Humanity is becoming the new premium in today’s fast-paced, overly automated, and digitally-driven society. Because the internet constantly rewards us with convenience and rapid gratification, the human touch is becoming increasingly scarce and valued.

Businesses can no longer afford to be faceless in this atmosphere. Businesses must connect with people, tug at their heartstrings, and engage with them on a much deeper level than ever seen. This is when brand storytelling comes into play.

Brand storytelling is the cohesive narrative that weaves together the facts and emotions that your brand evokes. In addition to giving your customers reasons why they should buy a product or service, businesses need to start sharing the story behind their brand, why it exists, and why this matters, consistently across all communication.

Brand storytelling is no longer a nice to have. It is a need to have, and what will ultimately maximize your business’s visibility, profit, and impact. Treat it as a compass for your marketing strategy, and the result will be a brand that is as profitable as it is captivating.

Here are 3 reasons why brand storytelling is the future of marketing:

Be unforgettable.

It’s a crowded marketplace out there: there are tens of millions of content being created, and even more being shared every day. Businesses are spending billions of dollars worldwide fighting for seconds of attention from audiences that are being bombarded with similar messaging. The internet has democratized marketing by making it accessible, but in the midst of this, it’s also made it very difficult for quality brands to stand out.

It’s not enough to have a quality product or service, you need to know how to talk about it in a way that differentiates you from the crowd. That’s why brand storytelling is so important.

Instead of throwing facts, statistics, and testimonials at your audience, focus on making your brand thoughtful, memorable, and real. Wrap your message into a story that transports people, simplifies information, and provokes an emotional response. Use narrative to share your brand’s history, challenges, successes, and value propositions — no other brand can copy YOUR story.

Storytelling will not only increase your brand favorability in your audience’s eyes, it can also be up to 22 times more memorable than facts.

Ask yourself: what do you want to be remembered for? What is the message you want to transmit to your audience, and what do you never want them to forget? Consider the emotion you want to evoke in your audience every time they interact with your brand. Your audience may forget what you say, but they will not forget how you made them feel (which is important because emotions drive purchase more than logic.

More than customers, build a tribe

When crafting your messaging, think about what your audiences truly need from you (in addition to a product or service).

Take Apple, for example. They sell technology, but from the beginning, their audience needed to feel that it was okay (and even encouraged) to be brave, bold, and think differently from the crowd. Tesla’s customers need to feel that it’s worthwhile to support the environment and sustainable energy.

Read Also: How to Develop a Strong Brand Identity That Stands Out From The Crowd

For a brand to take off, it needs to become so much more than your product and service — and that’s where storytelling comes in. Think about what emotions, values, and ideas you can offer your audience. What do you want them to walk away feeling when they interact with you? What sort of value are you offering them every time they engage with your content? What does your brand mean to them, beyond what you’re selling?

Use your story to create a deep emotional connection: start conversations, ask for engagement (no strings attached), and involve your audience in what you do as a business. Turn your brand into an experience they can consume — that’s what will turn customers who pay for your product/services because they need to fix a problem into a rabid tribe that will support your success, follow along, be loyal, and comes back for more.

Once your audience knows, trusts, and likes you, they will more likely buy from you. At the very least, you’ll have created relationships with people who will become advocates for years to come.

Be profitable and human

A brand story can do so much more than connect you with your ideal audience, get you noticed in the noise of your competitors’ messaging, and drive profits — it also has the potential to create major impact.

In today’s day and age, marketing is no longer the key competitive differentiator. Consumers are increasingly demanding for companies to prove how their efforts are making an impact, supporting a cause, and achieving results beyond just profit. Ironically, knowing that a company cares about something other than their own profit is the incentive that consumers need to buy more.

Your mission matters. A desire to “change the world” is no longer cliche so long as brands are actually acting according to their values (currently, only 10% of organizations are doing this), and consumers gravitate towards brands that feel more human. It’s no coincidence that the top 10 most empathetic companies in the Global Empathy Index are amongst the most profitable and fastest growing in the world.

So, how to make your brand more human? Storytelling — the most ancient and powerful tool for effective education. We are genetically wired to love and respond to stories, and a memorable brand story is exactly what people need to feel connected to your business, have a lasting positive impression of who you are and what you stand for, and become loyal clients.

When creating your marketing strategy, don’t forget about the bigger story: what makes you human? How do you touch and transform people’s lives? How do you put a positive dent in society? In short, does your brand have a soul?

People will feel this, and not only that, they will buy from you before they buy from a competitor who offers a similar product or service. In a crowded marketplace where everyone is focused on doing things faster, more efficiently, and automated, be the brand that dares to be human. Show your customers that you care even if it means (gasp!) slowing down or doing things differently.

These are the brands that stand out and, ultimately, turn into a legacy.

What Makes a Brand Story?

Brand storytelling helps you connect with customers, foster loyalty and trust, and set your business apart from the competition, which can result in more revenue.

Connecting with customers

Alexandrea Merrell, Managing Director of Orndee Omnimedia, a PR and brand development firm, stresses the importance of brand story. “[It’s] an essential part of modern marketing,” she says. “Not so long ago, consumers only cared about price and functionality.”

