Posted on: June 19, 2023
By Nancy Marshall, The PR Maven®
Your brand’s personal DNA — or the tiny elements that make it unique — needs to remain consistent across the front and back ends so that consumers are never unsure about what you stand for, represent and offer.
Storytelling, in any capacity, is a compelling tool. And brand storytelling is no different. There is no better way to connect with your consumers and unite your team than to have a strong, filled-out story to tell.
And for Mads Hanna, storytelling is ingrained. Having grown up with parents in television production, she was constantly surrounded by stories and the power of storytelling.
When she decided to switch from PR to branding — a move made easier by resources such as Donald Miller’s Building A StoryBrand — she found a new light inside of herself that she desperately wanted to share with the world.
“I think telling your story to the masses through media is really, really powerful. So I dove into that,” she says of her career switch, which led to her founding her company curated compass.
On episode 230 of The PR Maven® podcast, I spoke with Mads about how the fundamentals of strong storytelling and bringing that into a business can generate strong branding and loyal customers.
Making the switch from PR to branding
Fresh out of college with a degree in public relations and marketing, Mads found herself doing PR for a small boutique agency. As time passed and her experience increased, she worked her way up to a global agency where she worked with clients like Unilever.
After several years, however, she was burnt out. She realized her heart was no longer in public relations. Rather than receiving instructions, Mads wanted to be giving them.
“I didn’t want to be the PR person that was handed the messaging to then go execute,” she explains. “I wanted to be on the team that got to create that story, that initial messaging, that Why we are a value, why we’re important, why we matter, and why people should care. I wanted to be part of those conversations.”
So, inspired in part by The Defining Decade by Meg Jay, she made the switch from PR to branding — from delivering messages to creating them. She learned all there was to learn about branding, and from that, curated compass was born.
According to Mads, the difference between PR and branding really is a question of order. You have to start with branding before you can even contemplate PR because your branding is truly the essence of the company.
“You have to start with branding first, and then we get to pass it to the lovely people who share it with the world and get the media talking about us and then the clients growing,” she says.
Four fundamentals of breathing storytelling into your brand
Throughout our conversation, Mads talks about breathing storytelling into a brand. When I asked her what she meant by that, she talked about the power of language, authenticity and attention to detail.
“Breathing storytelling into business is really critically looking at every single detail constantly to make sure that you’re well-represented and what you’re communicating to the world — through color, emojis, grammar, copy, user experience — resonates and is your best foot forward,” says Mads.
Storytelling, even outside of brand marketing, is all around us. It’s part of each of our histories, our present moments. Stories connect us to one another and to our surroundings. (It can also be incredibly powerful; Mads recommends the book Cultish by Amanda Montell for a look at the responsibility that comes with storytelling.)
And it goes without saying, that storytelling is pivotal in brand creation and connection to the consumer. Mads breaks it down formulaically — your brand’s story needs to lead with your identity, followed by your voice, the messaging and then the audience.
“Nailing those four foundational pieces in a really distilled, high-level, full-of-life way gives your team the confidence to execute,” she explains. “And the biggest challenge, once you nail down those four things and create that story, is teaching it to your team, so that they can identify with it and teaching them how to implement it.”
Be consistent with your DNA
We all have a story to tell. We all have our own way of communicating through language, gestures and intonations. It is our nuanced DNA, the little parts that make us, well, us.
For Mads, this applies to businesses and branding, as well. She believes each brand has its own set of DNA and its own unique make-up that sets it apart from everything else on the market.
“Your personal brand DNA has to be consistent,” she explains to me. “So you’re trying to stay the same, but at the same time, you’re trying to be different and meet the people where they’re at. And do it in a concise, simple, clear-cut way.”
Branding is not just big picture messaging. It is the minutiae injected into every detail. Branding specialists like Mads and her team of experts at curated compass make sure that a brand’s story is infused into every aspect of its business.
This is based on episode 230 of The PR Maven® Podcast, a podcast hosted by Nancy Marshall. Weekly interviews feature industry leaders, top executives, media personalities and online influencers to give listeners a peek into the world of public relations, marketing and personal branding. Subscribe through Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
