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What is a brand story and why you need one

For many people, the word brand brings up visions of the graphics, fonts, designs and colours used to define a business’s (or non-profit’s) identity. This vision is not wrong as an organization’s visual identity is an important and defining feature. But brand is about much more than look and feel, it is also about emotional connection and a deep sense of purpose.

Brand stories build those feelings. Often confused with the history of a business, brand stories are a cohesive narrative that encompasses both the facts and feelings of your business to inspire an emotional reaction. This narrative is what differentiates your organization from your competitors. What makes your business unique is at the heart of your brand’s story. 

At Luminate, while we specialize in working with non-profit organizations, we have also worked with a number of small businesses to help them define their brand story and key messages; stories that clarify their mission, build emotional engagement and drive business. (We should note, we’ve also partnered with a handful of non-profits to do this as well.)

To get to the heart of a brand, we dig deep through a series of discovery sessions to learn what truly makes that business unique. Those who have gone through the process know that with almost every response, “why” is our favourite follow-up question. Because the why is what matters most, not the bland adjectives. 

Brand stories can take many shapes and forms, but they work best when they are in writing and can be referenced by current and new employees to ensure everyone is always on the same page. Our brand stories are internal documents that definitively separate a business from the competition. We tell our brand stories in four parts:

  • The overarching brand story to tell—and understand—a business’s story.

  • Key messages/values on how a business connects with its customers.

  • A look at how customers connect with those key messages.

  • A ‘oneliness’ statement that highlights a brand’s uniqueness.

This document contains advice to help guide the future development of all marketing materials — be it website copy and design, newsletters, blogs, videos or other promotional materials — so that a business’s story is always consistently told.

Because a brand story is just that, a story. It’s meaningful, it’s personal, it’s emotional and it’s authentic. Understanding that story, and using it as a template to communicate with clients, is what will truly convince them to connect with your business.

Deborah Evans