One of the biggest problems that businesses have today is spending so much time, money, and resources on marketing that don’t produce the results they are looking for. At Tulip Media, we see this all the time when we meet with potential Client-Partners. It’s frustrating for them because they feel like they’re doing everything right and yet they’re still not seeing results.

Not seeing results usually boils down to unclear and confusing messaging. If your potential customer can’t understand what it is that you do and how you can help them, then they are not going to convert on your site. If they can’t understand what you are selling, they will leave and go buy from someone else. 

Another problem we see is businesses are talking about themselves on their website and in other marketing initiatives. It’s okay to talk about your business being a fifth-generation family-owned company and mentioning it on your website and social media. It’s a great credibility factor. But if this is the first piece of information potential customers see when they hop on your website, there’s actually a good chance that you’ll lose them. This is because the first thing your customers are looking for isn’t how long you’ve been in business. What they are looking for when they land on your website is that you understand the specific problem they’re having and you can help them solve it. That’s it.

All of these marketing issues businesses have come down to errors in marketing communication. In fact, they can all be solved by understanding whom you’re selling to, where they’re trying to find you, and what they expect from you. That’s where StoryBrand comes in. 

What Is StoryBrand?

StoryBrand is a framework that helps brands clarify their message and bring all of their content into alignment with whom it is they are targeting. Instead of focusing on the role of the business itself, the StoryBrand 7-Part Framework focuses on the customer and their problems. The role of the business then becomes a guide for the customer to overcome their problems. Businesses provide this guidance by carefully positioning their products, services, and messaging in a way that is clear and speaks to their core customers problems. 

Tulip Media’s Journey with StoryBrand

We’ve been big fans of the StoryBrand Framework and Don Miller for several years. Pursuing our StoryBrand Agency Certification speaks to the value we place on everyone on our team being on the same page. What started our journey with StoryBrand—and eventually led us to become StoryBrand Agency Certified—was the realization that we weren’t being effective in our sales and marketing process. Back in 2019, we were making hundreds of cold calls every day and investing in trade show after trade show, and none of it was working. We were beyond frustrated because we knew our services could really help businesses grow and thrive. The problem was that we were focusing on our services and forgetting whom our core customer was. We were making Tulip Media the “hero” in the story. Meaning we started off talking about ourselves in every communication that we did with potential Client-Partners. We realized that although the messaging we were using was important, it is not an impactful first impression. Enter StoryBrand.

After discovering the StoryBrand Framework, we proceeded to read all of Donald Miller’s books and take all of his courses. We then took the leap in December 2020 to become StoryBrand Agency Certified. Although our SMarketing program had already been rolled out at this time, we knew going the extra mile to get our certification would add more value to the programs we were already providing to our Client-Partners.

There are only about 32 StoryBrand Certified Agencies in the world, so in that respect, you may consider us a rare breed, especially since we are just the second company in all of Canada to get this certification. 

How It Benefits Our Client-Partners

Now, when we speak to Client-Partners, the whole Tulip Media team is able to provide clear and concise messaging in all the content we produce for you. This means everything we do for you is created to produce real results. Because of our StoryBrand Agency Certification and our extensive training, we know exactly which steps to take to clarify your marketing messaging and how to communicate to your customers. Everything we produce is consistent in messaging and in alignment with your overall marketing strategy.

Whether you are working with a StoryBrand Certified Agency or a StoryBrand Certified Guide, you’re going to get clear and concise marketing. The key difference in working with an agency rather than a guide is that you now have a whole team behind you.

If you’re speaking with one of our production managers, for instance, she’ll be focusing on ways your content could rank better. Because we are StoryBrand Agency Certified, she’ll also have a clear idea of what your messaging should be. She will ensure that the content you put out is fully aligned with what we’ve determined is the right messaging for your business.

If you’re working with one of our designers, not only are you going to come out with a beautiful piece of artwork but the message displayed will also be aligned with everything else you’re putting out so that it, too, resonates with your core customer.

Whether you ask your question to our production managers, our designers, or our marketing specialists, you know that you’re going to get the same response because we’re all on the same page and we’re all applying the StoryBrand Framework to your marketing strategy.

When we engage with businesses experiencing poor marketing results, we realign their marketing strategy using the StoryBrand approach. This means first digging into whom their core customer is, looking deep into their thought processes to isolate their problems, and then identifying the best ways to go about presenting our solution. We then turn our focus to putting out clear, concise, and consistent messaging that aligns with the persona of the core customer we are targeting. 

It’s all about discovering whom your core customer is and putting out messaging that’s going to resonate with them. 

Having that clear understanding of what your messaging needs to be then trickles down into your website, pay-per-click advertising, social media marketing, and the content you put out. With the StoryBrand Framework in place, all of your marketing initiatives are aligned.

If you’re interested in learning more about how the StoryBrand Framework can help transform your marketing, schedule a call with me at calendly.com/jessicaembree and learn how we can make a difference in your marketing.