Storytelling In Marketing

When I started building my brand ecosystem publicly, everything shifted. The traditional advice says, "build it and they will come." But after studying founder brands, I've learned that most founders are stuck choosing between getting attention and maintaining integrity. Last year, I watched a brilliant entrepreneur struggle with this exact paradox. When I shared my Brand Trust Equation with her, something beautiful happened. Here's what I learned about building in public through systematic brand development: 1. Identity System Transparency Share your core messaging, positioning, and values openly. Building your identity in public creates accountability for authentic choices. Your audience connects with the journey, not just the destination. 2. Content System Broadcasting Document your strategic output across all platforms transparently. Sharing your content framework helps others while establishing your authority. Your systematic approach demonstrates professionalism and intentionality. 3. Experience System Documentation Show how people interact with your brand at every touchpoint. Building your customer journey in public creates better experiences for everyone. Your process transparency helps prospects know exactly what to expect. 4. Conversion System Sharing Reveal how attention becomes revenue in your business model. Building your funnel in public demonstrates the value of systematic thinking. Your transparent approach shows prospects the clear path forward. 5. Lighthouse Content Strategy Create cornerstone pieces that attract your ideal audience while repelling everyone else. Building your manifesto, methodology, case studies, and vision in public establishes authority. Your transparent philosophy becomes a filter for quality connections. This approach builds long-term brand equity instead of short-term attention. 6. Platform Synergy Framework Show how different platforms serve different purposes in your ecosystem. Building your multi-platform strategy in public creates strategic alignment. Other founders learn how to maximize impact across channels. This isn't just about building brands, it's about creating beautiful, systemized, and authentic businesses that serve both founders and their communities. When you build your brand ecosystem in public, you're not just attracting attention. You're building trust through the Brand Trust Equation: (Consistency × Authenticity × Value) ÷ Self-Promotion. The solution isn't choosing between integrity and attention, it's building systems that deliver both simultaneously through transparent, value-first brand development. The future belongs to those brave enough to build their brand systems in public. __ Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Matt Gray for more. Curious how this could look inside your business? DM me ‘System’ and I’ll walk you through how we help clients make it happen. This is for high-commitment founders only.

What Stanley Did Right - And What We’re Missing in Africa I recently watched a feature style interview about Stanley - the water bottle brand. They grew from $79 million in 2019 to $720 million in 2023. Same bottle. Same product. But something changed - the brand became part of people’s lives. As I watched, I couldn’t help but think: We’re not doing enough of this in Africa. We’re building, yes. But we’re not telling our stories - at all, or well enough. So, what did Stanley get right? ✅ They connected to culture They positioned their product in a way that made it feel like a lifestyle accessory, not just a utility. ✅ They encouraged community content Real people shared real experiences. No glossy ads. Just stories people trusted. ✅ They created demand through scarcity Limited drops, exclusive colors - people wanted in before it was gone. ✅ They communicated inclusively The product showed up with moms, gym bros, Gen Z, teachers, truck drivers - everyone saw themselves in it. ✅ They let the public shape the brand They didn’t fight for control. They allowed people to co-create the brand’s identity and story. That’s powerful. That’s brand-building - beyond logo and colors. But here’s the gap I see in Africa 👇🏽 We don’t just have SMEs that aren’t telling their stories. We also don’t have enough media platforms or storytellers focused on brand journeys. Where are the mini-documentaries on African businesses? Where’s the content breaking down SME growth, strategy, pivots, purpose? Right now, most business owners are trying to grow and tell their story - with no structure, no support, and often no visibility. While some others are building their own content platforms with not enough media coverage. It’s not sustainable. And it’s part of the reason many good brands don’t grow beyond their city. So what can we do? If you’re a business owner: Don’t wait to “blow” before you tell your story. Start documenting - even simply. If you’re in media, content, or marketing: Start building platforms that help shape and share African brand stories - with clarity and consistency. Stories move people. And people build brands. B.A #BrandlyAmaka #AfricanBrands #BrandStorytelling #StanleyCaseStudy #MarketingAfrica #SMEGrowth #StrategyNotJustSales #CulturalMarketing #ContentWithPurpose

