Building a StoryBrand: The 7 Desires Your Prospect Depends On

I participated in a marketing ideation meeting alongside a consultancy known for developing roadmaps for high-tech companies. As the roadmaps were created, I was impressed with the unique and differentiated paths the team came up with. However, I was also determined to keep the team focused on the target market.

Innovation is a critical strategy in many industries today, but it can’t be at the customer’s expense. Incredible companies with ingenious solutions have failed over the years because they came to market too early or fed a desire that didn’t yet exist. Both can spell doom – demand is a critical aspect of every successful product or service.

I was sent a copy of Building a Storybrand (by Donald Miller) as part of the process. My reaction wasn’t very enthusiastic… I thought the book might be yet another push for storytelling. It wasn’t. In fact, the book opens with the following:

This is not a book about telling your company’s story.

Whew!

I don’t want to give up the entire book; it’s a quick and informative read I’d highly recommend for any company attempting to nail down its messaging. However, there’s one critical list that I do want to share – choosing a desire relevant to your brand’s survival.

Seven Prospect Desires Your Brand’s Survival Depends On:

Conserving Financial Resources

Customers want solutions that make financial sense. By choosing your product or service, they need to feel confident that they are saving money, improving their return on investment, or eliminating unnecessary costs. Emphasizing affordability, long-term savings, and efficiency builds trust and makes your offering a compelling choice. Concrete examples, such as case studies or clear comparisons to competitors, reinforce your promise of financial conservation.

Conserving Time

Time is an irreplaceable resource, and your customers constantly seek ways to maximize it. Offering products or services that simplify tasks, reduce effort, or streamline workflows will resonate deeply. Highlight how your offering enables them to focus on what truly matters, whether personal priorities or high-impact business initiatives. A clear promise to save time immediately makes your value proposition more compelling.

Building Social Networks

Humans are inherently social beings, and products or services that foster connection tap into this universal desire. Whether creating communities, enhancing collaboration, or offering networking opportunities, your offering should demonstrate how it helps customers stay connected. Highlight how your product integrates with social or professional circles and enables users to engage more effectively with others.

Gaining Status

Many customers aspire to improve their standing, whether in a professional or social context. Your product or service should convey prestige, refinement, or authority, helping them achieve their desired recognition. Showcasing success stories or aligning your brand with high-status symbols can position your offering as a tool for empowerment and achievement.

Accumulating Resources

Customers want solutions that enhance their ability to thrive through increased productivity, revenue growth, or reduced waste. Offering tangible benefits like better efficiency or expanded capabilities fulfills their desire to accumulate resources for future success. It becomes an essential tool for their journey toward prosperity when you show how your product or service helps them grow their assets or capabilities.

The Innate Desire to Be Generous

Generosity is a fundamental human impulse, and products or services that allow customers to give back, share, or contribute to causes resonate on a deeper level. Whether through charitable partnerships, opportunities to support others, or fostering generosity in other ways, your brand can appeal to this powerful desire. Highlighting how your customers’ product use contributes to a greater good builds emotional connection and loyalty.

The Desire for Meaning

People seek to be part of something larger than themselves. Offering a product or service that aligns with a purpose or mission helps customers feel more fulfilled. By positioning your brand as part of a meaningful movement or allowing customers to contribute to a significant cause, you appeal to their innate desire for purpose and belonging.

As author Donald Miller states:

The goal for our branding should be that every potential customer knows exactly where we want to take them.

Which desires are you tapping into with your brand?

About Building a StoryBrand

The StoryBrand process is a proven solution to business leaders’ struggles when talking about their businesses. This revolutionary method for connecting with customers gives readers the ultimate competitive advantage, revealing the secret for helping their customers understand the compelling benefits of using their products, ideas, or services.

Building a StoryBrand teaches readers the seven universal story points all humans respond to, the real reason customers make purchases, how to simplify a brand message so people understand it, and how to create the most effective messaging for websites, brochures, and social media.

Whether you are the marketing director of a multibillion-dollar company, the owner of a small business, a politician running for office, or the lead singer of a rock band, Building a StoryBrand will forever transform the way you talk about who you are, what you do, and the unique value you bring to your customers.

Buy Building a StoryBrand on Amazon