Tell Your Brand Story in a Compelling Way

The past few years should have shown business owners and leaders that connecting with your audience and building a supportive community through transparency is the best way to gain and keep loyal customers.  Instead of hopping on every trend in an effort to outrank the competition, brands would do better to connect with audiences by simply sharing their values, thus creating a competitive advantage that no other brand can match. You’re probably thinking, “how can I make my brand story attention-grabbing and engaging in a successful way? How can we attain that natural captivation of our audience?” Here are 3 tips that can help you answer these questions.

 

Be Real

The best way to connect with consumers through your brand story is by first understanding your brand thoroughly and then simply telling your brand story. Be introspective when asking yourself, “What does my brand stand for?; – who are we as an organization?;  what do we do?;  who do we do this for?;  why and how do we do it?” 

Self-identity generally occurs during the creation of brand values. Once those values have been confirmed and communicated to internal teams and external audiences, a brand has to consistently stand on them. These values should be authentic, meaningful, and valuable to your brand and your audience. A brand’s values should also be considered when making business decisions, when speaking about certain social issues, and when deciding your business’ niche. 

 

Be Simple

Has your mother ever said, “Quality over quantity,” or “keep it simple” to you? Well, now is the perfect time to apply mom’s advice! 

Keeping your brand story as digestible as possible will allow your brand to be more “human” and will allow more people in your target audience to connect with you. It also helps to easily articulate your brand message across multiple platforms. Simple stories are far more trustworthy for consumers, as well.

Our professionals recommend brand stories that incite emotion, provide solutions and measure success. It’s easiest to format it as a short story that introduces the problem your brand aims to fix, the solution you’ve created that will work towards that fix, and, the finale, the success that the solution has produced. The end of your simple story should not be the end-all, however. It should, instead, be the end to the appetizer, leaving room for the entree and dessert. In other words, let people know that you will continue this work to solve whatever issues your brand is working to improve. 

 

Be Transparent 

Today’s consumers are not those that waste time with pushy marketing tactics. Instead, they appreciate the integrity and authenticity of the brands with whom they choose to build loyalty. Attempting to be a doppelgänger of another brand will prove to quickly fail.  Audiences are quickly able to search and compare a company’s tactics using digital tools and social media. 

Our professionals recommend thinking of your brand as a person in order to give it a unique angle, what does the brand look like (this will be the visual piece of your brand story used for media and digital marketing efforts)?; what does the brand sound like (this is the communications aspect – the voice and tone of the brand)?; and what is important to your brand (this helps you determine which conversations to lead or become a part of regarding political or social issues, community efforts, etc.). 

 

While thinking through all of this, have fun but be careful not to get lost in the rabbit hole of creativity. Be sure to keep the fun ideas that will ultimately boost your brand to success. Let your audience see that while many companies are doing the same things, no company can do it like you!

 

My Mother’s Support When Choosing My Career 

Choosing a career path can be overwhelming – one of those moments where a mother’s comfort and support can either create the drive to thrust forward or help see the bigger picture of a different path. With Mother’s Day around the corner, we wanted to show appreciation to some of our team members’ mothers. We spoke to three women on our team who embarked on their career journey with the support and inspiration of their mothers. 

What are your roles and responsibilities at Octane?

G: I’m Georgette Walker, Octane’s Office Manager. I also support the Account Executives with client services. 

C: My name is Cristina Velazco, Digital Media Specialist at Octane. I focus on the Hispanic/Latino market of Octane’s clientele. 

N: I’m Nicole Morant. As Client Services Director, I support the management of all of Octane accounts. I work to ensure that all projects are moving forward and that we are providing Octane’s clients with everything they need to have successful outcomes.

When did you realize you wanted to embark on this career journey?

G: Well, this is my 5th career since I began working at age 14, and this one fell into my lap. I met Everett Hamilton, CEO of Octane, at a Meeting Planners convention. Shortly after that, I moved to DC and we became friends.  When the position that I moved to DC for did not last, Everett asked me to work with him at his company.  Simultaneously, Sheila was starting a Public Relations firm and she eventually convinced Everett to align forces and conquer the PR world together. Just like that, Octane Public Relations was formed. 

C: I first fell in love with digital media when Instagram was totally new, and I was still living in Venezuela. I decided to try my hand at opening an online beauty store, which organically grew to 40k followers in just five months! Famous people in Venezuela and media channels used to purchase from me (back then, ads did not exist). It was at that point that I knew I had a special skill for the digital industry, content creation, and strategy.  

N: My career in marketing began with my interest in public health. I understood the importance of getting people information that they could use to improve their lives. Once I realized that public relations and marketing were key to that goal, I began to shift toward positions that would allow me to build campaigns that would make a difference and resonate with our audience.

How has your mother supported your career choices? How has she inspired you? 

G: I am my mom’s first child, so she did all she could to instill in me that I could do it, whatever “it” was. Whatever I did, she fully supported me.  As any mother would, she sometimes had doubts, but she always made you feel her love and support.

C: My parents always supported the career and life decisions of my siblings and me. My mom encouraged me by being patient while I was at home learning Graphic Design and doing projects. From my creativity to my spontaneity, and overall personality – my mom’s teachings have definitely helped build me as a woman. 

N: My mother is a caregiver and is always looking for ways to be of service. Her focus and desire to help others lead me to find a career that would allow me to see results and make a difference.

What made you decide on your career choice? What struggles have you had/do you have in this career? Did your mother help you through it? 

G: All the career choices I’ve made were based on my love of the work, my gut feeling about my ability to achieve goals, and – most importantly – the people that I would work within the chosen field. I feel being a Black woman and a part of the LGBTQ community, there have been harsh judgments placed on my head while I maneuvered through the journey of life. My mother has always been the voice of reason and a shoulder to cry on for me. I’m happy to have found a company that allows you to truly bring your whole self to work!

C: When I graduated from high school, I found that I was naturally skilled in graphic design. Later, I discovered a passion for marketing and sales because of my family business, so I went to college and received my master’s degree in Marketing. Working in the Digital Marketing world has given me a good mix of marketing, sales, and graphic design. 

I would say that a struggle of this career is the constant updates and real-time changes to the industry. New careers are quickly being developed and digital marketers have to remain competitive, constantly learning and updating their skills at a faster rate than most industries. We always have to stay abreast of the new tools, algorithms, and trends. 

My mother always pushes me to be my best and to keep improving myself. She is truly my inspiration! 

N: I enjoy the opportunity to develop new and thoughtful ways to provide valuable information to people. If there is a struggle, it is due to the ever-changing way we communicate with each other. With so many messages aimed at the public at any given time, it can be difficult to be heard or seen through all of the noise, but we build on what we know and push to get information and resources to those that need them. 

My conversations with my mother always gave me a sense of purpose and brought me back to the intention of the work that I’m doing. 

Let’s get a little fun, now. What’s a quote your mom said to you growing up that stayed with you?

G: “I can show you better than I can tell you!”

C: “¡TE LO DIJE! (I TOLD YOU!)”

N: “Know your worth and never let someone make you doubt it.”

We’re so grateful to all the mothers who did their absolute best to raise their children and support them through life’s most difficult decisions. Moms deserve all of the good things, and this Mother’s Day, we encourage you to give them to her!

Happy Mother’s Day!