Book Review of Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen
By Donald Miller Published October 2017
We think people are listening to us but they really aren’t. This is true in life as well as in business according to Mr. Miller. The tool he recommends to solve the problem is the use of story.
To help your customers understand the benefits of using your products, ideas or services and to give yourself a competitive advantage, use storytelling to transform the way you talk about who you are, what you do and the unique value you bring.
Storytelling is the most powerful way to engage the human brain. It helps us communicate messages and themes simply. We love to hear stories about people winning.
The readers who buy our nonfiction books want to solve a problem they are experiencing whether that problem is physical, emotional, a crisis of identity, a financial problem, or a spiritual one. They are looking for a guide to help them navigate through the issues and come out the other side as a winner.
According to Miller, the big mistake companies make (and the trap we might fall into as authors) is to make themselves the hero, rather than the customer. Instead, you should position yourself as the guide. Someone strong and capable who has conquered the demons and can help them do it too.
One of the places you should employ this strategy is on your book or author website. Mr. Miller advises us to address the three loops of a typical problem:
- External
- Internal
- Philosophical
Suppose you are a financial planner and your book is a guide to help readers fund their retirement. The external problem they want to solve is having enough money to last them through 30 years of retirement. The internal problem might be eliminating the fear that they won’t be able to maintain their current lifestyle. The philosophical problem might be they only want to invest in companies that don’t endanger the environment.
You can see that by addressing all three problem areas, your ideal reader will feel that your book was written just for them. Your goal should be to define the aspirational identity your reader wants to achieve and ensure your book helps them transform into that identity from where they are before reading your book.
Your author website should answer three questions for the visitor:
- What do you offer?
- How will it make my life better?
- How do I buy from you?
You can learn more about the framework on the StoryBrand Website.
Find the book on Amazon (the link below is an affiliate link. I will get a small commission from Amazon if you purchase using the link):