Today, consumers look beyond price tags and good deals. 

“Consumers want to connect with a back story and ethos that appeals to their sense of self,” Merrell says. “A [retailer] needs to identify their target market and ensure they are creating and relaying a brand story that engages.”

“[A brand story] is the message that creates a powerful emotional connection between your company, customers, and the general public,” says Paula Conway, President of Astonish Media Group.

Building trust and loyalty

Great brand stories allow smaller retailers to attract new customers and keep them coming back for more, even without a big marketing budget.

“When done right, it creates a magical bond and develops a relationship [beyond] products,” Bennett says. “If the brand story is effective, it not only has an increase in sales, but also allows for the company to scale more quickly and with a culture that fosters the brand experience.”

Differentiating your brand

“Branding will either convince a customer to buy from you or from your competition,” says Cassandra Rosen, branding expert and co-founder at FK Interactive, a brand development and public relations agency.

Below are some examples:

1. TOMS

As you know, footwear and accessory brand TOMS’ One for One mission donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold. Conway and Rosen both acknowledge TOMS’ commitment to social good. “You feel good about buying these shoes because you know you’re giving something to a child in need,” says Conway.

This also provides unique marketing opportunities, full of social proof. “User-generated content is central to the brand, with an enormous community of customer advocates,” says Conway. Customers want to share about the good they’re doing by purchasing a pair of shoes from TOMS.

“It wasn’t just about making money—it was about giving back,” says Rosen. “Combine that with a high-quality product, and consistent marketing to keep your story top of mind, and you’re well on your way to loyal fans and a strong brand.”

2. Burt’s Bees

Skincare brand Burt’s Bees has a strong commitment to their mission and values, which are also available on their website for all to see. 

“There’s an entire section on the company website with a narrative on who [they] are and what they stand for,” says Conway.

Burt’s Bees has undoubtedly nailed the concept of documenting the brand identity, which is likely a large part of why it’s so ingrained in their company culture. Their commitment to all-natural, earth-friendly products is what their customers support.

3. DevaCurl

DevaCurl’s haircare line can be found at salons all over the world. These products are specially developed for women with curly hair—and that’s what their entire brand story hinges upon.

Visit their about page, and you’ll see a company timeline that describes the journey of women committed to finding ways to embrace and care for curls in a healthy way. Curl Ambassadors strengthen the brand story.

DevaCurl demonstrates a true understanding of their core target audience, and they’re not afraid to alienate customers who aren’t their ideal.

4. Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola doesn’t have a strong social good or environmental mission, but they still have a brand story that resonates with their broad target market. 

“Coca-Cola is not selling just carbonated sugar and water,” says Conway.

Coca-Cola is committed to consistency. 

“They push [their] messaging consistently through all of their media, from Facebook to advertising campaigns,” says Conway. “The timeless designs, fonts, images, and color pantones are instantly recognizable.”

5. Lucas Candies

Conway worked firsthand with New Jersey-based craft chocolate marker Lucas Candies to develop a brand story that completely changed the business. A 100+ year history of Greek emigrants with traditional recipes, the chocolate shop’s story hadn’t yet been told.

An overhaul to the logo, product packaging, website, photography, messaging, and product descriptions conveyed the newly told story. 

“The result was national media, including the Today Show, CBS News, Cosmopolitan, and Forbes,” says Conway.

6. SCAD

In the 1970s, a 20-something-year-old Atlanta public school teacher named Paula Wallace dreamed of creating a university that would launch creative careers. She convinced her parents to sell their home, move to the then rundown town of Savannah, purchase a crumbling historic building, and establish a college. Almost 50 years after its founding, the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is one of the top art schools in the United States and the world.

Unlike most universities, which were founded hundreds of years ago by someone who has long since passed and lived a life most people wouldn’t be able to relate to today, SCAD and its brand story are relevant to now. 

SCAD’s brand story is that of a woman from humble beginnings who sets out to change the world through art, and makes a big impact. It’s a classic example of the hero’s journey, which is why it resonates with people and needs to be told. It’s also a fantastic case study for how to leverage media that complements your brand to tell its story. 

So, how does SCAD tell its brand story? In a way that only an art school can: through an immersive, 4D walk-through experience that rivals anything you’ll find at Disney World. SCAD Story takes visitors through several rooms, in which an animated version of founder Paula Wallace explains how she founded the university. 

7. Zappos

To those unfamiliar with Zappos, the company seems like an online shoe store. According to Zappos, however, they are first and foremost a “service company that just happens to sell… nifty shoes, clothing, accessories and whatnot.”

Former CEO Tony Hsieh told Harvard Business Review, “we receive thousands of phone calls and e-mails every day, and we view each one as an opportunity to build the Zappos brand into being about the very best customer service.” 

This strategy has paid off big time by turning customers into ambassadors for the brand. 

“Our philosophy has been that most of the money we might ordinarily have spent on advertising should be invested in customer service, so that our customers will do the marketing for us through word of mouth,” Hsieh said.

Zappos demonstrates that your brand story doesn’t have to focus on the origin of your company. Instead, it can change over time to express what your brand has evolved to stand for.