How to Create a Brand Story that Resonates with Your Audience

How to Create a Brand Story that Resonates with Your Audience

Every business needs a strong brand to stand out in the competitive marketplace. A brand is more than just a logo or a tagline – it’s the story behind your business and what sets you apart from your competitors. In this article, we’ll explore the concept of a “story brand” and how you can use it to create a compelling brand story that resonates with your audience.

A story brand is a way of framing your brand in a way that connects with your customers on an emotional level. Instead of simply listing the features and benefits of your product or service, a story brand uses storytelling to create a narrative that people can relate to and engage with. This can be done through a variety of mediums, including video, social media, and even your website.

One of the key elements of a story brand is the “hero’s journey,” which is a common narrative structure found in many successful stories. This journey involves a protagonist (the hero) who is faced with a challenge, goes on a journey to overcome that challenge, and ultimately emerges victorious. In the context of your brand, the hero could be your customer, and the challenge could be a problem that your product or service helps them solve.

Another important element of a story brand is the concept of a “guide” – a character who helps the hero on their journey. In the context of your brand, the guide could be your product or service, or even your company itself. The guide provides the hero with the tools, resources, and support they need to overcome the challenge and achieve their goal.

To create a strong brand story, you need to identify the key elements of your brand and weave them into a compelling narrative. This may take some time and effort, but the payoff can be significant. A strong brand story can help differentiate your business from competitors, create a lasting impression on customers, and build trust and loyalty.

In conclusion, a story brand is an effective way to create a compelling brand story that resonates with your audience. By using the hero’s journey and the concept of a guide, you can craft a narrative that connects with your customers on an emotional level and helps your brand stand out in the crowded marketplace.

How Bad Branding Can Cost You Money

Bad branding can have a significant negative impact on your business, and it can cost you money in a variety of ways. First and foremost, bad branding can lead to confusion among your customers. If your brand is inconsistent, unclear, or just plain unappealing, it can be difficult for people to understand what your business is all about. This can lead to lost sales, as customers may simply move on to a competitor that is easier to understand.

Bad branding can also damage your reputation. If your brand is not well-defined or is perceived as unprofessional, it can make people less likely to trust your business. This can lead to lost customers, as people may be hesitant to engage with a company that has a negative reputation.

Finally, bad branding can make it more difficult for you to attract new customers. A strong, compelling brand can be a powerful marketing tool, as it can help you stand out from the competition and draw people to your business. If your brand is weak or ineffective, it can be much harder to get people to notice your business and consider becoming a customer.

In conclusion, bad branding can have a serious impact on your business and can cost you money in lost sales, damaged reputation, and difficulty attracting new customers. To avoid these negative consequences, it’s important to invest in creating a strong, compelling brand that resonates with your audience and accurately reflects the unique value of your business.

Using Video to Deliver Your Brand Message with an Explainer Video

Video is an increasingly popular medium for businesses to deliver their brand message to their audience. One effective way to do this is through the use of an explainer video. An explainer video is a short, animated video that explains a product, service, or concept in a clear and engaging way. These videos are often used to introduce a business or its offerings to potential customers.

One of the key benefits of using an explainer video for branding is that it allows you to tell your brand story in a visual and engaging way. An explainer video can help you capture the essence of your brand and convey it in a way that is easy for people to understand and remember. This can be particularly effective for businesses that offer complex products or services, as an explainer video can help break down these concepts and make them more accessible to a wide audience.

Another advantage of using an explainer video for branding is that it can help you create a personal connection with your audience. A well-crafted explainer video can be engaging and entertaining, and it can help people see your business in a more human light. This can help you build trust and credibility with your audience, and it can make them more likely to consider becoming a customer.

In conclusion, using an explainer video for branding can be a powerful tool for delivering your brand message to your audience. By using this visual medium, you can tell your brand story in a clear and engaging way, create a personal connection with your audience, and build trust and credibility with potential customers.

Finding The Perfect Video Style For Your Company

Finding The Perfect Video Style For Your Company

Let’s talk about style…

The style of your video sends a subconscious message to your viewers and lets them know that your company is professional, modern, playful, organized, credible, genuine or any other positive brand qualifier.

If you haven’t already noticed, here at Ydraw we produce many different video styles. Some clients come to us knowing what type of video style they want and others not knowing their options let alone the differences between them.

