See How The Storybrand Framework Clarifies A School's Message Online
Everyone loves a good story. Stories are powerful. Every memorable story is built on a simple framework: A hero has a problem, meets a guide who gives them a plan and calls them to action. Failure would be devastating but the hero is guided to success.
That's the plotline of some of the epic stories that have gripped culture for years. What is remarkable is that we can take those principles and the story framework and apply them to marketing a Christian school. Don Miller, author of "Building a StoryBrand” states, "Story is the most powerful tool in the world to captivate the human brain. When you learn to use story in your brand's communication, your customers will finally pay attention to what you're saying."
What is StoryBrand messaging?
- A framework to clarify your message
- A framework that has been getting and keeping people's attention for thousands of years
- A powerful formula to get attention for your products, your services, or yourself
It is important to understand that you are not telling your story but inviting prospective parents and students into a story. Your school is not the hero. The parent and child are the heroes. That is the only way to engage them. The school’s role is to guide them successfully through their challenges.
If you use the StoryBrand Framework, you should answer the following questions in your messaging:
- What do you do?
- How do you make families’ lives better?
- Why should they send their child to your school instead of somewhere else?
Why is the StoryBrand framework so effective?
Every human being wants to be invited into a story. They want you to offer them a vision of a better life, help them overcome challenges, act as their guide and take them to a climactic scene in which their story ends happily. That is why the StoryBrand framework is so powerful. It allows your school to:
- Capture parent’s attention - The best storytellers all know that in this noisy world, attention is key! People have short attention spans and want to know what’s in it for them.
- Know and connect with your target audience - Don’t make the mistake of making a lot of noise but missing an opportunity to truly connect with your target audience.
- Get clear on the problem you solve - When you can get clear on how you solve problems, you can be sure that people will listen.
Parents and Their Children are the Hero, not your School
The idea behind StoryBrand marketing is this: Parents don’t really care much about what you do - about your school or its history. Telling them a story about you is both ineffective and a waste of their time. Your story is deeply personal to you but to others, you're just another private school that is going to cost them money to send their children there. Your parents are primarily looking solutions to their problems or concerns about their children - their struggles, their challenges, their pursuits. But if you show up as the trustworthy Guide who has a plan to help parents solve these problems and help them along their path to success, now that’s interesting! Now they care about you and about what you can do to help them.
Q:
Take a look at the homepage of your website- is it about you or prospective parents and their children?
A:
Your marketing should invite families into a story, and position you as the guide who will help them to succeed so they feel like a winner, an overcomer, or a hero.
