Three brand story ideas: the anti-hero, the mistake, and the inspirational object

This week, I'm trying to turn the traditional brand story on its head by giving you alternatives you can use to convert readers into buyers/supporters/donors, or investors. They might not be the first time you've heard of them, but there's one factor that will make them sound even more interesting, and that is your unique take on it, which no one can replicate (not even AI!!).

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1/ The anti-hero. Let's start with the anti-hero, rather than the hero. We've heard all about the hero's journey. In fact, that section on your website at the top, yes, it's called the hero section. The word hero is everywhere, and as you can imagine, some of us may be sick of it. No shade, the hero's journey is a powerful one, but you can turn it on its head and be the complete opposite, if the cap fits.

What about focusing on the frustrations, repeated failures your company has gone through to reach success? Perhaps your focus was on making a particular thing, and perhaps you've had to go through so many iterations for it to finally come together. If you're an assistive tech firm, this may resonate with you.

Nothing ever appears out of the blue, all squeaky clean and perfect, but the public wants to know all about the sweat and tears that went into your creation. How many times did you feel like giving up, how many times did you run out of time, money, patience, or a combination of all of them before you got to where you needed to be?

Could you be the person everyone disliked because you weren't very personable, because you were so focused on getting to the finish line, that you forgot to be nice? And does it even matter now? Could you be everybody's anti-hero?

Nam Quatch | Unsplash

2/ The object. How about a single thing that you keep to remind you to stay humble, or if that's too ick-inducing, perhaps something that reminds you of the hard times and the hustle before you hit the bullseye? It could be a mug, a fairly well-used notebook, or a diary with some illuminating entries on your developing business, an old, cracked phone, or some broken or well-worn object that's stayed the course on your journey to success. Something that signposts your way to a favourable outcome and the innovation of a new venture that's worked out well.

Focusing on an object allows you to use it as a metaphor and visual anchor to keep the story memorable and unique. It doesn't always have to result in a happy ending, but it allows your audience to understand why you do what you do and why you persevered in the way that you did. If you've created a non-profit, what kept you going, and what memories does this object have about the journey you've made so far?

Unsplash | Santa Barbara

3/ The big mistake story. Finally, we've reached the third and final of our brand story ideas. How about being a bit vulnerable (like in the first anti-hero story idea)? This is a golden opportunity to look at a past mistake you made, perhaps if you're a therapist, it could be the terrible job you did before you decided to become a psychologist, and why it gave you the impetus to become one, what experiences did you have while you were doing this awful job, and how does it feeds into what you do now?

Or perhaps you could focus on a mistake made and the lessons you learned from it while building your company. What impact did this have on you and your team? What did you learn, and how did it shape what you created? That's whether it's a business providing a service or a product. Showing vulnerability helps to build trust.

And remember, it's not just vulnerability that builds trust and sells, it's also pain. When people come to your website, not necessarily physical pain, but they have an ache, a pain they cannot fulfill, they're looking for a solution, and that's why they're on your website to start with.

Speak to that pain, and you have trust. Showing them your past mistakes, your many iterations, your bad jobs, your inability to get along because you were too focused on succeeding. And why? Because perhaps you have the same disability as some of the people coming to your website. And even if you don't have a disability, you're showing them you are the right person to solve their problem. You're human, you're vulnerable, and you've been through their pain yourself, whether it's personal to you or a family member or friend.

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So there you have it. I hope it's given you some ideas. If you need help with your brand story, let me know. It's one of the things I do best and also love doing. I also have an offer on web copy until 13th September, so if you're copy needs refreshing and you need brand story, then this couldn't be a better time to book in with me now. You can have brand story as a standalone service or just web copy - it's up to you!