story telling web design imageLearn how to effectively use storytelling with web design to communicate how your audience’s world can be a better place with your products or services.

Relatable brand storytelling is a critical element in the success of any business. But most people, when they think of a brand story, think of a narration told with words. While that’s a useful way to tell your brand story, it isn’t the only way.

In today’s digital world, visuals, design, and the user experience all come together to lay the foundation for a brand, and how you tell the brand story. Using strategic web design services to enhance your brand storytelling is a powerful approach that will make your brand memorable and help you grow your business.

Web design incorporates everything from copywriting to visual elements, to design choices, layouts, interactions, animations, and content types. Your website is one of the first touchpoints your business will have with a prospective customer, and that makes it a critical element of your brand storytelling arsenal.

What is brand storytelling?

As human beings, we have evolved with a desire for and sensitivity to great stories. Nothing can move minds or influence behavior the way a great story can. 

Storytelling is how we make sense of the world around us, and as we do so, it’s how we connect with one another and discover empathy. When executed well, storytelling is a way to awaken and drive emotions in an audience. 

The best brand storytelling uses all these elements and advantages of storytelling in general.  

We use stories to illustrate concepts, solve problems, share ideas, and more. In general, we can say stories paint a picture of how the world is… or how it could be.

For brand storytelling, showing your audience how the world could be is significant. Through your brand story, you can make a compelling argument of how you can change your audience’s world for the better through your product or service. 

Your brand story should hold true to your company values, and if it can tap into an emotional core insight, your audience will never forget it. 

Now, let’s look at how you can use web design to bring your brand story to life, and improve your website while you do it. 

How does brand storytelling in web design enhance a website?

Why do you need to incorporate brand storytelling elements into your website when a clean design and a user-friendly interface will do the job? 

The answer is simple, a website that tells a story is transformed into more than just a website that generates leads or closes sales. Your website becomes a brand ambassador, showcasing not just what your business can do for a customer, but it lets them know how they can be part of your brand’s mission to improve the world. 

Storytelling in your web design changes your website from just a storefront to an immersive brand experience. And a brand experience that makes visitors feel builds connection, makes them stick around longer, and leaves them wanting to form a stronger connection with your brand.  

How to tell your brand story using web design

Your website is one of your most important marketing, branding, and storytelling assets. Many small and medium-sized businesses agree that it could be an investment that can make or break your business.

Before everything went digital, a business could survive without a website. Today, that’s almost impossible. No website or a badly built one is a complete deal-breaker for most prospective customers.

A thoughtfully put-together website on the other hand, that gives users what they’re looking for, presents information efficiently, and appeals to them emotionally will give your business an advantage. Your website tells your audience who you are, and how you can make their world better. 

If you can create a website that puts your brand story front and center and let visitors experience your brand through the content, web design, visuals, and interactions, you can take them on a journey that shows how their world would change with you in it,  and make an unforgettable impact.

Here are some important web design principles and methods through which you can tell your brand story through web design.

Design your brand story around your goals

Your goals should be the driving force behind the brand storytelling on your website. In fact, that should be the case for any marketing or branding activities that you do. 

Everything you do and every decision should track back to your core brand strategy and the goals you’ve defined for your business and brand. 

So, first, think about your core brand story, and define it before you start thinking about how you can bring it to life on your website.

Make the story about solving their problems, not about your company

When you’re building a website, it’s natural to want to talk about your company. After all, you want to let potential customers know what you offer, and how great your solutions are. But human beings are selfish. They care more about the problem they’re trying to solve… their problems and needs.   

Focusing on the problem your customers are facing is the compelling hook that will draw them into your story. That problem is why they’re online looking for a solution, and why they reached your website in the first place.  

When a customer sees themselves and their problems represented in the story on your website, they’ll be more interested in what you offer as a solution.

Don’t forget the importance of emotions and the ‘Why?’ in your story

If a customer can identify with your story, and see their problem being solved by your offerings, they have a good reason to believe you. That’s a good start, but it’s not enough.

Great stories tap into emotions, and that’s what makes them powerful. Connecting with website visitors on a human level will happen when you let your values come through. It happens when you let the audience know why you choose to do what you do. 

Your ‘Why?’ is the difference between solving one problem for one customer, vs. trying to make the world a better place for everyone.

Find your voice, and speak to your visitors clearly 

If your brand name or logo didn’t appear on your website, could a viewer tell it’s from your brand? That’s the importance of establishing a brand voice

And while you’re talking to website visitors, know that they’re always multitasking. Of course, they want to hear your story, but they don’t want to dig through tons of information to get to it. 

Your story on your website should be lean, focused, and uniquely yours.

Know your singular offer or Unique Value Proposition

At Mystique, we help small and not-so-small businesses achieve more. That’s our singular focus. And that’s what we express through every single message we put out there.

Everything else we do is built around that core – around that singular offer. 

What’s your singular offer or Unique Value Proposition?

Show your visitors a path, but let they find their own way through your story

Give your visitors a path into your story. 

Use verbal and audiovisual cues on your website to tell them what you want them to do as they pick their way through your story and your website. Use clear emotional triggers in your story and try to make it human-centered. 

Keep in mind that engaging with your brand on your website should be simple, and should flow naturally. Map out the path you would like your customers to take through your website and story, and give them signs along the way.

Respect your audience

Remember, your story and your website exist for your audience. 

Everything that makes up your website, from the design and messaging to the content should serve your audience. Understand who they are, what they care about, what they’re looking for, and why they would choose you.

As you put your story together on your website, ask yourself if the choice you’re making serves your audience, and what the best way to present the information would be, in the context of the story you’re trying to tell. 

Get help telling your story

When it comes to the impact it can have on a prospective customer, the most powerful story told by you won’t match up to a story told by your past customers. 

Case studies, reviews and testimonials will make your storytelling through web design exponentially more powerful.

Have a clear takeaway or call-to-action for your story

Don’t assume that a compelling brand story and a great website that is all you need. A visitor identifying with your story and loving your website won’t drive them to call you or buy from you.

Give them clear, specific prompts at appropriate points throughout their journey through your website (and your story).

Whether they respond to your call to action depends on whether your brand story resonates with them on a human level, and how well you’ve executed your storytelling with web design.

Get started on brand storytelling in web design

Using brand storytelling principles in your web design does not have to be complicated. If you try to follow the principles outlined above, your website will reflect your brand story, and connect better with visitors, leading to more conversions.  

If you need support with web design and development, If you have too many things on your plate, or you’re unsure of what you need to do, our experts will be more than happy to help.

We invite you to schedule a no-obligation, 15-minute conversation with us to understand how we can help.

We’ll guarantee you’ll walk away with some great tips on how to incorporate brand storytelling into your website and other marketing efforts.

Pick a time that works for you. 

paul bies image

Paul Bies
President
MYSTIQUE BRAND COMMUNICATIONS

416-441-2666 Ext 14.

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