Most businesses don’t have a traffic problem — they have a clarity problem.
Visitors land on their site and can’t figure out what they do, why it matters, or how to buy.
In Building a StoryBrand, Donald Miller explains that the human brain is wired for story, and that businesses can use this to get customers to listen — and more importantly, to buy. This post is both a Building a StoryBrand summary and a practical guide to applying it to your marketing.
Your product or service must be positioned to help people:
That’s it. That’s all customers truly care about.
If your marketing isn’t showing them how you meet these needs, you’re wasting their attention.
Buying decisions aren’t based on what you say — they’re based on what people hear and understand. Clarity is your most valuable marketing currency.
Donald Miller suggests every customer is silently asking three questions before they buy:
If your homepage doesn’t answer these above the fold, you’re losing sales.
A restaurant doesn’t want “SEO” — they want “more bookings on quiet nights”.
A wedding photographer doesn’t want “digital ads” — they want “more dream clients booking without price haggling”.
When writing your copy:
Alfred Hitchcock once said a good story is “life with the dull parts taken out.” The same is true for your marketing. Show what’s at stake if people don’t choose you.
People want to be taken somewhere. In marketing terms, that means giving them a vision of a happy ending:
A compelling brand story shows the customer as the hero, with you as the guide
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Boil down what you do into a simple sentence:
Character → Problem → Plan → Success
“We help overwhelmed event planners book the perfect entertainment for unforgettable events.”
“We help struggling websites generate more business online by delivering your marketing goals.”
This works as your elevator pitch, homepage headline, or even your LinkedIn bio.
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Instead of “They were great!”, ask customers:
These questions turn generic praise into persuasive proof.
Building a StoryBrand boils down to this: clarity beats cleverness. If you make your customer the hero and clearly show how you’ll guide them to success, your marketing will work harder for you.
If you want help applying StoryBrand principles to your website, brand, or sales process, we can help you clarify your message and make your marketing impossible to ignore.
Marketing with standards.
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