Many businesses often struggle to define their brand or key differentiating points, especially when they’re in a highly competitive or commoditized market. Too often, they’ll point to “excellent service,” “commitment to customer satisfaction,” or some other tired platitude that similar companies or organizations can easily claim as well.
However, there’s one fertile area that most businesses usually overlook when searching for a compelling brand story—the narrative of how their existence came to be.
As previously mentioned in this blog and others focused on branding and marketing, people love stories. We are naturally attracted to accounts, tales, and myths of the way any entity is originated. And every business or organization has a singularly unique story to tell about its founding or key milestones in its history.
Whether it’s a business that was founded by two geeks tinkering in a garage (HP and Apple), inspired by a college term paper (FedEx), or the result of an athlete tired of sweaty t-shirts (Under Armour), there is inherent drama in how a concept is transformed into a successful enterprise and brand. The obstacles a company faces during its start-up phase, early influences and inspirations, key employees and customers, landmark events, and even the way a company got its name are all rich sources for building unique brand content.
Check out this article from the Content Marketing Institute that discusses how virtually any company can leverage its background to its advantage. You’ll see that you don’t have to resign your brand story to clichés that anyone can spout. Take a trip back to the beginnings of the organization and learn about the ideas, values, and opportunities that drove motivated individuals to plant their stake in the ground. There’s a great story that’s waiting to be told.