The StoryBrand Framework

I’m sure you’ve heard of the StoryBrand 7-Part Framework or StoryBrand Framework created by Donald Miller.

His book of the same name has sold over 1 million copies, and has helped many businesses get their marketing right and grow.

But just in case you haven’t, need it simplified, or need a refresher this article is for you.

7 Part StoryBrand Framework Video Explanation

The Storybrand 7-part framework (SB7 framework) refers to the way businesses like yours can use storytelling to connect with your audience and draw in loyal customers.

Using a story framework in your brands messaging that has the customer as the main character (also called the hero or protagonist), creates a connection between you and your customer.

This connection is built on trust, emotional drive, and the value you can bring to their lives.

The StoryBrand Framework consists of:

1. A character
2. Has a problem.
3. And meets a guide.
4. Who gives them a plan.
5. And calls them to action.
6. That helps them to avoid failure.
7. And ends in success.

1. A Character

The StoryBrand framework is based on making the customer the main character of the business’s story rather than the product, service or company.

This is done by understanding your customers’ story.

The Character (Also referred to as The Hero): How to understand their story – 7 step mini guide

Understanding your customer’s (The Character/Hero) story is easier than you think.

All it takes is 7 simple steps.

1. Identify your ideal customer:

Who are you trying to reach? Define their demographics, interests, and pain points.

2. Ask questions:

Conduct surveys, interviews, or engage in social listening to understand their desires, needs, and challenges.

3. Look for patterns:

Analyse the collected data to identify common themes and recurring issues faced by your customers.

4. Map their journey:

Visualise the different stages of your customer’s journey, including their initial desire, obstacles encountered, and desired outcome.

5. Focus on emotions:

Understand the emotional drivers behind their desires and challenges. What motivates them? What frustrations do they experience?

6. See things from their perspective:

Empathise with your customers and understand their world. How do they perceive your product or service fitting into their story?

7. Craft a compelling narrative:

Use the insights gained to shape a story that resonates with your customer, where they are the hero and your product or service acts as the guide to achieving their desired outcome.

Once understood, companies like yours can then learn how to write in a way that invites their customer into the story and how their product can help them.

This is done by writing in a way that speaks in a conversational tone to what the customer wants and the problems they face.

Eg: Rather than just talk about your company and how long you have been in operation and what got you started or why your team is so good etc.

Talk about the customers’ wants and the things stopping them from having it.

Identifying the Character’s wants and your offer

In the StoryBrand Framework we begin with a character or hero – your customer (or potential customer) – who wants something.

In movies, writers identify the hero at the start of the movie and, within a matter of minutes, the audience knows what they want.

So, the first question to ask yourself is:

-What does the hero (my customer) want?

For example, if 30 minutes into Legally blonde the audience still doesn’t know exactly what Elle Woods wants, they’re going to walk out.

And what does she want? To get into Harvard, become a lawyer and prove her ex-boyfriend wrong – all while wearing pink.

-Avengers: a team of superheroes need to stop Loki and an alien invasion.


-Harry Potter: a young orphan boy discovers he can use magic and can go to a school for sorcery.


-The Matrix: Neo discovers his world is not what it seems and must fight to save humanity.

When you define something your customer wants, you invite them into a very specific story… a story where your CUSTOMER is the HERO.


Most businesses place themselves at the centre

-We’ve been in business since 1977.
-We support charities.
-We do this.
-We do that.

They put themselves in the character’s seat instead of the guide (more on that later), and either try to establish trust later or not at all.

But when building your brand using the StoryBrand 7-part framework, your customers are the focus.

They are looking for you to invite them into a story where they are the hero.

But before you invite them in, you need to know what you can offer them and how you can guide them to the successful future they desire.

Ask:

-What do my customers want in relation to my brand?
-Is my brand known for one thing it offers?

Lets say your customer wants a custom built home built to quality standards, and you offer pre designed homes that look the same as all the houses on the block.

They’re not going to choose you.

[You’re not the hero in the story. The hero is your customer.]

Simplify your role and offer

But if you offer custom-made homes designed for uniqueness, practicality, and aesthetics, then you are speaking to your hero.

And from this, you can start building your StoryBrand one-liner which we discuss more about in another article.

But for reference, here is an example of a one-liner created just from identifying the target audience and what you can offer:

-“Finding builders who can create your dream, unique home without cutting corners can be a frustrating search.

We make it easy for you by partnering with architects who can effectively map out your vision, so we can bring your dream to life.”

You connect with the customer and then subtly tell them why they should hire your services or products.

Summarise what you offer in just a few words, as simply as possible – don’t drone on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on….about what you do.

See? You probably stopped reading after the first ‘on’. You want to keep it short, precise and clear.

The entire (SB7) Storybrand framework is about simplifying and clarifying your marketing message so customers can connect with your brand.

If you throw out multiple solutions to multiple problems, you’ll be ignored.

If your customer has to think too hard, you will lose their attention and they will bounce to another website, or forget your marketing message entirely.

You have to be known for one thing, instead of ‘Custom-built homes, lawn-care, mechanic, pet shop owner, floristry…’.

