This brand storytelling guide breaks down how to write a simple business story and share it with customers. It also includes a content template and social media tips.
Brand storytelling is one of the simplest ways for a small business to feel more real, memorable and trustworthy.
For local businesses, this matters even more. Customers often look you up before deciding whether to use your services. This may include checking your website, social media, your Loopla listing or a local Facebook group.
Sharing a good business story in these places helps them understand who you are, why you started and what you still care about.
A good brand story can improve your About page, local marketing, social posts and Loopla event or class listing.
It doesn’t need to be long or dramatic. The best small business stories usually explain three simple things: why you started, who you help and what values you have never compromised on.
Below, we’ll look at why brand storytelling works, what to include in your own story, and two simple ways to share it with local customers.
If you have a particular question about brand storytelling, you can click below to jump ahead:
- What should I write in my business story?
- A simple brand storytelling template
- Brand storytelling ideas to help you get started
- How can I use brand storytelling on social media?
- How can I share my story if I don’t have many social media followers?
- Common questions about brand storytelling
For more quick tips and tactics, see our guide to local marketing.
Does brand storytelling really work?
The Significant Objects experiment is well known in marketing circles.
The team behind the experiment bought 100 second-hand items for a combined $128.74.
They then asked creative writers to make up stories about these items, before listing them on eBay.
The stories were fictional rather than factual product descriptions. Yet the whole collection sold for $3,612.51, an increase of over 2,700%. (1)
One lesson we can take from the study is this: people value things differently when there is a story attached.
Your story helps people understand the person behind your business. For a local business, that can be especially important.
Say you run kids’ classes or activities, for example. When booking for their child, parents need to trust the person who runs it.
More generally, research shows that when people share something personal, others often feel closer to them and like them more. (2)
That does not mean you need to share your whole life story.
It means the right details can help customers understand who you are and why your work matters.
What should I write in my business story?
Studies on brand authenticity suggest customers pay attention to whether a business feels real, consistent and true to itself. (3)
For a small business story, this usually comes down to two main ingredients.
1. The reason you started your business
A clear reason for existing, beyond making money, can make a business feel more authentic. (3)
To pin down your reason, ask yourself: what did you want to change? What were local families missing?
For example:
“I started these classes because every baby group I took my daughter to felt chaotic. I wanted something calm.”
This is meaningful because it gives the business a human reason for doing what it does. It also helps the reader understand who the business is for.
2. The values you have stuck to
People also trust businesses that stay true to their roots or ‘heritage’. (3)
But even if you run a newer business, you can still draw on your own personal experience.
What is one thing you have never compromised on? Was there ever a time where doing the right thing cost you something?
For example:
“I turned away a venue last year because the room wasn’t right. It cost me three months of bookings.”
Together, these two things help people see the authentic person behind your business.
For kids’ activities, useful story details may include:
- Your safeguarding approach
- Why you chose a certain age group
- How you handle nervous children
- What parents often worry about before booking
3. What to skip in your business story
If you find that your founder-origin story sounds forced, try a different approach.
Your strongest proof of how well you run your business may be what families say now. In this case, lead with a quote from a parent’s review or a story about something meaningful that happened in a recent class.
Alternatively, think about whether there was a major turning point in how your business has grown.
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A simple brand storytelling template
If you know what should go into your business story, we recommend writing it up as a private note or document. That way, you can draw from it when creating an About Us page, event listings, social posts, emails and so on.
Use this as a quick brand storytelling template.
Start with the rough version. You can tidy it later.
I started my business because…
Explain the problem, gap or personal experience that led you to begin.
At the start…
Describe what the early version looked like. This could be your first class, your first venue, your first homemade sign, or the second-hand kit you used while starting out.
I wanted to help…
Name the person or group you wanted to help.
The thing I have always cared about is…
Explain the value you have stuck to.
Today…
Say what the business looks like now.
For example:
I started baby yoga classes in Stoke Newington after struggling to find a calm group to take my newborn daughter to.
At the start, I carried one bag of mats to a church hall for a class with four mums.
I wanted to help parents who felt overwhelmed by loud, busy baby groups.
The thing I have always cared about is creating a calm space where parents and babies feel welcome.
Today, we run six classes a week, but the aim is still the same.
That is a complete (though basic) local business story. It gives people a reason to care, a sense of where you started and a reason to trust what you do now.
Brand storytelling ideas to help you get started
If you feel stuck while writing your brand story, answer one of these prompts.
You do not need to answer them all. One strong answer can become a social post, an About page section, a Loopla listing intro or local Facebook group post.
- What was the most difficult moment of your career?
- How did you get into your industry?
- What do you do differently from the way you were taught?
- What did you get wrong for years before realising?
- What is the worst piece of advice you were given when starting out?
- What is the part of your job you did not expect to love?
- What would you do differently if you started again tomorrow?
