Sean Garner Consulting | Marketing Agency & Certified StoryBrand Guide

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E17: Don’t Make These StoryBrand Marketing Mistakes

Sean Garner
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Storytelling marketing can be a game-changer for your business, but only if you do it right. 

Many small business owners struggle to implement the StoryBrand framework because they don’t really know how to do it correctly. 

I share the top three mistakes I see, including focusing on the wrong story, misunderstanding the StoryBrand framework, and failing to position yourself as the guide. 

Learn how to avoid these errors and create a clear brand message that connects with your customers.

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P.S.  When you are ready, here are a few ways I can help…

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Sean Garner is a marketing consultant and Certified StoryBrand guide dedicated to helping small business owners grow and dominate their industries. He created the Marketing Domination podcast to teach people how to combine storytelling with strategic marketing to help businesses connect with customers and stand out online.

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Website: https://www.seangarner.co/ 

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EPISODE 17 TRANSCRIPTION

Intro To Storytelling Marketing

[00:00:00] Sean Garner: So you want to use storytelling marketing in your small business, but there's a problem. One, you're confused about how to actually implement it, or you've tried it before, and it just seemed to fall flat. It made you frustrated because you saw other people in your industry and other businesses having success with what they're calling story brand or storytelling marketing. But for you, it just didn't seem to work.

[00:00:20] Sean Garner: Well, as a certified StoryBrand guide and having the opportunity to work with dozens of small businesses in crafting their marketing message, I wanted today to share with you some common marketing mistakes that I see them make when it comes to using StoryBrand messaging. So that way your messaging can stop falling flat, and instead, you can create a clear brand message that makes you stand out as the perfect guide for your customers. Welcome to Marketing Domination.

Common Misconceptions About StoryBrand Marketing

[00:00:38] Sean Garner: Okay, so after you've listened to or watched today's episode, I want you to go back and listen to the intro because that is going to unlock the key. It's like, you know, it's going to show you how the magic trick was done. I remember when I was a kid, there was this special on Fox that I always thought was really cool because it was like secrets revealed, and the magician would show how they would do all the tricks.

[00:01:00] Sean Garner: Well, that's kind of what this is going to be today. So I'm going to show you how the tricks are done. And that intro that we just did is a storytelling intro. And so that's kind of my first point that I want to make today. I think there's a misconception of what StoryBrand or storytelling marketing is. And that's one of the things that's frustrating and confusing people and small business owners—because they think what StoryBrand or storytelling marketing is an actual literal story.

[00:01:42] Sean Garner: They think that they have to craft some novel about their business or about their brand, and they are kind of disconnected on what the concept actually is. It's not a literal story, although it can be, and you can use stories in marketing. Like I just gave that quick little small story example, like the magic show.

[00:02:02] Sean Garner: And I could have elaborated on that a whole lot more if I wanted to like suck you in and tell this big story and all these things. You can use stories inside of StoryBrand or storytelling marketing, but it is not a narrative that you would sit down and read like a book about your business or your brand. Instead of thinking about it as this narrative, what I want you to think about it as is a framework.

The StoryBrand Marketing Framework 

[00:02:25] Sean Garner: So as a certified StoryBrand guide, we help small business owners craft this messaging framework. And yes, we will tell a story within that, but it is not going to be written out in a book format that you would actually read. It's going to be a talking point that follows the arc of what's called the hero's journey. If you look at any popular movie, like something like Star Wars, they all follow the same hero's journey or character arc that you're creating with StoryBrand messaging.

[00:03:00] Sean Garner: And that's what we're doing whenever somebody is saying they're using StoryBrand or storytelling marketing in their business. They're not writing a book about their business. They're using this hero's journey character arc and talking points to make sure that they convey the right aspects of their marketing and messaging and what they're doing. So what that looks like is the seven key talking points. The first one is a character. Every movie has a character in it, right?

[00:03:27] Sean Garner: And it's not like the demographics about who this person is. The character has something that they want because if they don't want anything, the movie or the story is uninteresting. The second thing though, they have a problem that's keeping them from getting what they want. And so there's that problem that is done and felt at three different levels.

