Your job as a business is to be the Obi-Wan to their Luke Skywalker

In 2009, two men sat down together and dreamed up one of the most daring & fascinating experiments to date.

Joshua Glenn and Rob Walker gathered 200 unique pieces of junk from thrift stores and garages. Each item was no more than a couple of dollars.

They then listed those items on eBay to sell them.

The twist?

They paired each item with a writer. Then each writer was to craft a story about the object.

The results were surprising.

In one example, writer Doug Dorst wrote a story for an “ugly, plastic Russian doll with a big cloth moustache”.

The cost price: US$3

The selling price: US$193

That’s a 6400 per cent return on investment.

The experiment has been documented on the website, Significant Objects.

The point is, stories sell. There’s no doubt about that. The question is, how can you apply that to your business?

This is extra important if you are struggling to stand out in a saturated market.

Now, if you’re thinking, “I’m not a writer. I can’t tell a good story.” Don’t worry. You don’t have to be a writer to tell a compelling brand story.

Just answer the following seven questions and you will have enough to write a brand story that grabs, connects, and inspires your audience.

1. Who is the hero?

Your business, product, or service is not the hero. Your audience is.

Your role in the story is as a guide or a mentor to help them solve a specific problem.

So first, identify the hero. What are their struggles? Their pains and fears? Their hopes and desires.

Your job as a business is to be the Obi-Wan to their Luke Skywalker.

2. Who is the villain?

Next, what is the thing standing in their way of achieving success?

If they want to lose weight, it’s overeating.

If they want to make money, it’s a lack of skills.

If they want to fall in love, it’s the modern dating rules in society.

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Identify the villain and help them defeat it.

3. How can they defeat the villain?

Then, show them that it is possible to defeat the villain and achieve success. Don’t sell your product or service yet.

Show them that it can be done.

Share success stories, point out the weakness in the villain, prove to them that it’s not as impossible as they think.

4. Introduce your solution

After that, it’s time to show them how your business or product can help them defeat the villain.

But it’s still not the time to sell to them yet.

5. Explain why they should listen to you

Now’s the time to share your story of how you found the solution.

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Or you can use more testimonials, case studies, and show your expertise. Show them that you are the one who can help them defeat the villain.

6. Test their worthiness

Not everyone is worthy. They have to prove themselves first.

Every hero, if they are worthy, has to fulfil a set of criteria before they finally face the villain.

Give them a small challenge to overcome.

7. Empower them

Finally, once they feel that they’re worthy, induct them into your inner circle. Let them know that they are among the chosen.

Give them the option to take action and defeat the villain and save the day.

And that’s the seven questions you need to answer to craft your brand story.

While other businesses simply try to sell and sell, yours will empower your audience to trust you and become long-term fans of your brand.

Sounds simple enough? It really is.

The thing about a brand story is that it’s a work in progress, so don’t give up — this isn’t the final chapter yet.

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Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash

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