All your awesome SaaS features will get copied sooner or later. So your copy needs to do more than listing what you offer.
Your target audience has all the information they need. So your copy should go way beyond pushing a unique selling point.
Your larger competitors play it safe with their brand, while small ‘uns sound the same. So your copy needs to stand out.
This is where your brand story comes in. In a way that shows your audience that things are changing – and your product will help them adapt. It’s less about “hard selling”, and more about getting people to trust, believe and identify with what you represent.
Steve has proven himself to be an excellent resource, able to handle any topic and any volume of work with ease, always with an eye on quality.
What you get with brand storytelling…
Your customer is the star
Of course your product is a star that deserves the headlines. However, your audience only cares about their own issues. That’s why this type of content centres on:
- What work challenges/worries/fears keep your audience up at night?
- How will changes in their industry impact them?
- Where do your audience want to go, and how will your product help them?
As you can see – it’s the customer’s story we’re telling. Rather than the business’s.
Going beyond your features
Competing on features might give you a short-term advantage. Until your competitors copy what you offer. That’s why storytelling copy needs to do more than talk about what your product does.
The framework is something like:
- The audience’s industry is changing – show how and why
- Explain what this means for your audience – the opportunities and the risks
- Position your product to the opportunities (and show how it mitigates the risks)
- Show your audience they can succeed in this new reality – as long as they have your product
- Show evidence – case studies, testimonials
Example: About us pages
Any juicy story needs a bit of conflict to draw in readers. It’s the same with your about us page. Here’s what to include in your “plot”, to keep your audience reading:
- Why you exist (talk about problems your reader is experiencing)
Focus on the problems you noticed in your industry. You can include limitations with competitor products, with or without mentioning their names. - What you did (explain why you’re awesome, without saying why you’re awesome)
Talk about how you want your product to solve problems for your industry and your audience. - Your mission (talk about your values, but in a way that benefits your reader)
Talk about your approach, how it aligns with what your reader needs to succeed
It starts with a workshop
The brand story gets weaved into your business. Across your website and communications, through your campaigns and social media. So it needs buy-in from the very top. That’s because defining the brand story involves answering:
- Why does your business exist?
- What does the business stand for?
- Why does your business operate in a particular way?
- Why do customers choose you?
- Why do customers stay with you?
This is usually done with a workshop. Depending on your business, it takes either 2 or 4 hours.
