I’ve always been a “hmmm, I think I get it. Can you show me an example?” kind of learner.
People can teach me theory all day long, but I only really ‘get it’ when I actually see real-life examples.
I definitely learn more from watching skilful chefs create culinary delights on Masterchef than I ever would reading a recipe book (not that I ever put that learning into practice – I hate cooking!)
Anyways …. it seems I’m not alone.
When I tell business owners to “invite your customer into a story they want to be a part of”, it’s not surprising they often ask me for examples of what that actually looks like in real life!
I get it.
The theory makes sense, but they want to see it in action.
So, when a website I worked on last year went live this week, I thought it was a great opportunity to breakdown some of the elements, show you how we applied the StoryBrand framework and explain why it works so well …
Let me introduce you to the amazing team at Vanbrugh Physio.
Vanbrugh Physio’s previous site was like most physio sites. It talked about … well, physio. You know the kind of thing – what it is, how it works, what to expect.
But they knew having a website that looked the same as everyone else’s was never going to help them stand out from the crowd.
No, sirree.
They also knew that the fact they get amazing results for their clients, results that many other physio clinics fail to get, would stay a well-kept secret unless they started telling a better story.
So, we worked on their customer’s story.
I talked to a handful of their clients and pretty much heard the same thing from all of them – what they really wanted was to get back to doing those things they loved doing, before they were injured or in some way restricted by pain.
They wanted to get back to living life to the full.
Pain-free!
So, that’s the core message we focused on moving forwards.
And, that became the header for the website.
We invited their customers into a story by painting a picture of success:
NO MORE LIVING WITH PAIN
Physiotherapy that gets you back to LIVING LIFE TO THE FULL
And, we didn’t stop there.
We followed that with some more wins, straight out of the what does success look like? part of their customer’s story.
ENJOY EXERCISE AND ACTIVITIES AGAIN
GET BACK TO DOING THE THINGS YOU LOVE
FEEL STRONGER AND EMPOWERED TO DO MORE
But, of course success is only one part of the story.
It’s also important to show that you know and understand the other parts of your customer’s story – including where they are now.
The challenge they’re currently facing.
The problem they’re dealing with, and how that’s making them feel.
We started the empathy section of the homepage with
Living with pain is no fun
We understand what it’s like to feel the utter despair of constantly being in pain, frustrated that you can’t do the things you want to do and worried about the future.
It’s miserable.
We followed that with one of the most powerful ways to engage your audience and stand out from the crowd – a philosophical statement!
If you’ve read Building a StoryBrand by Don Miller, you’ll know that philosphical statements come from understanding:
Why is it wrong that your customer has that problem?
And what does your customer deserve instead?
We believe no-one should have to live with pain
YOU DESERVE TO LIVE LIFE TO THE FULL
Read that again!
Can you see how powerful that is?
If you were in pain and you read that, how would it make you feel?
Hopeful?
Excited?
Incredibly relieved and grateful that someone gets what you’re going through and believes you deserve better?
That’s copy that creates emotion right there.
And finally no story is complete without some sort of path appearing for our Hero to follow.
A path that will lead them to the successful outcome they truly desire.
What path does your customer need to take?
And, what does doing business with you actually look like?
Three steps is all you need to make it easy for your customers to see that you can help them get to where they want to be.
Here’s how we help you reach your goals
1. ASSESS – We start by listening …
2. TREAT – We expertly guide you …
3. ENJOY – No more living with pain …
Note how this copy takes them from where they are now to where they want to be, powerfully positioning you as their Guide every step of the way?
Don’t underestimate the power of a clear & simple 3-step plan!
It’s so important I’m going to do a separate blog post about it, so watch out for that (& if you want to get my blogs delivered straight into your inbox, you can give me your email address here).
So, that’s just some of the ways we applied the StoryBrand framework to Vanbrugh Physio’s new site.
They still need to add their testimonials (by far the most powerful way to demonstrate your authority of course), and they’ll be doing that shortly.
If you want to take a look at their entire site, you can check it out at Vanbrugh Physio.
(Incidentally, if you ever need physio – these guys are AWESOME! Just saying)
And, if you haven’t joined my Facebook group yet come on over and continue the conversation about all things StoryBrand. It’s only a week old but we’ve already had some brave peeps posting their one-liners and website copy for feedback from the community.
You can join us here.
I look forward to seeing you in there.
