In addition to beer, West Sixth Brewing is known for its community-building and social responsibility.
Does your business want more new customers, more loyal customers, more visibility? Don't bombard people with sales pitches. Tell them a story.
Every company has a story. Maybe it's the founder's story of how she overcame obstacles to make her entrepreneurial dream come true. Maybe it's the story of a product that's a unique solution to a common need. Maybe it's a legacy story — a family business that has survived and evolved over years or even generations. Maybe it's an owner's vision beyond profits, such as community-building or environmental stewardship.
Since prehistoric campfires, people have communicated through stories. That's because we relate to them. We remember them. A good, authentic story can help a business convey purpose, values, mission, and trust. People will trust a brand if they trust the people behind the brand.
Storytelling has been a key ingredient of brand-building for many Kentucky business icons. The bourbon industry has always built brands around Kentucky heritage and founders' names and stories — Blanton's, Old Taylor, Pappy Van Winkle. The late Pearse Lyons loved to tell about how he founded the billion-dollar company Alltech in his Lexington garage. He built his brands around stories about environmental responsibility and Kentucky culture. Lexington's West Sixth Brewing doesn't just make and sell beer; it promotes community-building and social responsibility.
Today's consumers have many products to choose from. They are deluged with information and sales pitches. But purchasing decisions often are made with the heart as much as with the head, based on brands they have an emotional attachment to.
Think about your company's story and hone it to a good elevator speech — short, compelling, and memorable. Then tell it, through traditional marketing, social media, online videos, and branded public events. Because everyone remembers a good, authentic story.
Tom Eblen is a literary arts liaison at the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning. He is a former managing editor and columnist at the Lexington Herald-Leader and business editor and reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Associated Press.