- What boring or annoying part of your job do you secretly enjoy?
- What is the thing everyone in your industry does that you refuse to do?
- What looks like chaos in your class but is actually learning?
- What is the most important thing that happens in your class that has nothing to do with the skill you teach?
- What is something you teach children that adults often get completely wrong?
How can I use brand storytelling on social media?
Once you have your story, you need to make sure people can see it.
Parents often look you up online before they book and this search goes beyond your website.
78% of social media users say a brand’s social media presence now has a bigger impact on whether they trust it. (4)
So it helps if one of the pinned posts they see is an eye-catching business story.
Here is one of our favourite formats for sharing yours.
The before-and-after transformation post
TikTok recommends before-and-after demos to advertisers. The reason they give is:
“Transformation stories grab attention quickly.” (5)
You can tell your own transformation story with just two images.
One should show a recent success. Perhaps you won a local award or moved to a bigger studio.
The other image should show where you started. This is the photo to lead with.
It should show your business’s humble origins. A homemade sign for your first class, perhaps. Or the second-hand equipment you used while starting out.
Then use the caption to go into more depth on the story behind your business.
Be sure to include the story ingredients above:
- Why you started your business
- The values you have stuck to
You can use the template above to get started. Just be sure to make it slightly shorter.
How can I share my story if I don’t have many social media followers?
You can still share your story where local parents already spend time: Facebook Groups.
More than half of Facebook users are members of five or more active Facebook Groups, according to research from The GovLab and Facebook. (6)
These groups are often used as local parenting networks and community noticeboards.
Most London boroughs have several of them. To find your nearest, search area names alongside words like:
- mums
- parents
- families
- neighbours
Joining is free. It’s often just a case of clicking a button and waiting for approval.
Sometimes these groups even have local business directories that the admins can add you to.
How to introduce yourself in a local Facebook group
Before posting your hello message, check two things.
1. Read the group rules
Many groups only allow promotional posts on certain days, often called something like “Promo Friday” or “Business Spotlight”.
Post outside these days and your message could be removed.
2. Read the room
Some groups are warm and chatty. Others are more transactional.
Your introduction will go more smoothly if the tone does not feel out of place.
What to write in a local Facebook group
Keep your post short and lead with your story ingredients.
For example:
“Hi, I’m Sarah. I started baby yoga classes in Stoke Newington after struggling to find a calm group to attend with my newborn daughter. Three years on, I run six classes a week and I’d love to meet more local families.”
This way you sound less like an ad, more like a neighbour introducing themselves.
A quick brand storytelling checklist
Before you publish your story, check it against this list.
- Does it explain why you started?
- Does it show what you care about?
- Does it include one specific detail?
- Does it sound like a real person wrote it?
- Does it help parents or customers trust you?
- Does it show what has stayed the same over time?
- Does it make sense to someone who has never heard of your business?
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Brand storytelling FAQs
What is brand storytelling?
Brand storytelling is how a business explains who it is, why it exists and what it cares about. For a small business, this could be the story of what problem you started your business to solve. You could also explain the key values you have stayed true to as the business has grown.
What is an example of brand storytelling?
An example of brand storytelling for a baby yoga teacher might be: “I started these classes after struggling to find anything calm when my daughter was born. Three years on, I run six classes a week, but the aim is still the same: a calm space for parents and babies.” This works because it includes a reason, a beginning and a value that has stayed the same.
What are the 5 C’s of storytelling?
In marketing, the 5 C’s of storytelling are what make up a strong business story. They include Character, usually the founder of the business. Then there is Context, the place or situation in which the story takes place. Conflict comes next, usually meaning the problem stopping the character from reaching their goal. Choice means the decisions they made to solve this problem. Lastly, you have Change. This usually covers the business outcome of the decisions made.
How do I create a local brand?
To create a strong local brand, start by making your business easy to understand locally. You can do this with a business story that explains why you started, who you help and the values you think are most important. This is an engaging way to help customers understand who you are and what you do. Share your brand story in social media groups created for locals. Facebook groups are one example of this. You could also try physical ads in local noticeboards, cafés, libraries, schools or community spaces.
What are the 3 C’s of branding?
The 3 C’s of branding usually means Clarity, Consistency and Connection. Clarity is important to help people quickly understand what you do. Consistency means they see the same key message in different places. Lastly, connection helps people see the human behind the business. Some marketers follow another version where the third C is Constancy. This is something you develop over time. People will become more familiar with you the more times they see your branding.
References
1. Significant Objects experimental data, Significant Objects
2. Self-disclosure and liking: A meta-analytic review, Collins and Miller
3. Brand authenticity: 25 Years of research, International Journal of Consumer Studies
4. Brands’ Social Presence Increasingly Impacts Trust, Consumers Say, MarketingCharts
5. TikTok creative guide, TikTok for Business
6. The Power of Virtual Communities, The GovLab and Facebook