Brand Story: Do we really write the last line first?

Start With the End

The other day, I had lunch with an enthusiastic startup CEO; she really wanted to talk content strategy. She has an amazing product and goals, and clearly, she could take her brand -- and content strategy -- in many directions. Is her brand a supportive best friend or an influential adviser? Loud and enthusiastic? Quiet and wise? This will really influence her content strategy as a whole. As she told me about her company, I could see that she had lots of ideas, but no idea where to start. I asked her, “How does your brand story end?” She looked perplexed, so I continued, “Your brand will have relationships with people for 5 minutes or 5 years. How do each of those experiences end? Do they buy something? Share something with a friend? Visit every day? And cumulatively, how do these activities build up to the big Successful Exit of your company?” Starting with the end in mind is advice we’ve all heard before, and it is especially relevant when sharing your brand story and developing your enterprise content strategy. Here are more ways to think about the end:

• When someone walks away from your brand, what do you want him/her to think?
• If a potential customer shares your brand with someone else, what do you want them to say?
• At the moment you are able to convince someone to take a specific action, how do they feel?

Now, what brand stories can you tell -- bit by bit, piece by piece -- throughout your online content and experiences, that help get your audience to this pivotal, amazing moment? Start with The End.