Marketing with Storytelling: A Get Started Checklist

by | Aug 12, 2020 | 👋 Coffee Branding

There are ways to break out of the coffee matrix. You just need to ennunciate your story… and go from there.

coffee-marketing-school-story-website

In the eyes of others, are you just a random brand?

Or are you… well… YOU?

A while back, we wrote a blog on why you should be yourself (a respectable cliche). We mentioned why branding like everyone else will lead to disaster.

When you do what everyone else does, your unique value proposition gets buried – rendering you invisibile. Instead of highlighting their “WHY?”, many folks tend to worry only about HOW they look and sound.

And guess what?

They look like everyone else.

But is that such a bad thing? Don’t we want to look familiar to the consumer?

Yes – we actually do.

But if you forget to tell your story, you’re just boring and will offer nothing of value to your potential customer!

  • Why should customers go with you when a ton of other brands (that look just like you) sell products cheaper?
  • Why buy your products when other companies with more money can offer a better customer experience?
  • Why drink your coffee when lots of other roasters and shops make good coffee too?

So Where Should You Start When Telling Your Story?

Start Here? (select the resources below)

?  Learn how to stand out with your product

?  Share your mission

?  Sell a transformation

The question of “where to start with storytelling” is a complicated one.

It’s a question that consultants for big companies get paid stupid amounts of money for.

So instead of overcomplicating things, here’s a broad cheatsheet for you to stay on track with your story telling… and let me re-emphasize BROAD.

If you’re stuck and wish to take your brand to the next level, these are just some general things to ponder on.

?️ Lay Your Functional Foundation (non-story)

  • For existing companies: make sure your site is running properly. Add metadescriptions to your pages, add alt-text to images, and make sure broken links do not exist (feel free to contact us if you have any questions ? )
  • For new businesses: you need to set up your entire site (don’t add copy yet). Home page, about page, product page(s), policy page, and info for your store or shop. Add a simple Notion page if you don’t have time for the other stuff.
  • Connect all your social accounts, make sure you’re good with your hosting provider, set up email DNS settings, make sure your payment provider is integrated correctly. This stuff is really important, do a google search if you’re not sure where to start.
  • And you wanna know a secret ? … you’re allowed to get ideas from other companies and sites. Just make sure you use it as inspiration, no a word-for-word copy.

✍️ Write Your Story

  • Get out a notepad and write about yourself. What drives you? Why do you do what you do? What kind of customers do you want to serve? Ask the important questions.
  • Use these notes as a resource for the next step.

? Write Your Message

  • Write copy for all pages on your site. This can be intimidating, but just reference your notes in the step above.
  • Make it familiar to customers… but make it you. Again, refer back to your story notes. Who are your customers? Are they your tribe? Your friends? Are they your community? Who are you? A provider? A family? An expert?
  • Dedicate a page to your story… but make sure it doesn’t end there. Reinforce that story (and who you are) through the site. Many folks have an interesting ‘about page’… but the rest of their site looks cookie cutter.
  • Write about your customer. Refrain from writing too much about yourself. Don’t use “we” too much when writing copy… use “you”. This sounds unintuitive, but your customers will learn about you if you tell them how your brand feels about them.

? Go Back to Your Design

  • Does the aesthetic portion of your design and foundation align with your message?
  • Make adjustments.

⚡ Execute on Your Message

  • People like doers. If you are family and community driven, go to farmers markets, spend time helping local charities, interview your regulars and share their experiences with your brand via social and testimonials.
  • Every month, maybe try to do something outside of the box. Maybe host some sort of event – even if it’s online. Do something fun for your customers or offer something of value to them that resonates with your message.

 

Easier Said Than Done

The little list above is vague. It’s supposed to be. Marketing is half art, half science, with a sprinkle of happenstance and intuition.

But if you glean anything from this, understand one thing: it’s about being authentic.

Reinforce your message at every turn. Be yourself.

 

Hey 👋 I'm Garrett Oden

Hey 👋 I'm Garrett Oden

Freelance Coffee Marketer

I'm a coffee industry native who works with coffee brands around the world to create and execute captivating marketing strategies.

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