Podcast

Park Howell

#350: How to Craft Your Brand Story Strategy With the Story Cycle System™

Feedspot just named The Business of Story the #1 business storytelling podcast for 2022. It’s an overnight sensation!

But it only took 350 episodes.

So I’m celebrating by taking you by the hand (ok, ear) step-by-step through the Story Cycle System™. For those of you with short attention spans, you get the abridged version in the first 20 minutes of the show (I’ve become a big Blinkist fan).

For heartier listeners, we take a deeper dive in the following 40 or so minutes with loads of examples and exercises for you to start clarifying your brand story strategy. Ok, so this special episode is a scooch over 60 minutes because it’s dripping with practical brand storytelling insight that you can use immediately.

It was almost two years ago when I published my first book, Brand Bewitchery: How to Wield the Story Cycle System™ to Craft Spellbinding Stories for your Brand. Consider this its companion episode. In it, I also talk about finding the authentic personality archetype for your brand. This is more of a visual exercise, so here is the brand archetyping guide just updated this past weekend for your exploration:

Brand Archetype Development From The Business of Story from Park Howell

Please share this special 350th episode with anyone you know who will benefit by dialing in their brand story strategy. And be sure to listen for the special promo offer on our two online quick courses, The ABTs of Branding™ and The ABTs of Selling™.

Story on, my friend.

≈Park

Discussed in this episode

Why the story cycle system is ideal to help you understand what stories to tell about your brand, to whom, when and where
Why you need to start with the ABT to tell a compelling and persuasive story before you dive into this story cycle system
Breaking down the 10 steps of the story cycle into the three-act structure of the ABT – Agreement, Contradiction and Consequence
Step 1: How to effectively set the stage with your brand story through crafting your position statement
Step 2: Identifying and prioritizing your number one customer and understanding what they wish for and want
Step 3: Designing your category to showcase your unique position on how to fulfill your audience’s desire
Step 4: Capturing your brand story through your unique value proposition
Step 5: How to capitalize on competitive forces, use them to your advantage to catapult your offering and become the go-to brand
Step 6: Finding your brand character traits through your brand promise, your brand gift and your brand personality archetype
Step 7: Identifying where your audience is on their journey so you know what stories to tell
Step 8: Mapping out your mile markers of success your customers will experience with you so they know they are on the right journey for them
Step 9: Amplifying your impact by defining your brand purpose that makes you stand out
Step 10: Building the ritualistic use of your brand offering to encourage word of mouth marketing