Discover the Storytelling Frameworks to Soulful Marketing Success

Core Article: Discover the Storytelling Frameworks to Soulful Marketing Success

Paragraph I’m Pondering: “Win the internal battle first – Olympic Athletes.”

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire: “I listen with empathy…”

Book Review: Story Driven by Bernadette Jiwa

Cool Stuff: The 25 most interesting archaeological finds on the planet.

AI Info & Resources: How AI is being used at the Olympics.

Discover the Storytelling Frameworks to Soulful Marketing Success

I’ve been in marketing for 18 years. One of the things I did that I’ve never regretted is focusing my skills only on three areas: Copywriting, Online Launches, and Dream Client Journeys.

Focusing on these three areas helped me choose the right books and courses and the best-fit to find my dream clients. I didn’t want to be a jack of all trades cuz then I would end up being a master of none.

Learning about copywriting from every angle has been one of my favorite parts of my marketing journey. And being Story-Driven has truly transformed my copy.

I first encountered storytelling by being introduced to Joseph Campbell, whose framework has influenced Hollywood. His framework is seen in many popular movies, such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Marvel movies. Yet it was harder for me to apply it when I was actually writing copy for emails, websites, etc.

Seeking more frameworks, I explored Donald Miller’s Story Brand. While helpful, it felt too salesy. Then, I found Story Worthy by Matthew Dicks. His mastery of personal storytelling was inspiring, especially for speaking engagements, though it didn’t fully address what I needed.

Then I found Bernadette Jiwa, recommended by Seth Godin, who truly resonated with me. Her Story Driven framework focuses on authenticity and purpose, which aligns perfectly with Soulful Marketing. 🙂

Realizing that stories are powerful yet sometimes overwhelming to craft, I wanted to share my review of the four storytelling frameworks from the authors above to help you find the best fit for your copy and messaging when marketing your business.

Each offers a unique approach. My goal is that by the end, you’ll have a good sense of which one will work best for you. And if you feel inspired, please share this with others.

1. Story Driven by Bernadette Jiwa

Overview: Jiwa emphasizes the importance of knowing your why—why you do what you do—and using that to drive your narrative. She believes that stories grounded in authenticity and purpose are the most powerful.

Framework:

Purpose: Understand the core purpose of your brand.
Values: Identify the values that guide your actions.
Vision: Envision the future impact of your brand.
Character: Define the personality and character of your brand.
Journey: Share the journey and evolution of your brand.

Key Difference: Her framework is deeply introspective and focused on authenticity. It’s perfect if you’re looking to connect with your audience on a deeper, more meaningful level by sharing your true purpose and values. (Definitely aligned with Soulful Marketing Principles.)

2. Story Brand by Donald Miller

Overview: At its core, Story Brand is all about clarity. Donald Miller’s framework helps you simplify your message so your audience can easily understand and engage with it. It’s structured like Campbell’s classic hero’s journey but shorter and with a focus on the customer as the hero.

Framework:

Character: The customer with a problem.
Problem: The specific issue your customer is facing.
Guide: Position yourself as the guide with a solution.
Plan: Provide a clear plan for the customer to follow.
Call to Action: Encourage the customer to take action.
Success: Show what success looks like.
Failure: Highlight what’s at stake if they don’t act.

Key Difference: This approach is highly structured and customer-centric. It’s great if your business wants to clarify its messaging and position it as the solution to your customer’s problems.

3. Story Worthy by Matthew Dicks

Overview: The focus is on personal storytelling and finding moments in your life that resonate with your audience. Dicks provides practical tips for crafting engaging and relatable stories.

Framework:

Moments: Identify significant moments in your life.
Change: Focus on how these moments changed you.
Scenes: Create vivid scenes that bring your story to life.
Truth: Be honest and vulnerable.
Connection: Aim to connect emotionally with your audience.

Key Difference: It’s about personal moments storytelling and less about brand storytelling. It’s ideal if you want to weave personal anecdotes into your marketing and into your speaking presentations. When you do this, it will create a strong emotional connection with your audience.

4. The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell

Overview: He created a pattern showing how the typical adventure of a Hero unfolds. He argued that many mythologies use this same storytelling framework. As I mentioned above, his structure is common in epic tales and movies and can also be adapted for brand storytelling.

