On Brand with Nick Westergaard

“Hold off until you have something to write home about.” As a podcaster and branding thought leader, Case Kenny offered insights on personal branding that many miss. Namely focus — both on your brand credentials as well as the right channels. We discussed all of this and more during our discussion on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.About Case KennyCase Kenny is an entrepreneur and writer living in Chicago. He is the founder of 216 Ventures LLC and PRSUIT.com — a daily email focused on self development content. He is the host of the New Mindset, Who Dis podcast, an iTunes top 50 podcast focused on real and relatable life advice. He sits on the Forbes Business Development Council, has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc, CBS, The Chicago Tribune and speaks, consults and writes regularly on all things personal and corporate branding, publishing, social media and growth strategies.Episode HighlightsWhere should you get started with personal branding? “A lot is channel focused. You’ve got to find the right channel. That’s why I focus on Instagram and podcasting.” And email!“Do one thing really well, then listen and ask.” These are the steps Case recommends for building an audience. Asking what your audience wants is critical. “People are very willing to answer your questions.” But you have to remember to ask first.Why is email so important? “People are really leaning into email. Email is very personal. It’s literally their personal email address. On social media, you’re building your home on rented land. With email there’s no algorithm. They can’t take your audience away from you.”What brand has made Case smile recently? “RXbars — they’re cheeky, funny, and clever.” I love this brand as well for their simple, transparent packaging. In fact, I wrote about this in Brand Now.To learn more, follow Case on Instagram or go to PRSUIT.com to sign up for his daily email.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The science is just sitting out there in academia.” That’s why consultant, educator, and author Will Leach decided to package it up in a revolutionary new book. Marketing to Mindstates is about looking beyond traditional market research by understanding and appealing to your audience when they’re in the optimal mindstate. We unpacked this concept and more this week on the On Brand podcast.About Will LeachWill Leach is the founder of TriggerPoint, a leading Behavioral Research and Design consultancy specializing in System 1 marketing. Simply put, TriggerPoint helps today’s largest brands understand and change consumer and employee behavior through Behavioral Research and Design.Will has over 20 years of behavioral insights experience and is a behavioral design instructor at the Cox School of Business BLC at Southern Methodist University. Will is the author of Marketing to MindStates: a Practical Field Guide to Applying Behavioral Design to Marketing and is also the only 2-time winner of the EXPLOR Award for behavioral science research innovation.Episode HighlightsWhy behavioral research? Why now? “Technology makes connecting with customers easier than ever before. But what does this mean from a psychological perspective?” Especially when our brains are trained to filter out messages?How can your brand stand out? “By creating saliency. That’s when something is fluid and easy to understand.” Will shared how we make 35,000 decisions every day. A vast majority of these are unconscious. “The number-one decision you make every day is not to decide.” Will shared four scientific steps for creating saliency with your brand.What is a mindstate? “They’re moments of high emotional arousal. You’re in a hot state. This is what’s called System 1 processing.”What about the interplay between academia and real-world consulting? As an educator and strategist myself, I was eager to ask Will this burning question. “What business is good at is doing (or performing) ‘whats.’ Academia is good at understanding the ‘why’ behind something.” Together it’s a potent combination.What brand has made Will smile recently? As a parent, Will has been noticing kids’ brands more and more. That’s why he loves Lego and Marvel. “They allow me as a parent to connect and relate with my son in a way I wouldn’t be able to otherwise.”To learn more, go to marketingtomindstates.com.