[00:03:45] Sean Garner: It's the external, which is the main thing that they're dealing with. The internal, which is how that problem makes them actually feel when they have to deal with it. Then there's the philosophical—why is it just morally wrong that this person has to deal with that problem? But along comes a guide, which is you as the business owner.

[00:04:04] Sean Garner: And that guide is going to do two things: demonstrate empathy and authority. You're going to show that you relate and understand the problem, but also that you've got experience because you've solved it for other people. Then what you're going to do is you're going to give them a simple plan so they can get that problem solved, and you're going to call them to action, which is step number five—a very clear and direct call to action so that they can, number six, avoid failure and instead, number seven, experience success.

[00:04:33] Sean Garner: That's what we want to do when we're crafting these messaging or talking points for our business. We want to look at it as a framework and not an actual literal story.

[00:04:58] Sean Garner: The big mistake I see people making with storytelling and StoryBrand marketing, when trying to implement it, is they're trying to write a book, and they don't understand that it is a framework of talking points. Although you can use actual literal stories of things that have happened—which I think are great and you should include, especially in things like content creation, blogs, and presentations—it's really good because it keeps people interested in what you're doing. But it's not creating a story of your business.

Focusing on the Customer’s Story

[00:05:15] Sean Garner: The second thing and mistake that I see business owners make when trying to implement StoryBrand or storytelling marketing in their business is they are focusing on the wrong story. So when we're doing this, because there's also confusion about whether this is an actual story or what it is, they often create a story about them.

[00:05:36] Sean Garner: And they think that storytelling marketing or StoryBrand marketing is telling the story of how their company got founded. Like, "Oh man, my grandfather started this company, and it's been passed down from generations, and we're still here, we're still local," and all of those things, which it's not at all.

[00:05:52] Sean Garner: That's not true. That's honestly one of the most opposite things that StoryBrand and storytelling marketing actually is. The story we want to tell is the story that's going on in your customer's head. So in StoryBrand marketing, we're not writing our story; we're writing our customer's story, and we're inviting them in.

The Role of the Business as the Guide

[00:06:12] Sean Garner: And what we want to do is, as we're doing this, we always want to make sure that we are positioning ourselves as the guide in all of this. So, the person that's demonstrating empathy and authority, and not the hero. We're not the person that's going through this arc of these talking points. We are the guide there to help bring them through. To make it relatable to a movie, our customers—your customers—are the Luke Skywalkers in the StoryBrand world.

[00:06:32] Sean Garner: We, as the business owners—you as the business owner—you are the Obi-Wan Kenobi or the Master Yoda. You know, you are the one that is guiding that hero with your empathy and authority to get them the result that they want. And so that's one thing as we're writing this and creating this, and you're trying to implement this—stop making the story all about you. That's a huge mistake that I see people make.

[00:07:00] Sean Garner: I always say this to my clients and to people whenever I'm talking to them about their business. And it sounds rude, but it's true. I tell myself this all the time: "You're not that special." And what I mean by "you're not that special" is how you interact with things is how your customers are going to interact with things. And so how often have you been on a website or looking at marketing collateral for a business and thought, "Wow, this is an amazing story.I love that their grandfather founded this plumbing company 30, you know, 50 years ago, and it's still around. I want to do business with them now.” Like, no, there's very, very few companies that actually have a good story. And I'm going to tell you this with all the love in my heart: your company story is probably not that good.

[00:07:49] Sean Garner: And even if it is amazing, like a Tom's Shoes or something like that, where they're doing all these amazing things, how you position that is still about your customer. Because even a brand that's popular—like Tom's Shoes—that got really famous for what they were doing with giving back and the story about how they were donating a pair for every pair that they sold, even though they did that, they positioned the marketing where it was still about the customer. They made the customer that was purchasing that, seeing the shoes, feel like they had a part in this story.

[00:08:09] Sean Garner: And so that's where you have to realize this is not your story. It is all about your customer. So the third one, and probably the final mistake here to kind of talk about today is on these talking points—realize how to utilize them.

How to Use StoryBrand’s Seven Key Points

[00:08:36] Sean Garner: So I told you that when you understand what I did at the beginning, go back and listen to the intro. I'm going to break it down for you about what I did because what I did was utilize those talking points into frameworks to communicate my messaging. That's what storytelling marketing is.

