This article is part 1 of 11 in a series on StoryBrand for Health and Medicine. Check out the entire series here.

StoryBrand for Health and Medicine Part 1: What is StoryBrand?

Let’s face it. You didn’t go to medical school or chiropractic college because you love marketing. Nobody in the healing profession or running a wellness business is there because they want to scramble for sales.

Maybe your past efforts at marketing have failed. Perhaps you’ve invested thousands of dollars or hundreds of hours and seen very little return. You may be frustrated that most marketing experts don’t understand your medicine or the unique message you want to share.

You need a new strategy. You need a framework to follow to get clear on your marketing message. You need a formula that will work for your website, emails, social media posts, public talks, and everywhere else that you market your business.

That’s what StoryBrand can provide. StoryBrand is a framework that gives you a consistent strategy for messaging and marketing that works.

The Story Behind StoryBrand

The term StoryBrand was coined by Donald Miller when he released the book Building a StoryBrand in 2017. In writing the book, Don studied what makes stories and movies so intriguing and captivating. He took those ideas and distilled them down to a framework for marketing and communication.

When he followed the 7-part StoryBrand framework for his own company, Donald Miller was able to double his revenue for three consecutive years.

The StoryBrand framework is a way to communicate that follows neuronal pathways that have been a part of the human experience for millennia. People tune in. People listen.

The StoryBrand Paradigm Shift

People are drawn to clarity. That’s why the mantra of StoryBrand is “if you confuse, you’ll lose.” Donald Miller says that “cute and clever will lose you money,” and clarity will always win.

But the StoryBrand framework does more than just help businesses communicate with clarity. It also offers a paradigm shift.

The StoryBrand framework teaches business owners that they are NOT the hero of their company’s story. The customer is the hero.

When I explain this to professionals who work in the healing profession or who own a wellness business, it instantly clicks. It just makes sense that it is the customer (or the patient or the client) who should be the hero of your company’s story.

The StoryBrand framework gives specific strategies for how to position your customer as the hero and your business as the one who can help the hero save the day.

Ways to Use StoryBrand

The 7-part StoryBrand framework helps businesses get clear on their marketing message. You can follow the formula and come up with what StoryBrand calls your “BrandScript.” Your BrandScript contains every key talking point you will need for all of your marketing efforts. Your BrandScript can then be used for any of the following:

• Website copy
• E-books
• Video series
• Social media posts
• Email campaigns
• Business cards
• Brochures
• Webinars
• Public talks
• One-on-one interactions

Ways to Learn About StoryBrand

There’s no wrong way to learn about StoryBrand. By reading this article, you’ve already begun. Here are some other easy ways to dip your toe into the waters of StoryBrand:

• Read Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
• Sign up for Business Made Simple Daily tips from Donald Miller
• Listen to the Building a StoryBrand podcast
• Login to access the online BrandScript at mystorybrand.com
• Attend a Live StoryBrand Event
• Hire a StoryBrand Certified Guide for your next marketing project

Up next

This article is part 1 of 11 in a series on StoryBrand for Health and Medicine. Up next is Part 2: Your Patients Want Something—Badly