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Webinars are a fundamental campaign we’re overlooking.” As Todd Earwood said that in the first few minutes of our interview it rung true. Webinars are a powerful direct marketing tool and yet we overlook them in favor of shinier new things like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. We discussed how to avoid this mistake and strategies for better integrating webinars into marketing campaigns this week on the On Brand podcast.About Todd EarwoodTodd Earwood is the founder and CEO of MoneyPath, where his team helps to build growth campaigns marrying the efforts of sales and marketing for their clients. Todd believes webinars are the most powerful and most overlooked marketing campaign. After helping his private clients produce webinars in over a dozen industries, he was encouraged by the folks at Hubspot and GotoWebinar to help others and share his webinar formula. As such, he has turned all those successes into a webinar training program called Webinar Works. He’s here to share his perspective on marketing, arguing that we should get back to the basics of true ROI-focused marketing to drive sales.Episode HighlightsFirst, I had to ask the big question — the elephant in the room. Why webinars? “If you’re bought into educational marketing, they’re the best tool for delivering.” Plus, webinar leads are better as they provide a tracked measurement of engagement over a specific period of time.How can you host better webinars? Todd shared his formula for success. First, don’t go it alone. “Unless you’re Kevin Hart or Adele, you can’t hold the stage by yourself.” You need a host and a presenter. The presenter is the expert thought leader while the host reads the bio and provides a safety net when the thought leader gets lost.Beyond engagement. Webinars don’t just engage — they re-engage. “Webinars are an amazing re-engagement tool.” If you have a cold, unresponsive lead, Todd explained why sending them a webinar link can be useful.What brand has made Todd smile recently? As a frequent traveler, Todd pointed us to the thoughtfulness of TravelPro luggage.To learn more, go to webinarworks.io/onbrand and follow Todd at ‘earwood’ on most social networks.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Stop being Switzerland!” This could sound like vague advice but it's so important today. Translated it means that your brand can’t be neutral anymore. There’s so much noise you have to stand out. To help, marketers and serial co-authors Ekaterina Walter and Jessica Gioglio have penned the new book The Laws of Brand Storytelling, which launches this week. Both joined me on the On Brand podcast to discuss.About Ekaterina Walter and Jessica GioglioEkaterina Walter is a globally recognized business and marketing innovator, international speaker, and author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Think Like Zuck and coauthor of The Power of Visual Storytelling. After pioneering social media and digital strategies for Fortune 500 brands such as Intel and Accenture, she cofounded a start-up that was acquired by Sprinklr, a customer experience management platform, where she served as Global Evangelist. She now helps global organizations build customer-centric digital transformation strategies.Ekaterina’s thought leadership has been featured on CNBC, ABC, NBC, FOX News, Forbes, Fast Company, TechCrunch, CNN, WSJ, Inc., and Huffington Post, among others. She’s been consistently recognized by the industry and her peers for her innovative thinking: she was number three on Forbes’s World’s Top 40 Social Marketing Talent, and Fortune magazine included her on the list of the most impactful business people on social media, alongside Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Arianna Huffington, Warren Buffet, and others. When Ekaterina is not writing about digital and business innovation, she and her nine-year-old daughter coauthor children’s books. The first of a planned series, Amber and Sapphire: The Magic Spell, was published in 2017.Jessica Gioglio is a recognized digital and social business strategist and the coauthor of The Power of Visual Storytelling. She has spent over a decade leading transformative marketing, public relations, and social media programs for best-in-class companies including Dunkin’ Donuts, TripAdvisor, State Street, Comcast, and Sprinklr. From advising top companies on social media and digital business transformation, to leading an award-winning public relations and social media program for Dunkin’ Donuts, or providing disruptive communications programs for TripAdvisor, Jessica thrives on delivering customer-centric innovation and growth acceleration.A recognized thought leader and sought-after speaker, Jessica was named one of the top marketing leaders to follow by LinkedIn, HubSpot, TopRank Online Marketing, and the United Kingdom’s We Are The City. Jessica’s thought leadership and industry commentary has been featured on CNBC, USA Today, PR Week, ComputerWorld, Chief Marketer, and more.Episode HighlightsHow is brand storytelling different? Ekaterina kicked off the show by reminding us that we need a new definition. “When people hear ‘storytelling’ they assume you mean marketing. Or content. Content was really storytelling 1.0. It’s not just for marketing anymore because your brand is built by what other people say.”How do you embrace taking a stand? “You have to align advocacy with authenticity. Everyone has brand style guides for what to do visually. They don’t always have guidelines around values.”Who’s doing this really well? Ekaterina and Jessica pointed us to GE who’s focusing on 50/50 representation of females in STEM roles by 2020. We also discussed Nike and Honeymade with some good reminders on how to launch and execute campaigns like this.What brands have made Ekaterina and Jessica smile recently? Ekaterina told a story about a funny cease and desist from Bud Light while Jessica used Land Rover to reinforce the power of brand storytelling.To learn more, check out The Laws of Brand Storytelling on Amazon and visit Ekaterina and Jessica’s personal websites. