Aaron Branch on Understanding Brand Storytelling

Aaron Branch, the author of "The First 365" and founder of Social Agendas, a successful social media ad agency in the UK, recently shared his long journey into the world of advertising. Talking with the CEOCast podcast host, Aaron Branch narrated how his company came to be, how he dealt with debilitating debt, rejection, and most importantly, how his company managed to rise above the tides to where it is now.

Through the founder's emotions, this narration gave me a picture of what the core values of his company must be. From the interview, I could tell that Social Agendas is a company that appreciates partnerships, is empathetic to startups and the struggles that be, and most importantly, prioritizes clients' growth and success.

It's undeniable that every business promises its target consumers better solutions, better experiences, and better results. However, to stay for the long haul, a brand must connect with potential customers by creating and telling a relatable yet compelling story or narrative.

A brand story is more than just a PR stunt, a viral video, manipulative tools, or endless essays and blog posts. A brand story is communicated through;

• The reason why your company, product, or service came to be

• Your company culture or core values

• Relationship oriented tools

• Subtle undertones

• What kind of consumers relate and embrace your brand

• Typical values that your entire team embraces

• A direct and transparent look into all the stakeholders behind the company

It's About Your Customers

You would be forgiven to think that a brand story is strictly about your company. It is not! I learned so much about Social Agendas through the founder's story than I would have learned by googling about the company and what it does. If your account cannot relate to your customer's struggles and is centered around creating the most relatable image, you may not achieve much growth. Think about what values your company adds to consumers, employees, and all the people involved. An effective brand strategy shows the human side of a company and prioritizes customers first.

A Brand Story Is More Than What You Proclaim About Yourself

Brand storytelling extends further than what you write and show on your webpage to your customers. It's less about what you can do and more about how you do it, how you place and say your messaging. It’s your core values infused in each piece of written copy, customer service answer, how you respond to feedback, etc.

For instance, Aaron Branch, together with co-founder Zach Lloyd founded and invested in a delivery service company called DelivrMe. By the promise of reducing waiting time, DelivrMe managed to win a £50,000 grant by the UK Innovation Grant and raised over £150,000 within the first 5 hours of launching their crowdfunding campaign. As I type this article, the £150,000 target has been met and exceeded. This proves that people believe in a product or service that adds actual value to problems the marketplace faces.

A Brand Story is Consistent

No matter what advertising campaigns you launch, for a brand story to be believable and impact people positively, it must be consistent over time, and everything else should build on that. Brand consistency ensures you deliver your messages in alignment with other company elements such as core brand values, similar tone, brand logo, and using the same colors throughout your visual brand elements. This complements your journey, establishes trust, and increases your brand awareness.

Aaron Branch trains and mentors business owners on his Start and Scale Agency Program. Head over to Social Agendas for more information on how you can increase your turnover within a short time through social media.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the management of EconoTimes