Why You Need a Strategic Narrative and How to Create One

What is your company’s strategic narrative? Don’t have one yet? It’s time to start thinking about the story your company tells.

In this episode, Metadata’s Jason Widup, VP of Marketing, and Mark Huber, Head of Brand & Product Marketing, explain why you need a strategic narrative, and walk you through Metadata’s journey towards building one.

We also hear where narrative fits in with your company mission and vision, what to do with feedback, and why copy should inform design.

Tune in to the full session to learn some tips on how to build your own strategic narrative or keep reading for some top takeaway tips.

Watch the full episode

Three top takeaways:

Takeaway 1: Story = strategy

A strategic narrative is not just a nice story you tell your customers. It’s a fundamental part of building a company strategy. In other words, it’s not a nice to have, it’s a must-have.

Your story informs your strategy, and it also becomes a big rallying cry that gets everyone on the team onto the same page. That way, everyone can work towards the same North Star. There’s zero room for vagueness or confusion. Your narrative leads the way.

Takeaway 2: A strategic narrative should be led by your CEO

If your brand story is something the marketing team comes up with, it’ll probably sound great. Your customers might even like the idea of it.

But are people really going to listen to it?

Having your story led by your CEO gives it some weight and helps it to manifest itself in every single function of the business. A strong story becomes a uniting force in a company that both the team and the customers can get behind.

Takeaway 3: Start with the copy

When building your story, start with the copy. Your copy should be laser-focused so it can tell your brand story quickly and clearly to anyone reading it.

Your message needs to be consistent (even repetitive), so everyone knows exactly what your company and team stand for and what’s next on the horizon.

Only once you’ve got the copy looking good should you move on to other aspects, such as design which will help deliver this messaging and narrative to your audience.

Once you have your narrative, be sure to get feedback on it. Ask your fellow teammates, your customers, and others who know your company well enough to give their honest take on it. Ask them, does this really reflect what we’re all about? If not, it’s time to get back to the drawing board.

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