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You’re going to get judged by your video.” If this quote scares you, you’ll want to listen to this week’s episode. With 80% of online content set to be video by 2019 more brands are pushing into the space. However, many are afraid of looking stupid. We talked about using video to build your brand and your business this week on the On Brand podcast with Wistia cofounder and CEO Chris Savage.About Chris SavageChris Savage is the cofounder and CEO of Wistia, a web-based video hosting solution built for businesses. After graduating from Brown University, Chris and his co-founder, Brendan Schwartz, started Wistia in Brendan’s living room in 2006. Chris founded the company with the goal of helping businesses effectively market their products or services more creatively through video. Recently, Savage and Schwartz turned down an offer to sell Wistia and took on $17.3M in debt instead, which allowed them to buy out their investors, gain full control of Wistia, and take the path less traveled in the tech industry.Episode HighlightsThe story of Wisita. We talk a lot about story on the On Brand podcast. Wistia as a business has several fascinating stories including the classic startup story of the founder starting a business in his living room. It also has a new story about taking on debt to take back the business and focus their efforts moving forward.“I’ve never seen employee engagement higher.” When you buy out your investors and take control of the company, it sends a message to your employees. After some initial fear (mostly based on misunderstanding about debt), the Wistia team was excited about being to take tangible control of their business.“If I get on a camera will I look stupid?” This is the million-dollar question for brands considering video. Actually, this customer pain point drove Wistia’s content marketing in a unique direction. After watching their videos, viewers would asked what they did to make them look and sound so good. Eventually, Wistia started creating their own video tutorials.What does the future hold for video? “Lots of people are consistently creating great stuff. That wasn’t the case a few years ago.” What’s harder moving forward is creating unique content that connects with your customers.What brand has made Chris smile recently? Chris gave a shout out to cool new initiatives by Mailchimp and Envision.To learn more, go to the “Learn” section of the Wistia website, follow Chris on Twitter, and check out his personal blog, Savage Thoughts.As We Wrap …Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community … User experience designer Larry Sickmann found the On Brand podcast for the first time and likes what he’s hearing so far. Thanks for listening, Larry!Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Word of mouth influences 50% of all purchases yet no one has a strategy for it.” Ask any business what drives the most leads and sales and the answer is almost universally — word of mouth. Yet, as Jay Baer notes, we leave it largely to chance. That's why he and Daniel Lemin co-authored Talk Triggers, a new book to provide a reliable system system for word of mouth. We discussed all of this and more this week with both of these authors on the On Brand podcast. Enjoy!About Jay Baer & Daniel LeminJay Baer is the founder of Convince & Convert, a strategy consultancy that helps the world's most interesting brands gain and keep more customers. He's a seventh-generation entrepreneur; has started five multimillion dollar companies; and is the author of six books including Youtility and Hug Your Haters. He is a keynote speaker and emcee, an angel investor, and an inductee in the Word of Mouth Marketing Association Hall of Fame and the National Speakers Association's CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame.Daniel Lemin is the cofounder of Selectivor, a food intelligence platform that helps people stay healthy through personalized eating. A former communications leader at Google, he is the author of the online reputation guide Manipurated. He has been featured by The New York Times, USA Today, CBS Radio, and Fox News, and speaks at conferences and events worldwide.Episode HighlightsWord of mouth matters. How much? I'm glad you asked. Jay and Daniel have created a helpful infographic that breaks this down. Check it out!