Storytelligent | Brand Storytelling with Bryce McNabb

When you watch a B2B ad, what are they really selling you?   It’s not a new CRM or cutting-edge system to manage inventory. They’re selling security. They’re promising this tool will keep your doors open, your payrolls met, and your future business success.   What about B2C? Are they trying to sell you security….or something else?   Today I'm diving into the differences between B2C and B2B marketing. Which emotional buttons are they pushing and why does it make sense? How should you construct your marketing to make sure you push that button every time?  Plus, if you’re in B2B, you’ll learn why brand storytelling is paramount to your success and how to sell it to your CMO or CEO. CONNECT WITH BRYCE AT MCNABB STORYTELLING Turn Strangers Into Advocates [FREE Guidebook] Instagram YouTube Twitter Website

Marketers, I’m going to offend you today. But hang with me, because the end result will be worth it.   Today I’m discussing how we’ve forgotten about our customer and started making content just to satisfy ourselves and the approval chain.   How did you we here? Where did that idealistic creative marketer go? Why are we so worried about office politics and approval chains...instead of creating amazing content?  Is there a way to recover?   In this episode, I'm discussing how all organizations fall prey to inward thinking, forget about the customer, and start creating content just to make the organization happy. Ultimately, it's not authentic and doesn't resonate with the customer.  To get the soul and customer-centricity back into your business you need the cure to the disease. You need storytelling. CONNECT WITH BRYCE AT MCNABB STORYTELLING Turn Strangers Into Advocates [FREE Guidebook] Instagram YouTube Twitter Website

Don’t waste your money on an event recap video!   I’m serious. Just don’t do it.   Why?   They’re a terrible marketing investment.   In this episode, I’m sharing how to stop losing your marketing dollars on event recap videos. Instead, you can turn that spend into an investment to build up your brand value and create long-lasting content. I'll share why event recap videos are actually boring, have a very limited shelf life, and often require lots of unnecessary work. You'll learn how to shift from a "checkbox" mindset to an investment mindset, to get the most out of your event footage. CONNECT WITH BRYCE AT MCNABB STORYTELLING Turn Strangers Into Advocates [FREE Guidebook] Instagram YouTube Twitter Website

After reviewing my critique of Donald Miller's StoryBrand SB7 framework, I realized I wasn't clear enough on one aspect: What's the difference between being The Guide vs. a guide?   StoryBrand positions you (the business) as The Guide. You are the one guiding your customer along their journey and providing the transformation necessary to reach their dream state. You're in the league of Morpheus, Merlin, and Yoda.   Or are you?   In this episode, I define The Guide archetype, explain what types of businesses fall into this category, and identify what distinguishes The Guide from a guide. You will learn if positioning yourself as The Guide is the right brand strategy for your business, or if you should show up as a guide. Knowing this information will allow you to speak to your customer properly within their story and form an authentic relationship. SOURCES AND REFERENCES Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller Movies referenced: The Matrix (1999), Spectre (2015), Hunger Games (2015) CONNECT WITH BRYCE AT MCNABB STORYTELLING Instagram YouTube Twitter Join my monthly newsletter Website

When should you tell your brand story? Is there a certain point in the business cycle or an revenue goal that signals the right time?   The answer isn't so simple.   And the question isn’t really “when” should you tell your brand story, but rather “should” you.   In this episode, I help you answer this question: Is brand storytelling worth your investment...or just money down the drain? I unpack the Five Level of Brand Development that every company goes through and show you which story you need to tell at every stage. You will learn why storytelling is the key brand strategy to building relationships with your customers and how long it takes to start seeing a return on this investment. SOURCES AND REFERENCES Artifishal Marketing Effectiveness in the Digital Era: Media in Focus  LinkedIn's Brand and Demand Playbook  CONNECT WITH BRYCE AT MCNABB STORYTELLING Instagram YouTube Twitter Join my monthly newsletter Website