If you are a construction company who builds custom-built homes, be known for, ‘custom-built homes that bring dreams to life’.

Ask yourself:

What is one thing that my brand is known for?

2. Has a problem

Each day we are bombarded by marketing messages and almost none of them stick in our brain.

Why? Because none of the messages speak to the problems we face, and don’t offer us the chance to be the hero of our story.

Think about it, today alone, you will be served at least 3,500 pieces of marketing information from:

●Social media ad’sl.
●Google Search ad’s.
●Billboards.
●Bus Advertising.
●Television.
●Radio.
●Display ads on websites.
●Storefronts.
●Magazines.
●Newspapers.
●The list goes on…

Everyone encounters various challenges and problems, from uncomfortable bed sheets to business cultures that are preventing growth.

They’re usually always both practical and emotional challenges that leave us feeling frustrated, dissatisfied, and unfulfilled.


These problems create gaps between our current and desired reality.

Here is a challenge for you:

From all of the ad’s you saw/heard today, name at least three brands or products.

I do this exercise all the time with my audiences and I have yet to find someone that can name even two.

This is why MOST marketing is a waste of money. The StoryBrand framework is rooted in science – specifically the understanding of customer psychology.

Get clear with your message so that you can connect with your audience – because if you confuse, you lose.

If your message is clear and demonstrates how it can solve your customer’s problem, people are more likely to keep this information stored in their brain.

The only reason people are calling you, going to your website, or walking into your retail store is because they have a problem and they need you to solve that problem.

When you define that problem for your customers and offer to resolve it, they will be interested.

Ask:

-What physical (external) problems do my customers face? (eg. “Untrustworthy builders can derail your custom home build…”)

-What emotional (internal) problems do my customers face? (“..making you frustrated and alone.”)

-What reality do they deserve to be in? (philosophical – “You deserve builders who you can trust to build your dream home without cutting corners.”)

3. And meets a guide

As I stated above, you are not the hero in this narrative, you are the guide.

This is a big paradigm shift for most marketers.

If you understand this important principle, you’ll change how you talk about your business.

Donald Miller describes in detail how to position yourself as a guide. But, the first step is understanding your role in your customer’s story:

●You’re not any of the avengers, you’re Fury with the helipad.

●You’re not Harry Potter, you’re Dumblebore with school for magic.

●You’re not Neo, you’re Morpheus with the blue and red pills.

So in building your own framework, don’t talk about what you’re trying to do or how great you think you are.

Lay out your products and services as weapons that will help them solve their problem and live happily ever after.

Ask Yourself:

Am I positioning myself as the guide? Or like most brands, am I trying to be the hero?

4. Who gives them a plan

If you have answered the questions so far, this is farther than most companies get with their customers, but it’s too soon to ask them for the sale.

If you ask for the sale now, there is still a gap between where they are and where they need to go. Their thought patterns go something like this:

-If I spend money, I might lose money on a trash product.
-If it doesn’t work, I could be embarrassed because I trusted the wrong brand.

How do you overcome this?

You need to give your customers a plan. Just three steps that explain how easy it is to work with you.

For example, a financial advisor might say,

“I think you can probably retire earlier than you thought. I have a really easy process that helps you to make that decision:

1. We meet for an informal meeting to assess your goals.
   
   
   2. Get a customised financial strategy to help guide you.
   
   
   3. Retire early and enjoy the rest of your life without worrying about money.”
   
   

When you give your customers a plan, you’re helping them overcome the barriers to their success. To do this:

1. Speak to their present, what can they do right now to take that first step forward?

2. What does their journey look like? Does the construction start, is a strategy formed, do they attend a workshop?

3. Place them in the future, but don’t make it sound like a vision or dream. Bring their future here.

●What does their life look like now?

●Are they building their dream family in their new home, is their company culture completely transformed?

●Who are they now?

Because this element is so important, there’s much more information about it. The book, Storybrand: the 7 part framework covers this in more detail, but this is the general idea.

Ask yourself:

Do I have a simple plan that makes it easy for my customers to do business with me?

5. And calls them to action

Finally, the time has come to ask for the sale:

– “Buy now”
– “Schedule a call”

Or it may be a transitional Call to action where we ask for their information in exchange for something of value.

 – “Download this ebook”

– Sign up for the newsletter”

The transitional call to action allows us to put their email into our email list and nurture the customer until they convert.

Here’s something useful to remember:

Your customers won’t take action unless they are challenged to take action.

As the guide in your customer’s story, you must challenge them to buy something from you (or take an action) and this challenge must be very, very clear.

Here are some challenges that many people experience:

-You won’t lose weight unless you’re challenged to become fitter for your health.

-You won’t get better at your job unless you’re challenged to get outside learning.

-You won’t get another dog unless you’re challenged with the fact your 4 other dogs are lonely and need another friend.

The same with your customers.

If there’s not a Buy Now button in the top right corner of your website, you’re losing sales.

Do not crowd that section of your website with 25 other choices like About, Contact, FAQs, history, products, etc.

These go at the very bottom or in a click-down button at the top. Your ‘Buy now’ button should also be on every section of your page to remind your customers ‘you need to buy’.

