Every successful brand has a story. Not just the events on a calendar - but a mission, vision, and values that create a compelling narrative. An effective branding strategy taps into these ideas and helps frame both the why and how your business services its customers.
To build lasting impressions, utilize the power of promotional products that reinforce your story and create an emotional connection with your employees and customers. Keep reading to learn how to effectively find your story and tell it, creating strong bonds with your audience.
Know Your Story (Not Just Your History)
Before you can create a compelling brand story, you need to know what your narrative is. Your brand story is more than just your history, it’s the why and how of your organization. Like any tale, a good story has characters, conflict, and a resolution.
If you’re struggling to figure out how to talk about your brand, start with the following:
- Your values and mission: This is the core of your business and what makes you different. Your values will drive your entire brand identity and messaging. It’s also a process that’s deeply personal, so if you don’t have written values (or want to update them), get everyone involved. Start with the decision-makers, but draw in the rest of your employees as well.
- Your audience: Who is your ideal customer? Take a look at your favorite customers to develop a picture: what industries are they in? What do they do for fun? What do they consider when making a purchasing decision? You’ll have to do some synthesizing here to create a complete picture.
- Your competition: Take a look at what your competitors are doing. What are their values? What messages are they putting forward? Look for gaps where your business fills a niche and stands out beyond those others.
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From the above, your story should begin to form. Your characters are your ideal audience, and your conflict and resolution speak to your values, mission, and history.
Use Promotional Products to Support Your Story and Goals
Once you have your brand story, brainstorm what products help reinforce that message. Using promo to support these ideas is easier said than done which makes it difficult to give general advice since your own story will be unique.
Below you’ll find some examples of how to take a brand story and translate it into items. These demonstrations will help you picture how you can tell your own story.
Examples:
A brand that’s known as a problem-solver and one-stop-shop chooses products that solve specific needs. Items like backpacks, toolkits, and computer totes serve a practical use and help reinforce the brand message.
A brand that advocates for mental health and donates to charitable organizations chooses products that support their mission. They choose items from companies that donate proceeds to charitable organizations and products that help spread awareness like t-shirts, cards, and pins.
A brand that values innovation and a strong customer identity chooses quirky and trendy promo that makes an impression. Wireless speakers, tech accessories, and wearables in unique colors and shapes stand out and demand attention.
By using promotional products that support your brand story and align with your ideal customer, your organization can add tactile and practical elements to its marketing strategy to tell a compelling story that draws in your audience.
Tell Your Story with QRG Branding Solutions
We are a full-service branded merchandise agency specializing in audience engagement. We craft unique experiences that make lasting impressions and place your brand at the center of your audiences’ daily lives. Real-world, lifestyle product placement turns users into brand ambassadors. Our campaigns promote brand awareness, enhance reputation, and increase loyalty.
QRG is a customer-driven, single-source commercial printer, branded merchandise agency, and direct marketing firm tailored to meet your business goals. Our corporate identity solutions create deep connections with a lasting impact on your audience. Learn more about how it works and check out our website for more information.
