Everyone has a story. And stories are what drives us as a society. We crave them. Kurt Vonnegut, author of Breakfast of Champions and Sirens of Titan, thinks it’s because our own lives lack real drama. One experiment even confirmed that oxytocin — a “reward” chemical our body releases that encourages social cooperation — was released when watching character-driven movies. It’s why you may enjoy the superhero movies or even soap operas. Both use dramatic storytelling that are character-driven, where characters overcome obstacles to reach greatness.
Your brand counts on good stories
If you’re a business consultant, financial advisor, real estate agent, travel agent, college consultant, etc., you must tell good stories about yourself and your work. In fact, no matter where you work, your brand counts on the ability for you to tell compelling stories about who you are and what you do.
What makes a good story?
Let’s put the ingredients together. Joseph Campbell, a psychology student of Jung, spent a career studying different cultures all over the world. What struck him was that many of these cultures had the same myth stories. And these cultures didn’t necessarily have interaction … at least that we know of.
Let’s take one example. Many cultures have a myth about an important person who sacrifices himself or herself in order for others to live. Usually this person’s death brings fertile crops. In the Chinese culture it’s Pangu. It’s Purusha in India. In northern Europe, it’s the Norse god – Ymin. For the north Africans, it’s Osiris.
Campbell even gives a more recent example of the power of these myths — Star Wars. Although it’s one that’s made up by George Lucas, it has many of the components of what makes a great story. And the reason Star Wars speaks to us, is because these myths and stories are ingrained in our culture — every culture. Campbell believes these stories were told for thousands of years, which is why they’re rooted in our subconscious.
Campbell even put a formula together of what makes a good story:
- There’s a hero
- There are obstacles that need to be overcome
- There’s a big pay off / reward for that hero or the world
The hero
Who’s the hero? Some of these heroes may sound familiar: Luke Skywalker, Hercules, Sinbad, Wonder Woman, Dorothy, Hamilton, Nancy Drew, Harry Potter, Robin Hood, and King Arthur.
Each of them had a journey of self-discovery, filled with hardships, that led them to overcome and “win the day.” Let’s look at Luke Skywalker.
He started as a young man who’s life was filled with water farming and fixing robots. Suddenly, a robot appears that gives him a strange message about an old hermit. They sought out that hermit — Ben Kenobi (also known as Obi Wan Kenobi). And then Luke was taken on a physical, mental, and emotional journey that helped him understand that he, himself, was a great Jedi.
For your story, sometimes you’ll be the hero. You’ll be the one that comes out on top. Sometimes your customer will be the hero; you’ll be that trusty companion that helps the hero achieve success. In other words, sometimes you’re Luke and sometimes you’re Obi Wan.
The obstacles
Usually the obstacles in every good story get more challenging as the hero gains strength and power. Hercules had 12 labors to perform. The Marvel movies usually come in threes. Iron Man had more challenging foes for every movie, including a man his father worked with. Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz, had three challenges (the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion) as flying monkeys swirled before facing “the wizard.”
For your story, your obstacles will depend on your industry and what you do. If you’re a financial advisor, your client may’ve thought college for their child was unobtainable when you helped them realize it was within their grasp. Real estate agents may be faced with unrealistic wishes — dream houses in great neighborhoods for cheap.
The more hurdles to overcome the more compelling the story is.
The big payoff
In an action movie, there’s always one big fight scene that blows all the others out of the water. In Infinity War, the first of the Avenger movies, all heck breaks loose in New York City, where the Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, and Black Widow have to battle Loki and aliens to save the world. It’s a harrowing fight with a team of people who barely trust each other. But in the end — and after millions in special effects — they’re victorious. The Big Apple is saved. Earth is free from threat. And the Avengers now are a cohesive team who watches out for our portion of the galaxy.
What a finish!
Your story needs to be just as compelling … without the special effects. What was the result of your hard work? How did you help the hero win the day? How did you win the day.
If you’re a travel agent, maybe you helped a family realize a dream vacation they never thought they could take — something on their bucket list — that delivered more than they thought. College consultants battled the mighty education system to get a kid — first one in the family — through college; now that kid is a doctor saving lives.
What to do with that story
Think of all the ways you can provide that story. Add it to your website, send emails about it, use video as a testimonial where a customer is telling his story, create marketing materials with it, and tell it on social media.
The most important thing you can do is telling it to people you meet, in person. When people ask what you do for a living, use these stories. These stories are more powerful than a title or a brief description of what you do for a living. They’re compelling. They make people take notice.
Your origin story
In superhero language, an origin story is how you got started doing what you do now. Star Wars: A New Hope is Luke’s origin story. Ant-Man is how Paul Rudd’s character, Scott Lang, moves from criminal to superhero. Hamilton, the musical, is how Alexander Hamilton moves from Scottish orphan to one of the most important founding fathers of a new ideal — America. Harry Potter goes from neglected nephew to one of the most important wizards in the wizarding world. Carol Danvers goes from forgetful, but skilled pilot to one of the most powerful heroes that Earth has.
Think of your origin story. How did you get started doing what you do now? What is an affirmation that you’re doing the right thing? What keeps your passion going? Who have you helped? How did you help them? What was the big finish for that person?
Stories capture our attention
Stories move us. They make us cry. They make us laugh. We remember them. It’s why we all have favorite books, movies, plays, musicals, etc. It’s even why we retell them. We talk to each other about them and even tell our children these stories.
Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung would say stories have become part of us — tapped into our subconscious. It’s why to brand marketing, they’re so important. It’s also why you should be telling more stories.