Your direct call to action (the ‘Buy Now’ button) should be a different colour than the rest of your site – but not an eyesore! – and it should be the obvious button to press.

If you want to see some great examples of websites that have been built using the StoryBrand messaging framework, visit the link.

‘Storybrand: the 7 part framework’ provides you clear instructions on how to arrange the call to action on your website.

The book also talks about another call to action – the transitional call to action – that helps your customer stay in relationship with you even if they’re aren’t ready to buy right away, by collecting their email to put on your marketing list.

Ask yourself:

Do I have a clear call to action? Where is it? Is it crowded out?

6. That helps them avoid failure

This is storytelling 101, almost every movie ever written will have examples of this. Heroes are compelled into action because something is at stake.

● The avengers must team up to save New York City and the world from Loki and an alien invasion.

● Harry Potter and his friends must destroy the horcruxes to stop Voldemort from resurrecting and destroying the magic and muggle worlds alike.

● Neo must fight the matrix to save himself and humanity from the machines.

None of these characters wanted to engage in the action of the story.

But because they had a problem that if not solved would spell disaster, they were compelled to in order to avoid a tragic ending (failure).

Your customer is trying to avoid a tragic ending, too – even if it’s as simple as they need a new coffee mug, to stop the signs of ageing, or a new house that is different to everyone else.

What that means for your brand is you must clearly communicate the negative consequences of what will happen to your customers if they do not buy your product or service.

But don’t make it doom and gloom, ‘If you don’t choose our skin serum, you will age like a prune and you will be shunned by society.’

No, be gentle while letting them know there is an inevitable:

“Constant sunrays and the polluted environment, paired with the natural passage of time can age your skin quicker than ever before. Don’t wait another day to protect your skin, start now.’

Tell them the dangers, what will happen, and then reassure them that there is a solution and that future doesn’t have to be their reality.

Ask yourself:

Have I communicated what’s at stake to my customers? What are the negative consequences of not doing business with me?

7. And ends in success

After telling your customer what could happen if they don’t do business with you, it is important to show customers how your products can positively affect their lives.

What is their “happily ever after”?

Both your website images and your sales copy should help your customers envision life with their problems solved, and project them there with ease.

Show them what their life can be like without a dirty kitchen, with greener lawns, with a bigger tax return, or by being the centre of attention with their new wardrobe.

People naturally steer toward a happy ending if you show them one – it’s why so many people love fairytales.


If you’re not telling people what their life will look like when they do business with you, they’re not going to do business with you. Because why would they when you haven’t inspired them?

Ask Yourself:

How can I help my customer envision success after doing business with me?

A clear message is your competitive advantage.

If you fumble over your words and ideas, and you don’t know exactly how to communicate what you do, you’ll confuse your customers and people won’t buy your products.

But by using the SB7 framework and the elements of story, you’ll be communicating a clear message that customers will hear and respond to.

After you have read each section, and built your own BrandScript, it will become the template for all communication and marketing for your business.

– Billboards.
– Radio.
– Flyers.
– Storefronts.
– Websites etc.

But where should you apply the communication benefits of the StoryBrand Framework? Your company culture.

Using The StoryBrand Framework to Transform your Company Culture

This section of the book was a real bonus for me.

My intent when reading the book was to improve my marketing message to help me serve more customers.

But something powerful happens to your culture and team when they can all articulate your company’s message clearly.

Most companies are teaching their employees to speak an inside language that does not connect with customers. This critical mistake is costing them millions.

Once your teams learn to communicate clearly, they will stop using confusing language and finally talk about your products from the perspective of the customer, positioning your customer as the hero with personal interaction, not just your marketing message.

– Your sales scripts will be more effective.

– Your salespeople will empathise with your customer’s problems and position your products as the resolution to those problems.

– Your teams will be unified around a common mission.

– You will see your company grow again.

StoryBrand Marketing Roadmap

The final part of the book outlines the execution of the story brand. It talks about what to do with your BrandScript now that you have developed it.

●Generate leads with great PDF’s.
●Create an email drip campaign.
●Write great sales copy.
●Content marketing.
●Capture perfect story driven testimonials

It covers the basic building blocks of a solid sales funnel. Something which a lot of business owners overlook because we are too busy elsewhere, or we simply do not have the knowledge.

Harnessing the power of storytelling, can help you create engaging and effective messaging guides for:

-Marketing content.
-Creating brand narratives.
-Connecting with customers on an emotional level.
-Building your website.
-Writing effective emails, social media, advertisements, etc.
-And so much more.

However, to use these steps effectively you must first create your Storybrand Brandscript by:

1. Identifying your audience.
   2. Understanding your brand story.
   3. Creating a story structure (this article).
   4. Writing your story.
   5. Polishing and publishing your story.
   
   

Next Steps

1. Purchase the book: Building a StoryBrand, by Donald Miller
   2. Complete your StoryBrand BrandScript. You can use the free software at www.mystorybrand.com
   3. Implement it in your marketing and your website and watch your impact grow!
   
   

So, what are you waiting for? Give your business an edge today. Purchase the book now, or schedule a call and let’s create your brandstory together.