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StoryBrand

Is Your Company’s Story Powerful, Clear and Cohesive?

At our digital marketing agency, we used to struggle to get our message right. We had a great brand, a well-known, well-respected company both nationally and locally in the Minneapolis market, but our message wasn’t doing all of that justice. We would go to tradeshows and get asked all of the time, “What does Parqa do?” and for some reason, we never had a clear, unified, concise answer. We would lose business (and sleep at night) because we knew we had so much to offer staffing & recruiting companies, but had the challenge of nailing down our messaging to tell our story powerfully and consistently. 

Last year, I read the book “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller, and it completely changed the way that I think about marketing, and it was a complete game-changer for our company. The book stresses the importance of getting your message right and delivering it with clarity across your entire organization. With so much information on the internet right now, when you don’t deliver your message clearly, you will get lost in the crowd. After all, people don’t always buy the best products; they buy the products that are the best communicated about

The Customer is the Hero & You Are the Guide

The StoryBrand methodology is based on 7 core principles that every great story has (a Hero, a Problem, a Guide, and a Plan to name a few). If I could it sum up in the simplest way possible, I would tell you to think of your customer as the “hero” of the story, and think of your company as the “guide.” The hero is the hero for a reason; you are the advisor and the trusted coach to overcome their challenges. 

I am not a Star Wars fan, but think about that story for a second. The Hero, Luke Skywalker (your customer), wants to save Princess Leia and defeat the evil Empire. Upon meeting young Skywalker, his guide, Obi-Wan Kenobi (your company), doesn’t tell him to step aside and run off to take care of the issue personally (even though he has the power to do so). No, instead he guides Luke through his early Jedi training and instills within him the confidence and ability to destroy the Death Star himself. 

To put this practically, we used to market Parqa as the #1 digital marketing firm for staffing & recruiting industry. Do I believe we are? Of course. Do I believe that’s what my customer wants to hear right out of the gate? No. My customer wants to have confidence that I understand and resonate with their challenges and pain points, and that I have the answers and solutions to alleviate them. Now don’t get me wrong, demonstrating your company’s credibility, expertise and differentiation is important, but StoryBrand’s methodology states that you have to first start with the customer and portray them as the hero, and prove your credibility later in the process. 

After reading the book, I was so fired up about bringing this knowledge and training to my entire team that I actually hired a StoryBrand Coach to fly to our headquarters and do a full 2-day training workshop on the framework and methodology, so my entire team would be able to learn it, understand it, and speak the same language. 

Part of the workshop involved crafting our company’s unified “one-liner” and elevator pitch. In doing so, everyone on the team maps out the various parts of the StoryBrand framework together (the Hero, the Problem, the Guide, the Plan, etc.), identifies the right way to communicate each part, and delivers the same cohesive message as a result. Want to see ours?

  • One-liner: “We help Staffing & Recruiting firms get more clients and candidates through effective digital marketing.” 
  • Full Elevator Pitch: “At Parqa, when it comes to your firm, we know that you want to be successful. In order to be so you need to get more candidates and more clients. The problem is your current marketing strategies aren’t yielding the results you’re looking for, which is likely causing you to feel frustrated and stuck. Especially with how quickly things change in our industry, getting your marketing right isn’t something you should have to figure out on your own. We understand the challenges you’re facing because we were created within a staffing and recruiting firm. And we’re currently the only digital marketing agency in the United States that’s housed within a staffing and recruiting firm. This means, we’re able to provide you with the most up-to-date strategies to ensure you’re staying ahead of the competition and getting the results that will grow your company. And with our proven process, we’ve helped staffing and recruiting firms all over the country do just that. Here’s how we do it. 1. We’ll assess your needs and goals, 2. We’ll create a customized plan to fit your unique situation, 3. We’ll execute on the plan together, and 4. You’ll get to watch your company grow. So Contact Us Now!

Notice that it starts by acknowledging what the hero wants to accomplish, and the challenges they face along the way and how frustrating it can be. It then moves into explaining and demonstrating why Parqa is the unique solution to help overcome those challenges given our history, expertise and differentiation in the marketplace. From there, we talk about “the plan” we offer the hero to accomplish their quest, and a picture of what it could look like on the other end of the journey. Finally, it ends with a call-to-action to contact us to begin their quest.

Your staffing or recruiting company can do the exact same exercise to identify these pivotal parts of your brand’s “script” so that your entire company is telling one common, cohesive story. In doing so, your customers will share in the success you help them achieve, which will empower them to accomplish far more than if you simply tackle their issue yourself.  And let me tell you, it is worth it! 

Diagnose Your Company’s Message

Before you close out of this post, I want you to do me a favor and load up your company website. Read over the content for a few minutes, evaluate what it says, and then return to this blog. 

What did you find? Is your website showing your customers that you are the hero? Or is it communicating that they are the hero, and you have the answers and solutions to get them where they aspire to be?  If it’s the former, you’re going to need to work on your messaging.

The good news is if you don’t have a clear message, you don’t have to worry. I’ve been there, and there is a way to fix it. Reach out to me or get in touch with our team today to learn how we can help you improve your message so your customers can see themselves as the hero, and see you as the instrumental guide they need to succeed!

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