This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Building a Storybrand" by Donald Miller. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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What is narrative cohesion? How can you fill the narrative void and ensure your storybrand is on track?
Narrative cohesion is the process of making sure your whole company and your mission follow the storybrand. Narrative cohesion is an important part of building your storybrand.
Read more about narrative cohesion and how it works.
Narrative Cohesion
Instead of promoting your mission statement, try to create narrative cohesion (Shortform term). If your company has narrative cohesion, the customer, company, and team’s stories all align, employees are engaged, and the organization is successful.
Filling the Void
To fill a narrative void and create culture and engagement, you’ll follow a two-step process:
- Share the customer-centered story you developed using the SB7 Framework with everyone in the organization.
- Create and implement an employee-centered story.
Step #1: Share the Customer-Centered Story
To implement the customer-centered story throughout the organization, you’ll use the StoryBrand culture program. This program has five steps:
- Write a brandscript.
- Evaluate the company culture.
- Create a custom plan for implementation.
- Create internal communication material that aligns with the implementation plan.
- Create a team to improve the culture.
(Shortform note: The author doesn’t explain these steps in further detail. For more information about culture, read our summaries of Daniel Coyle’s The Culture Code or Patrick M. Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.)
After completing the steps, everyone at the company will use the same brandscript and can succinctly explain the brand’s story. All the different divisions and departments will be connected and everyone will understand how their role fits into the story. For example, corporate communication becomes an empowered mission and engaging messages, social media shares brand sentiment, and local marketing becomes targeted.
Extended Example: Fast-Food Chain
Ben Ortlip, a StoryBrand director, worked with a fast-food chain to improve their story. The chain was doing well but Ortlip thought they could be doing better. As he toured the company, he noticed that their operations, product, and marketing were solid. The problem was that the company was complacent and had lost its plot.
To get it back, Ortlip helped the company create a narrative and share it with all stakeholders. They created a video curriculum and organized a convention, retreats, and events such as beach concerts at which attendees discussed the narrative. Once people understood the company’s story, they re-engaged and the company’s growth increased 25% in under three years.
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Here's what you'll find in our full Building a Storybrand summary :
- How storytelling enhances brand marketing
- Why you should make the consumer the hero of your brand's story
- The 7 elements that make marketing work