Rather than shoving you into a box you don’t fit in, we are here to help guide you in the right direction and determine what video style best fits your unique brand, message, audience and budget.

Here is just a quick glimpse of a few of our video styles:

 

WHITEBOARD/BLACKBOARD/CARDBOARD:

Purpose: These videos are hand drawn with marker on the paper of your choice. The purpose is to create simple, relatable and easy to understand stories/concepts to explain your product or service.  By lining up powerful narration and simple artwork we hit both sides of the brain to keep your audience interested and wanting to know more. These videos are our favorite for teaching.

Budget: Range from $ – $$

Features:

  • Traditional artwork
  • See the artists hand draw while narration is happening
  • Small digital effects added in to bring on artwork or pose change a character’s expression etc.
  • Hand drawn
  • Funny and relatable

 

YSWIPE:

Purpose: This video style uses Pattern Interruption to change the viewers thoughts or perception and redirect their attention to what you want to show them. We use the artists hand to slide/snap/wipe/point artwork on/off screen to keep the video upbeat and lower the viewers defenses.

Budget: Range from $-$$$

Features:

  • Traditional or digital artwork.
  • Upbeat and fast moving
  • Uses Pattern Interruption
  • Artists hand slides/snaps/wipes/points artwork on screen.

 

YPAINT:

Purpose: Ypaint videos use full watercolor or pencil sketches and have a more realistic art style. Instead of seeing the artists hand, we digitally reveal the images as if they are being digitally painted or dropped on screen like a water droplet. These videos use slow movements and soft pastel colors to evoke emotion in the viewer. If you want your video to be inspirational, motivational and classy, this may just be the style for you.

Budget: $$

Features:

  • Inspirational/Motivational/Classy
  • Slower pace
  • Soft Pastel Colors
  • No hand involved
  • Realistic artwork

 

MOTION GRAPHICS:

Purpose: This video style uses simple digital artwork and kinetic typography to explain complex topics in a literal or abstract manner. Motion Graphic videos are fast moving and can allow a boring topic to be upbeat and easy to understand without telling a story or condensing information. Most of the time they are used to explain a complex product or show a result.

Budget: $$-$$$

Features:

  • Pattern Interruption
  • Lots of movement
  • Simple digital artwork
  • Exact brand colors
  • More sophisticated
  • Fast moving
  • Can be literal or abstract
  • Moveable characters and objects

 

ANIMATION OVERLAY:

Purpose: This style overlays digital artwork on top of live video to make them more interactive and fun. Although we love using real people to evoke real emotion, sometimes it can get boring. If you want to show that your company is trustworthy by using live video as well as relatable and unique by using digital artwork, this style is for you!

Budget: $$-$$$$$ (Depending on price of live video). We are happy to do the live for you, or you can send us the live video and we can animate on top!

Features:

  • Can be endorsed by celebrity in live video
  • Trustworthy
  • Sophisticated
  • Interactive
  • Allows viewers to go back and find a specific spot to rewatch.
  • Combine real people and digital artwork

 

2D ANIMATION:

Purpose: This video style uses engaging narration and compelling characters and backgrounds to tell a story. Characters can range from simple stick figures to more complex and detailed characters. 2D animation allows the characters to move and talk more than you will see in a motion graphic video. Think cartoons like Tom and Jerry or Phineas and Ferb.

Budget:  $$$-$$$$$

Features:

  • Characters that talk and move more realistically
  • Unique artwork that range from simple to complex
  • Interactive and fun

 

3D ANIMATION:

Purpose: These videos use beautiful and complex three-dimensional characters and backgrounds to tell your story without using real people and places. The bigger the budget, the more complex artwork and movement. Think Toy Story or Tangled. The downfall to 3D Animation is that you are competing with companies like Pixar and Disney who have enormous budgets and endless amounts of time.

Budget:  $$$$-$$$$$

Features:

  • More bells and whistles than other video styles
  • More sophisticated and complex
  • Lots of movement
  • Time consuming
  • Characters can talk and move
  • Digitally drawn artwork

 

 So now that you know the basics, what video style is right for you?

What may have worked for one company may not work for yours. Depending on your purpose, audience, brand and budget there is a perfect style for your company and we are here to help you find it.