Are you familiar with the StoryBrand framework (SB7) for marketing created by Donald Miller?   If not, here’s the basics:  It’s a framework for crafting your marketing message by using the hero’s journey.   Your customer is the hero on the journey. You (the business) are the guide.  It puts the customer at the center of the story as you guide them through their purchase.   So what’s wrong with that?   You're not always The Guide.    And if you’re not...it’s damaging to position yourself that way.   In this episode, I break down the StoryBrand framework and share the pros and cons. I review where it excels, but also poke holes in places it might fail you. StoryBrand is great for story structure, putting your customer at the center of the story and teaching empathy. But it makes positioning too simple. Everyone is not The Guide.    To be completely honest, StoryBrand has been life changing for me. I love it. But this oversimplification of positioning has been eating at me. I couldn’t let it go.   Should you use the StoryBrand SB7 framework for your marketing? See what you think after listening to this episode. While parts will work well, it may require some tweaking.  SOURCES AND REFERENCES Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller David C. Baker's inside the jar example Joseph Campbell's Monomyth Copywriting formula: Problem-Agitation-Solution Kurt Vonnegut story shapes Study of emotional story arcs CONNECT WITH BRYCE AT MCNABB STORYTELLING Turn Strangers Into Advocates [FREE Guidebook] Instagram YouTube Twitter Website

Do you want to use storytelling to build your brand...but aren’t sure where to start?   Are you tired of having a mission statement no one remembers...and actually isn’t authentic to your brand?   Are you looking for a way to communicate your value proposition in a way that will stick with your audience?    If any of these questions have been rumbling around in your brain, then you are in the right place.  And I have an answer for you: use narrative positioning.  In this episode, I explain why narrative positioning is the superior way to position your organization instead of using statements. You will learn frameworks to identify both your authentic mission statement and value proposition, which are also the pieces you need to start building your brand story.  You will discover how to avoid the mistake of sounding like everyone else. Instead, by using storytelling, your brand will make an authentic impression on your customers - one they won't forget. SOURCES AND REFERENCES  StoryBrand by Donald Miller Start with Why by Simon Sinek CONNECT WITH BRYCE AT MCNABB STORYTELLING Turn Strangers Into Advocates [FREE Guidebook] Instagram YouTube Twitter Website

Is marketing merely a promotional channel for your business? Or could it be something more? Instead of reducing marketing to sales funnels, bait and switch tactics, underwhelming content and an unrelenting focus on lead generation….I’d like to offer you a different approach.   Think about marketing as an extension or your core offering. It’s a way to add and enhance the value of your product and brand.  In this episode, I call out the nonsense of low quality lead magnets, discuss how to apply salesmanship to marketing (hint: relationships matter), give ideas for how to enhance the value of your offering through marketing, and offer a new way to see your marketing department: R&D. You will learn how costly it is to gain new customers, the economics behind why you should invest in your current customers, and why marketing is much more than a sales funnel. SOURCES AND REFERENCES The Lean Product Playbook Statistics on Customer Retention and Acquisition CONNECT WITH BRYCE AT MCNABB STORYTELLING Turn Strangers Into Advocates [FREE Guidebook] Instagram YouTube Twitter Website

Storytelling structure leverages emotion to create value.   How much value?   It could be as much as 3000%.   Sounds too good to be true, right? That's why I took the time to explain the mechanics of how it works so you can use storytelling to maximize the value of your brand.   In this episode, I present my theory on the origin of value, show you how to produce an emotional delta to create value, and even discuss how copywriting leads back to the foundations of storytelling. REFERENCE Significant Objects CONNECT WITH BRYCE AT MCNABB STORYTELLING Turn Strangers Into Advocates [FREE Guidebook] Instagram YouTube Twitter Website

It sounds like a gimmick: brand storytelling.  But what does it actually mean?  And is it something you should be doing?   Want to know a secret?  You’re already doing it.   In this episode, I unpack the mechanics behind brand storytelling, dig into the risk we take when we don’t develop a brand strategy, and take a deep look at how stories are the fundamental building blocks of human communication and meaning creation.   SOURCES AND REFERENCES  Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories By Christopher Booker  Jordan Peterson's model of meaning creation CONNECT WITH BRYCE AT MCNABB STORYTELLING Turn Strangers Into Advocates [FREE Guidebook] Instagram YouTube Twitter Website