Crafting and controlling a compelling narrative is not just important; it’s fundamental to strategic communication and your organization’s brand.
A narrative is your overarching story, a message frame that shapes the backdrop from which your audience judges all your messages and actions. It shapes your organization’s brand and helps you determine your key messages. It influences an audience’s perception; even subtle shifts in perception can make a big difference.
Narratives can shift on a dime, especially in today’s hyper-rapid social media and news cycle environment. And so, perceptions can course change and crystallize quickly. Once you lose it or allow a competitor to define your narrative, it can prove difficult to shift back—not to mention time-consuming and costly.
At A. Bright Idea, we use the following steps in building the narrative:
- Scan your environment: Whether commercial, nonprofit or government, your crucial first step is to survey the landscape and research the potential challenges and opportunities to advancing your narrative. Who are the right audiences, your competitors and opponents, and what events outside of your control could influence your brand’s perception?
- Define audiences: A clear picture of who you must communicate with allows you to define the most resonant frame with them.
- Develop messaging: Key messages are constituent parts of your narrative – both the building blocks and the vehicle.
- Keep message discipline: Outside of a crisis, where what you say and how you say it may need adjustments, repetition of strategic messaging helps firm up your narrative and make it more resistant to punctures.
- Crisis management: Never get caught flat-footed; always plan for what you think might happen and the challenges that may lurk ahead. It will help you respond strategically and put you in the best position to avoid your narrative shifting unfavorably.
We take pride in helping our clients build and control their brands. What is your story, and who do you want to learn about it? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us by emailing info@abrightideaonline.com.