“A manual for giving your customers a story to tell.” That's what Jay and Daniel set out to create with Talk Triggers. Where do you begin? “Let's start with the worst way. Get everyone in a room and brainstorming. You need to document your customer journey. You need to include new, longtime, and lost customers.” Jay went on to note that you have to look for the story in places people don't expect.From DoubleTree and their famous cookies to “Dr. Snip.” Jay and Daniel shared several examples from business of all shapes and sizes across industry including a Seattle-based vasectomy surgeon who gives away a unique — and very talkable — gift to his patients.What the difference between an alpaca and a llama? What would you call a business designed to ship custom butter sculptures? You'll have to listen to the full show for the answers to these questions! However, Daniel did provide you with some teaser content in meme form!What brand has made Jay and Daniel smile recently? Daniel told us a story of a brand that made him smile by solving a negative word-of-mouth problem while Jay shared why the Tesla buying experience brought a smile to his face.To learn more, go to the Talk Triggers website.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It’s no longer enough to sell the sizzle. Customers today want to know what’s behind it — what the brand stands for.” While many (mis)categorize branding as simply a logo or a department or responsibility within the marketing department, strategist and author Mono Amodeo sees branding as a way of managing an organization. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.About Mona AmodeoMona Amodeo, Ph.D. is an innovator and catalyst for transforming organizations into brands that matter. She is an award-winning management strategist and recognized expert in organization development and change on a mission to move business-as-is to business-as-it-can be. Her work spans the boundaries of scholarship and practice in the disciplines of branding, communications, and organization culture. In her book, Beyond Sizzle: The Next Evolution of Branding, Mona shares the secrets to igniting transformation by leveraging organization development principles and change management approaches as a new framework for business leaders to manage their brands.Episode HighlightsBrand is grounded in meaning. First, we set the stage with some definitions. “The word brand is so complex. There’s probably ten definitions in the dictionary. My definition of brand is the meaning people associate with a name. Branding is the process of creating meaning.The trouble with story. “You’re not in control of your brand story — it’s what other people say about you. But you are in control of your internal narrative.” And that has real impact because “we change behaviors to fit stories — stories are aspirational.”Branding from the inside out. To engage the entire organization, your people need to understand what you stand for as a brand and what it is you’re trying to do. To do this, Mona recommends creating an internal ID narrative. “This gets people on the same page and people internally drive brands.”What brand has made Mona smile recently? “Subaru. I love driving my Subaru. I love going to the dealership. Brands that make you smile make you feel important.”To learn more, go to idgroupbranding.com or check out Mona’s new book, Beyond Sizzle, on Amazon.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Consumers deserve perfect info about businesses everywhere. We can all agree on that." Going out of the gate, Jeff Rohrs reminded us of what's at stake with all of the information about businesses online. As Chief Marketing Officer at Yext, Rohrs is on the leading edge as brands work to manage all of the digital knowledge that's available today. Chances are, what you've thought about already is just the tip of the iceberg. We discussed what data, voice, AI, and AR mean for "everywhere brands" this week on the On Brand podcast.About Jeff RohrsJeff Rohrs serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Yext, the Digital Knowledge Management platform that gives companies control over their customer-critical facts across today’s ever-expanding universe of intelligent services. Jeff co-authored The Everywhere Brand (Yext 2017), and his first book, AUDIENCE: Marketing in the Age of Subscribers, Fans & Followers (Wiley 2014), has been lauded by marketers and executives alike as a must-read. Prior to joining Yext, Jeff served as Vice President of Marketing Insights for Salesforce and ExactTarget.Episode HighlightsSo what is Yext? "Brand's need to be in control of their information." Yext provides a digital knowledge management platform to do just that. "We work on the rest of the iceberg under the surface. Most are just looking at the tip — website and search. The lion's share includes places like Alexa, Siri, and Uber."Brands today have to be everywhere. In an ebook co-authored with Jay Baer, Jeff outlines the concept of brands being everywhere today. He shared the basic tenants of what this means including being customer centric, granular, and committed to actively managing.How can brands be ready for a voice-first environment? "First, you have to separate voice commands from voice search and discovery. You can't optimize. That's been debunked. You need to think about the facts first. That's how you future proof your brand."What brand has made Jeff smile recently? Jeff provided not one, not two, but three brands that have made him smile. First, Nike with their "gutsy" Colin Kaepernick ads. He's also a big fan of how DonorsChoose closes the loop by sharing updates from funded projects with donors via email. And finally, we recorded this after a big win for the Cleveland Browns, which brought a smile to Jeff's face as well.To learn more, follow Jeff on Twitter and check out the Yext website including their upcoming event Onward 2018.