Summary of "Building a StoryBrand" by Donald Miller

Donald Miller's "Building a StoryBrand" focuses on how businesses can clarify their messaging to ensure that customers listen and engage. The core idea revolves around positioning the customer as the hero of a story, with the business serving as the guide that helps them overcome challenges.

Key Concepts

• The BrandScript: Miller introduces a framework called the BrandScript, which helps companies develop clear and effective messaging. This framework is based on classical storytelling techniques.

• Seven Part Framework:

  1. A Character: The customer is the hero, not your brand.
  2. Has a Problem: Brands must address the problems their customers face.
  3. Meets a Guide: Your brand is the guide with a solution.
  4. Who Gives Them a Plan: Offer customers a simple plan to solve their problems.
  5. And Calls Them to Action: Customers should be encouraged to take action that leads to a transaction.
  6. That Helps Them Avoid Failure: Highlight the stakes if the problem isn't solved.
  7. And Ends in a Success: Show the potential success after using your product or service.

• Clarity Over Creativity: The book emphasizes that clarity in messaging trumps creativity. Your message should be simple and straightforward, focusing on how you help the customer, rather than on the features of the product or service.

• Customer-Centric Approach: Every aspect of your communication should be from the customer’s perspective. Understand their needs, wants, and how they perceive the world.

Application in Marketing

• Websites and Marketing Materials: Use the StoryBrand framework to overhaul websites, marketing materials, and even internal communication. The aim is to make the narrative clear and relatable to the customer.

• Empathy and Authority: It is crucial to communicate empathy and authority. Show that you understand the customer's challenges and have the expertise to solve them.

Conclusion

"Building a StoryBrand" offers a systematic approach to refining marketing messages, making them more focused on customer engagement and sales. The framework can be applied across various platforms to ensure consistent and effective communication.

People trust those who understand them, and they trust brands that understand them too.

Donald Miller

Imagine your customer is a hitchhiker.

You pull over to give him a ride, and the one burning question on his mind is simply Where are you going?

But as he approaches, you roll down the window and start talking about your mission statement, or how your grandfather built this car with his bare hands, or how your road-trip playlist is all 1980s alternative.

This person doesn’t care.

Donald Miller

In every line of copy we write, we’re either serving the customer’s story or descending into confusion;

we’re either making music or making noise.

Donald Miller

Never assume people understand how your brand can change their lives.

Tell them.

Donald Miller

Pretty websites don’t sell things.

Words sell things.

Donald Miller

Oprah Winfrey, an undeniably successful guide to millions, once explained the three things every human being wants most are to be seen, heard, and understood.

This is the essence of empathy.

Donald Miller

Here is nearly every story you see or hear in a nutshell:

A CHARACTER who wants something encounters a PROBLEM before they can get it.

At the peak of their despair, a GUIDE steps into their lives, gives them a PLAN, and CALLS THEM TO ACTION.

That action helps them avoid FAILURE and ends in a SUCCESS.

Donald Miller

Simply put, we must show people the cost of not doing business with us.

Donald Miller

Nearly every human being is looking for a guide (or guides) to help them win the day.

Donald Miller

CUSTOMERS DO NOT TAKE ACTION UNLESS THEY ARE CHALLENGED TO TAKE ACTION.

Donald Miller

Here are five questions most likely to generate the best response for a customer testimonial:

1. What was the problem you were having before you discovered our product?

2. What did the frustration feel like as you tried to solve that problem?

3. What was different about our product?

4. Take us to the moment when you realized our product was actually working to solve your problem.

5. Tell us what life looks like now that your problem is solved or being solved.

Donald Miller

Every human being wakes up each morning and sees the world through the lens of a protagonist.

The world revolves around us, regardless of how altruistic, generous, and selfless a person we may be.

Donald Miller

In business, if we don’t communicate clearly, we shrink.

Donald Miller

The goal for our branding should be that every potential customer knows exactly where we want to take them:

Donald Miller

Create reciprocity.

I’ve never worried about giving away too much free information.

In fact, the more generous a brand is, the more reciprocity they create.

All relationships are give-and-take, and the more you give to your customers, the more likely they will be to give something back in the future.

Give freely.

Donald Miller

This means that when we ramble on and on about how we have the biggest manufacturing plant on the West Coast, our customers don’t care.

Why?

Because that information isn’t helping them eat, drink, find a mate, fall in love, build a tribe, experience a deeper sense of meaning, or stockpile weapons in case barbarians start coming over the hill behind our cul-de-sac.

So what do customers do when we blast a bunch of noise?

Donald Miller

Brands that help customers avoid some kind of negativity in life (and let their customers know what that negativity is) engage customers for the same reason good stories captivate an audience:

they define what’s at stake.

Donald Miller

One of the best ways we can illustrate how we help our customers transform is through customer testimonials.

Donald Miller