Q for You
Be In The Know
- Best EVER Grandpa Delivers Donuts By Drone to Grandkids in Quarantine (WATCH)
- Colorado dairy farmers avoid disposing of milk, donate 30,000 gallons to area food banks
- B2B Content Marketing Trends in 2020 [Infographic]
- Uber plans to require its drivers and passengers in the US to wear face coverings
3 Steps to Brand Development that’s Out of this World
We’re taking notes from Digital Marketing Institute and applying lessons learned from Star Wars to heighten our brand development strategies.
1. The Value (aka the Force) of Stories. Your brand’s story is what resonates with fans. The premise of good v. evil, power struggles, the necessity of love/friendship, and the 12 steps of a Hero’s Journey are just some of Star Wars story themes.
So how does one incorporate the power of the Star Wars story into your brand?
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- Find your underlying message. Focus on deep-seated messages that spur action like Star Wars’ Episode IV’s message of coming together against adversity. Display that message across blogs, your site’s About pages, video ads, or social media posts.
- Your audience should be the hero of your brand’s story. Take note of the 12 steps of the hero’s journey. Think of yourself as the mentor (or Jedi), leading your hero to the point of transformation.
2. Leverage cultural references to keep your brand refreshing and relatable to your audience. When the original series was released in the 70s, people were facing an economic and societal slump. The Star Wars movies focused on a relatable hero and his journey beside hope. DMI recommends,
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- Observe your world. What does your audience need at this moment in history?
- Bring that knowledge to your service or product. How can you creatively incorporate this need or desire through your services/products?
3. Customers make decisions based on emotion. What emotions you’re aiming to generate? Emotional consistency creates a unique connection between your business and your audience. Do this by..
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- Deliver emotion-based storytelling through video, email sequences, or website content.
- Focusing on social to build up an online community and leading customers to action.
Digital Marketing Institute has much more to cover with great examples!
Marketing Traits: Star Wars Edition
Above you chose which Star Wars character spoke to you the most. Now, let’s take a look at the marketing traits you fall into based on your answer.
- Darth Vader: strong and confident. Your attention to detail is unparalleled and failure is unacceptable.
- Yoda: wise and unexpected. No one should under-estimate you as you’ve been in the marketing industry for some time and continuously hone in on your skills.
- Obi-wan Kenobi: patient and tactful. Performance data helps you make the right decisions for your campaigns and you’re ready to adapt to get the best results.
- Anakin Skywalker: skillful and cunning. You may not complete a campaign by the rule book, but your experience gives you an edge.
- Leia Organa: intelligence and leader. Your insightfulness allows you to get creative with marketing strategies, which allows you to rally your team.
- Luke Skywalker: level-headed and optimistic. To understand what motivates your audience, you keep an eye on market trends and buyer behavior.
- Han Solo: resourceful and bold. When you’re cornered with an overloaded to-do list, it’s in your nature to utilize all that’s available and you aren’t afraid to commit to unique marketing strategies.
- Padme Amidala: compassionate and diplomatic. You have great strength in communicating your brand message and choose to relate to your audience with empathy.
What We're Reading
Building a Story Brand
by Donald Miller
Watch
Help Save Lives
Cleanliness is key right now. That doesn’t mean you have to clean up your room right away, but definitely keep up the hand washing. And keep paying digital visits to those you care about.
Old Spice is back with Terry Crews to drive home the point we’ve been hearing over and over again: stay inside. It’s certainly worth heeding Old Spice’s advice – after all, they are a soap company.
