That's My Story and I'm Sticking to It.

Everyone sees themselves as the hero of their own story. In fact we have numerous stories. There’s the story of the long-suffering, little sister and the story of the courageous mother defending her children and the sexy vixen alluring to all who lay eyes upon her. There’s the story of the dependable one, who if they didn’t double-check every detail, the organization would surely fall apart. And so on and so on.

When we buy that luxury shampoo and tell ourselves it will make us appear more powerful or when we see ourselves as the sophisticate sitting in the corner booth in the back of the restaurant and ordering the Martini made only with Bombay Sapphire. When we wear our bespoke suit or our Armani jeans or refuse to be adorned by any brand we’re telling our stories. We’re telling them to those who see us and hear us and smell us and touch us and for the lucky ones who get to taste the strawberry flavor of our lip gloss. We’re also telling those stories to ourselves.

Great branders understand the stories their target audiences tell themselves. They position their products and services within stories that embrace and celebrate the stories of their customers; the members of their community, their family, their tribe.

Are you aware of the stories your customers tell themselves? Are you aware of the role your products and services play in those scenarios? Are you consciously reinforcing not just the functional benefits but the emotional and self-expressive benefits they get from having a relationship with your brand?

Take the time to observe your customers from this perspective. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the opportunities that will present themselves when you look for the places where the stories you tell about the way people feel about using your brand and what using your brand says about them overlap with the stories they tell themselves.

As I said at the beginning that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.