as you can. You might even benefit from the famous and often used “Five Whys Strategy.” Each answer to these questions will develop whose story you are a part of. From there, you can start strategically spreading it to the world.

At PHOS, we spend each day understanding the purpose and mission of our clients, and strategically telling their stories. Our marketers and design team can help you tell a story that goes beyond your product or services.

If you have a story, we’d love to hear it.