[00:08:56] Sean Garner: Why it works is because it follows this story narrative that we're so used to hearing all the time. Like, our bodies get sucked into story all the time. You watch a movie, you know, two, three hours can go by, and you're like, "Whoa, what happened to the time?" It's because you were following that hero's journey and that arc the entire time.

[00:09:12] Sean Garner: So if you want your customer to listen to your message, it's got to be clear. And the clearest way to communicate your messaging about your business is through the arc of story. So remember, I talked about those seven key points. I have to make sure I was using seven. So, the character wants something, but there's a problem keeping them from getting it.

[00:09:28] Sean Garner: So they need a guide to give them a plan, call them to action, avoid failure, and experience success. That's what I did in the intro to this podcast. If you remember, I said something like, "You know, you're a small business owner that wants to utilize storytelling marketing or StoryBrand marketing in your business, but there's a problem." You've tried it before, and I even talked a little bit about the internal problem, like, "You tried it before and it made you feel frustrated because you saw other people do it."

[00:09:47] Sean Garner: Then I positioned myself as a guide with empathy and authority: "Well, as a certified StoryBrand guide that's helped dozens of other businesses..." Boom. That's what I did. I want to give you the mistakes that I see. So that's the plan. That's what we're doing through the content. So, listen to the episode, which was the call to action, so you can avoid failure, stop making these mistakes, and experience success. Instead, create a clear brand message that makes you stand out to your customers and dominate online.

[00:10:24] Sean Garner: I probably said something like that because I say the word "dominate" way too much, but it's what we do. We do help you out with it. So that's the talking point. And because I understand this framework, I use it in all of my content. Once you start to, again, know the math—how the magic trick's done—you start seeing it and you're like, "I see what they're doing there."

[00:10:46] Sean Garner: And it's about understanding the framework or the magic trick that's actually happening. I used StoryBrand marketing for my intro, but I didn't craft an actual literal narrative for you. I also didn't make it all about me. I positioned myself as a guide to hopefully help you, the listener, the viewer, understand how I'm going to help you.

Create Your Own Story NOW

[00:11:09] Sean Garner: Solve that potential problem. So whenever you understand that this is a framework and it's not a story, you can start to use it in all aspects of your business. You can use that same framework for internal communication and for coaching staff members. That's going to help you connect with them a lot better.

[00:11:29] Sean Garner: When you're able to communicate like, "Man, it seems like you're wanting this, but here's the problem that we're experiencing. You know, I've dealt with that same thing before, and these are the things I did to fix it. So let's do this now so we can stop making this mistake and start doing this." It's great for talking to your staff. It's amazing for sales calls. Whenever you're doing any type of sales in your business or anything, if you follow that framework, it's going to help the customer feel understood and connect with you better.

[00:12:00] Sean Garner: Have you ever watched a piece of content or even read a website or seen some type of marketing online and thought, "Wow, it feels like they're talking directly to me?" Most of the time, it's because they're utilizing these principles. And when you put those seven different key frameworks all together, they're extremely powerful. But even just using one or two in conversations will start impacting your communication. It’s going to make you come across a lot more confident and a lot more clear about what you actually do and how you can help your customers.

[00:12:24] Sean Garner: So I hope this was helpful. We've done a whole episode before, all about the StoryBrand framework. We broke that down into a lot more detail, so if you want to go back and listen to that, it’s about how to clarify and create a clear brand message. But if you're a small business owner and you're like, "Man, I would love for somebody to come in and do that for my business and my messaging," that's what we do at Sean Garner Consulting. We help small business owners, local small business owners, grow their business and dominate their industry by helping them build, fill, and optimize sales funnels, utilizing this StoryBrand marketing.

[00:13:04] Sean Garner: So go to our website, SeanGarner.co, and schedule your free call. Let's hop on a call with me. I want to hear more about your business and see if it's a good fit. This is not a high-pressure sales call or anything like that. I genuinely want to connect, and I’ll be honest, we are not the best fit for everybody. We work with a very specific type of customer. So, if that's you, if you're a local service business owner, I’d love the opportunity to connect with you and see how we could possibly serve you—help you craft your clear brand message so you can start serving your customers and doing what you're called to do. Thanks so much for listening, guys. Have an awesome day.