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you don’t care about having a lifelong relationship with your customers then keep doing what you’re doing.” But if you want to understand the customer journey and build that relationship, you have to understand the data behind it. Kevin Dean is President of Marketing Services at Experian. He joined me this week on the On Brand podcast for a discussion about how data and systems driven brand loyalty. Enjoy!About Kevin DeanKevin Dean is Experian’s President of Marketing Services for North America, the primary data, identity linkage, and audience activation partner in the advertising industry today. Dean joined Experian in 2011 as Senior Vice President, Global Product Management. Prior to joining Experian, Dean spent ten years in leadership roles at Equifax and previously he served as Director of Marketing at Cendant and Marketing Manager at Vita-Mix Corporation. Kevin received his MBA from the University of Akron and holds a BA in History also from the University of Akron.Episode HighlightsGetting stated with brand-driven data. The focus of experiences data services for brands comes down to three key categories: “Identity, data, and distribution. They are ubiquitous across all devices.”Is data management harder or easier today? “I’d say it’s more challenging today. But we’ve really become masters of identity resolution. It used to be all centered around postal identity. Now you have IP address, email and social identity.”What is the number-one factor that leads to organizations upping their data game? “It’s critical if you want to have a lifelong relationship with your customer. CMOs today are very self aware. They want to understand the consumer journey. It’s a very data-driven role with data-driven conversations.”What brand has made Kevin smile recently? Brace yourselves — this answer is a little shocking. Kevin shared a story about an airline that made him smile. No foolin.’ Kevin had a pretty remarkable experience with United on an international flight that could give us all something to smile about.To learn more, check out the Experian website.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Past and future guest Jay Baer gave me a shout on Twitter for having some fun with his new book Talk Triggers. Look for Jay and his co-author Daniel Lemin as On Brand guests in the near future.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who are you? Why do you exist? Why should people care? Amber Williams, founder and brand strategist at Punkyflair, helps brand builders answer these top-of-mind questions day in and day out. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.About Amber WilliamsAmber Williams is a passionate brand strategist and the founder of brand storytelling agency Punkyflair. Amber is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs grow their business authentically through story. She spent 7 years in the corporate world crafting marketing strategies for mega brands like Armani Exchange, Volkswagen, and The United States Olympic Committee, just to find out that the success of any brand is all about how well you can package up your purpose into a story that speaks to your audience. It’s just that simple. Amber feels to grow your business, you have to do this one thing: Start storytelling.Episode HighlightsStories vs. Brand Stories. Storytelling is a concept that gets tossed around a lot when it comes to brands. But what does it mean? How is a story different from a brand story? Amber broke it down simply: a brand story has an economic outcome tied to it.What’s the formula for crafting stories? Amber calls her approach storycraft. “It’s a narrative approach based in psychology and customer insight. It starts with your star character — your customer. What role does the brand have? What’s the tone? And it ends with your brand promise.”The four questions all brand stories should answer. (1) Why do you exist? (2) What do you offer and for whom? Get specific here! (3) What do you believe? (4) What’s the moral of your story? Again, your brand promise.The key to brand storytelling success. “Be consistent. Your story informs all of your touchpoints. You have to ask, ‘Is this on story for us?'”What brand has made Amber smile recently? Amber shared the brand promise from bra and underwear company, ThirdLove — To each her own. This promise is the first thing you see when you arrive at their website.To learn more, check out the Punkyflair website.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Marty Neumeier gave us a shout for our episode featuring — him! Thanks for listening, Marty!On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices