The ability to tell a story is an essential skill for ecommerce brands. Gone are the days when you just had to sell a half-decent product at an acceptable price. Now, with so many new (and similar) brands starting up, you’ve got to stand out and connect with your customers in a way that goes beyond the things you sell.

What is brand storytelling?

Let’s first look at what it’s not.

  • It’s not purely your history (although that is part of it)
  • It’s not confined to your About Page
  • It’s not just about you and your products
  • It’s not contrived or shared in isolation from everything else you do

Your brand’s story is about your customers and what they get from using your products.

When someone buys from you, they are also buying into your story – Tweet this

Your brand story goes beyond your content or what you post on social media. You tell your brand story through:

  • Your packaging
  • Your product design
  • Your branding
  • Your pricing
  • Your customer experience

And on top of this, your brand story includes

  • Your purpose
  • Your vision
  • Your values

Who does it well?

thank you. sells a range of consumer products in Australia – from muesli to hand wash and bottled water. And in turn, those products fund either food, hygiene or water projects in developing communities. thank you. knows its story and tells it incredibly well. And they share that story with everything they do – from their website to what’s on their products and their people.

So how to find your brand’s story?

Storytelling is one of the foundations of human existence. Long before the internet was filled with status updates and people doing dumb things on YouTube, humans would sit around the fire and tell stories. We all have the ability to create a story for our business. The tricky part is telling the right story – the one your customers want to hear. You don’t have to create a social enterprise or sell a revolutionary new product to have a great brand story. To help you unearth your brand story, ask yourself a few questions.

  • What inspired you to create your business?
  • What did you do before you started your business?
  • Is there anything interesting about how you got started?
  • What makes your business and products different?
  • Have there been any big breaks or ‘aha’ moments?
  • What about your setbacks?
  • Who are your customers and what unites them?
  • And finally, is this story true?

And while you’re putting together your story, find out what is already being said about you. Do a search for #yourbusinessname on Insta and Twitter to see what people are saying about you. This gives you the insight what your customers believe about you now. If it’s the story you want to tell then start sharing it yourself. And if it’s not the story you’d like it to be, you can work on trying to change it.