Framework: There are 3 Stages to his framework

Stage 1: Departure:

Ordinary World: Introduce the hero’s normal life.
Call to Adventure: Present a challenge or quest.
Refusal of the Call: The hero initially hesitates.
Meeting the Mentor: The hero gains advice or training.
Crossing the Threshold: The hero embarks on their quest.
Belly of the Whale: The hero crosses the point of no return and approaches the first obstacle.

Sate 2: Initiation

Trials, Allies, Enemies, and Failures: The hero faces challenges, gains allies, and learns.
Meeting with the Goddess: The hero meets a mentor who offers help or advice.
Woman as Temptress: The hero encounters temptations that threaten his journey.
Atonement with the Father: The hero undergoes a metamorphosis by confronting an aspect of their character that’s holding them back.
Apotheosis: The hero transforms into a better person, with new insight and clarity they need to win.
Ultimate Boon: The hero achieved victory in their quest.

State 3: Return

Refusal of Return: After their exciting journey and transformation, the hero is reluctant to return to the familiar world.
Magic Flight: The hero has achieved victory on their quest yet still faces dangers when returning home.
Rescue from Without: An outside ally or mentor helps guide the hero safely home.
Crossing the Return Threshold: The hero returns to the familiar world and tries to adjust to their old life.
Master of Two Worlds: The hero finds a balance between their home life and the person they become on their quest.
Freedom to Live: The hero gets used to their normal life and lives peacefully.

Key Difference: Looking at Campbell’s framework, it’s very detailed and epic. It’s perfect for brands that want to create a grand narrative and take their audience on an adventurous journey.

Choosing the Right Framework

So, how do you choose the right one for you?

Go with Jiwa’s Story Driven. This approach will guide you to connect deeply through authenticity and purpose. I find it much easier to implement it in my copy.
Opt for Miller’s Story Brand if you want clarity and a customer-centric focus.
Choose Dicks’ Story Worthy to help you create more personal stories to create emotional connections.
Select Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey so that you can craft an epic narrative that takes your audience on a journey.

Remember, the best framework is the one that resonates most with you and your dream client/customer.

Take some time to explore each and see which one feels like the best fit for your business, brand, and messaging and aligns with your mission and values.

I hope this helps you find the perfect storytelling framework for your marketing. Let me know which one you choose, and let’s keep this conversation going. And if you found it valuable, I would be grateful if you shared this with someone who would benefit from it.

Paragraph I’m Pondering

“Win The Internal Battle First: When Olympic athletes come into the stadium during the opening ceremonies and prepare to participate in the games, one of the things they do is recite the following: I have prepared. I have followed the rules. I will not quit. When you agree to do something, and you show up to follow through, if you can say those same three sentences, you can be proud no matter what the outcome is.” ~John C. Maxwell, Master What Matters: 12 Value Choices To Help You Win At Life

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire

“I listen with empathy and speak with kindness to my loved ones.”
“I am worthy of financial success and open to receiving wealth in all forms.”
“My body, mind, and spirit are in perfect harmony, and I experience optimal health.”

Book Review

Story Driven: You don’t need to compete when you know who you are by Bernadette Jiwa

Cool Stuff

The 25 most mysterious archaeological finds on Earth
Top 10 wealthiest business families in the world.
Why does humanity feel like it’s always a cosmic tale of hope, then comes despair?

AI Info and Resources

How AI is being used at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This is a kind of scary and cool AI voice tool. We’re using this tool with a client of mine and the cool yet scary part is how the AI voice sounds just like him. Eeekkkk.
If you get inundated with as many PDFs as I do – this is a VERY useful Adobe PDF AI Summarizing Tool.

Weekly Photos

Emma and I are doing what we do best: coffee on the deck in the early a.m.!
Yeah, she can’t help herself, lying on my journals, making it difficult for me to write.
There’s the really wild red ball of fire—the sun. That’s what it looks like on a smokey day.
This is my top App during fire season. I’m tracking the Park Fire, which is about an hour or so away from us. Yet, in fire terms, it’s not that far. These fires can spread so fast depending on the winds, dry weather, and hot temperatures. Then you can see on the map all the helicopters and tankers dropping their fire retardant and water. Cal Fire has over 60 aircraft, one of the biggest fleets in the U.S. Yet, fire season is always a bit daunting.
Here’s an outtake – Emma was not smiling for the camera. 🙂
My post-it notes I put on my mirror during my Mindfulness 4 week project. This is what I say to myself when I first get up in the morning. Love those reminders.
Look at those clouds dancing in the sunrise. I do love where I live in Northern CA, even if fire season can be a bit stressful.