Leveraging your brand through storytelling – August 2016

LEVERAGING YOUR BRAND THROUGH

STORYTELLING

August 2016

VISION: to position

Headwaters as Ontario’s premier rural tourism destination.

MISSION: To integrate

tourism into the regional economic development strategies of our partner municipalities, helping to build a robust and thriving tourism industry by working directly with tourism stakeholders across the region.

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS BRAND?

….OR TWO?

WHAT IS A BRAND?

The HEADWATERSbrand is about our people and their connection to place. As we’ve rolled out the brand we’ve become storytellers.

We tell our stories (and your stories) through interviews, in photography, in video and on the airwaves. Our “faces” are our brand and it is these people that bring our brand to life better than we ever could.

DEFINING YOUR TOURISM BUSINESS BRAND

Your tourism brand value proposition answers the question –WHY?

• Why would someone plan to visit your business?• Your business identity & purpose • What makes your business tick, what defines your business?• Your tourism business DNA may include a variety of elements:

• History• Biography of your owner/operators• Geography• Attitude of your team• A unique product or invention• Traditions• Ambiance• Aesthetic or visual quality

Tourism product is what you BUYTourism experience is what you REMEMBER

TOURISM PRODUCT TOURISM EXPERIENCE

TOURISM PRODUCT VERSUS EXPERIENCE

• For a tourism business the product is often meaningless without the experience it provides.

• People choose to travel to a destination and businesses within that destination for:• Experience• Memories• Connection

• How do visitors experience your business?

REMEMBER: PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING

WHY USE STORYTELLING?

GOOD STORIES COMPEL PEOPLE TO CHANGE

THE WAY WE

FEELTHE WAY WE

THINKTHE WAY WE

ACTTHE WAY WE

BEHAVE

Stories demand an emotional investment

Stories pique and hold interest

Stories bring energy and

passion to the message

Stories cause us to take

action – they encourage a

response.

TIPS FOR TELLING YOUR STORY

• Speak truthfully • Infuse personality (and your brand DNA) into your stories• Create or tell stories of your “characters” – this makes the

personal connection with your customers• Storytelling – not hard “selling”• Emotions not just facts• Don’t just talk about activities, events, places or features• Focus on experiences and feelings• Make your customers feel like they are (or they want to be)

part of your story• Introduce sensory storytelling to really engage your audience• Make your stories personal, intimate, unique, authentic, real

STORYTELLING IS MORE THAN JUST WORDS

Storytelling can be done in a variety of ways – the core story (truth) remains the same, but it can be enhanced depending on how you choose to tell your story:

• Photos• Videos• Memes• Voices & sounds• Music• ……and of course words:

• Interviews• Articles• Interesting facts & tidbits• Lists & calls-to-action

But remember……no matter how you tell your story, you need to be consistent to your brand value proposition!

BRAND STORYTELLING IS NOT……

• Something owned by the marketing department• A tool to manipulate customers or potential customers• Something isolated or a one-time gimmick• A length essay about your company• Boring• Artsy (just for the sake of being artsy)• A PR stunt• A blog post• A viral video

Brand storytelling is actually NOT about your company, it is about the value you provide to your customer!

CONTENT IS KEY FOR MARKETING

INTEGRATED MARKETING

A variety of traditional & digital marketing channels can be used as distribution channels for amplifying your brand into the marketplace.

These tactics DO not replace the need to define your brand value proposition.

Your brand proposition should highlight a CONSISTENT story/message across all distribution channels.

HOW TO “DISTRIBUTE” YOUR STORY

DEFINE YOUR BRAND &

BUILD YOUR MESSAGING

DEVELOP YOUR

CONTENT & STORIES –

think through the eyes of

your customer

AMPLIFY & SHARE YOUR

STORY –determine the

best distribution channels for your story

What is your value to your CUSTOMER?What is your “real” – what sets you apart?

Connect your story to your audience!

DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS FOR STORYTELLING

TRADITIONAL:• Newspapers• Magazines• Catalogues• Brochures & flyers• Television• Radio• Direct mail

DIGITAL:• Websites (yours and others)• E-mail • Blog posts• SEO advertising• Facebook• Twitter• Pinterest• Instagram• LinkedIn…..

But remember……no matter what distribution channel you choose to distribute your story, you need to be consistent to your brand value proposition!

Distribution channels are simply that – distribution channels. They only deliver the message that you create!

HOW DOES YOUR STORY SUPPORT YOUR BRAND?

• Why is your business different?

• What makes you who you are?

• What can be done at your business and nowhere else?

• Do you have something undiscovered, a local hot spot or hidden gem?

• What behind the scenes, backstage, exclusive opportunities do you offer?

• Do you have expertise or knowledge that no one else has?

Lists & quick facts capture the attention of our target audience.

Messaging focused on key calls to action, events & happenings.

Understanding our target market, our messaging focuses on “trip motivators” to increase consumer visitation.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

• Tourism travel rule: for every unit of travel time, visitors are looking for 4 times the experience

• Connect with other businesses in the Headwaters region to: • enhance the customer experience• extend your product line• bring in additional expertise• encourage increased length of stay

• Co-opetition not competition

• Connect the Headwaters brand – showcase your REAL

• Share stories, images, videos, social media posts with colleagues, like-minded businesses & market influencers

ONE MORE TIME: TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS

….OR TWO?

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/FEEDBACK

m

Michele Harris | Executive Director519-942-0314, ext 201

[email protected]