The Wall Street Journal storytelling piece is making the rounds. Most real estate operators will call it “interesting” and move on. Then they’ll wonder why investors are replying to their cold outreach: Google has a Cloud storytelling team. USAA hired four storytellers in one year. Notion merged comms, social, and influencers into one storytelling function. These aren't one-off trends: they're how businesses are being built. At Thesis Driven, we followed this blueprint: • Share a point of view • Use stories to get attention • Build and own your audience • Listen to the problems they share • Create products that solve those Our most-read content isn't about us. It's profiles of interesting real estate operators: how they underwrite, the bets they're making, why they see opportunities others miss. These build trust before we mention products. Personal founder stories grow audiences. I share what I'm researching: data center underwriting, farm hospitality and surf parks becoming institutional and behind-the-scenes of building Thesis Driven. Not old school thought leadership, just transparency about what I'm learning in real-time. That grew our audience. By telling stories and engaging with that audience, they told us the problems they were running into. That made product ideation easy: identify the most common problem, create a solution. Our products came from listening to the audience we built through storytelling. When we launched our Real Estate Finance course, we didn't lead with curriculum. We shared student outcomes: founders who closed deals after understanding capital structures, operators who decoded what LPs actually want, people who stopped nodding along when someone said "waterfall." Transformation sold the product. Features validated it. If you’re still waiting for the “right” time to do this, this is your signal. If you're selling to real estate owners: developers buy outcomes, not features. If you're raising capital: investors back people and theses they believe in. If you're building in real estate: trust compounds faster through storytelling than any other channel. Content-first built trust before we asked for anything. Operator stories worked because they were useful. Personal transparency grew our audience. Transformation stories sold better than features. LinkedIn doubled storyteller job postings because companies understand that people don’t get excited about products anymore. Instead, they buy the story of who they’ll become if you’re able to articulate it. Real estate is no different.

Big brands have a lot to learn about building community from this small East London shop. If you follow me you know I’m obsessed with pinpointing the places, moments and margins where culture appears, often outside the mainstream. Waste! is an independent store in Hackney specialising in handmade, self-published and DIY artist products that also serves as a meetup for makers and fans of the niche and novel. Big brands can spend millions chasing community. Yet genuine bonds form in the unlikeliest corners. By giving people a place to belong and a stake in the story, you can create evangelists rather than consumers. Here’s some of the playbook: → Look beyond the obvious Which subculture have you never visited? Find the one that aligns with your brand values and surprise them with an IRL activation made just for them. → Host micro-experiences Think smaller than a giant pop-up. Small scale means deeper conversations, stronger friendships and stories that spread far beyond the room. → Invite people behind the scenes Jack and Roydon modelled the shop on their childhood bedrooms. Everything feels handpicked and personal. → Celebrate genuine connections At Waste! customers aren’t just buying things. They swap ideas, share projects and spark new collaborations. Create spaces online or offline where people can connect, chill and feel like insiders. → Reinvest in your community Every penny from sales goes back into buying more stock from friends and local artists. That reinvestment shows you care about real people not just profit margins. → Turn every interaction into a collectible moment Limited-edition patches, secret passwords, custom playlists or tiny zines tie physical mementos to emotional experiences. Superfans will wear, share and trade these badges of honour. → Measure passion not just reach Track repeat attendees, social shout-outs from community insiders and user-generated content. A hundred truly engaged superfans create more long-term value than ten thousand casual followers. Sometimes the best way to build real community is the scrappy, DIY, heartfelt route ✌️💚

For 6 months I shared frameworks. 5-step processes. Bullet point strategies. "Here's how to do X" posts. Clean. Structured. Forgettable. Saves? Yes. Clients? No. Then one day I was exhausted. No energy for a framework. So I just wrote what happened to me that week. A client call that went badly. What I learned from it. How I felt sitting with that failure. No structure. No bullet points. No strategy. Just a moment. Honest and unpolished. That post got 3 DMs within an hour. All saying the same thing: "This is exactly what I'm going through right now." Not "great tips." Not "saving this." "This is me." That's when I understood the difference. Frameworks teach people. Stories make people feel seen. And people don't buy from those who teach them. They buy from those who understand them. Here's what changed when I switched from frameworks to moments: → Comments went from "great post" to real conversations → DMs went from zero to consistent → Clients stopped asking "what's your process" — they already knew they wanted to work with me Because a story does something no framework ever can. It builds trust before the first conversation. Your audience doesn't need another 5-step guide. They need to know you've been where they are. Stop performing expertise. Start sharing experience. The moment you got it wrong. The client who taught you something hard. The week nothing worked and what you did next. That's the content that converts. What's one real moment from your journey as a founder you've never shared online because it felt "too small" or "too personal?" Drop it below I promise it's your best post yet. 👇 #ContentMarketing #Storytelling #Founders #Entrepreneurs

THIS is how you tap into community. I shared a post last week about how niching down isn’t just smart marketing, it’s how brands actually connect with people. There’s real power in niche communities that already exist. When brands approach them with understanding, not just opportunity, the results hit differently. It’s about becoming part of something, not just sticking your logo on it. Nike’s new collab with London calisthenics studio PNP fitness is such a perfect example of that. The film feels raw, local, and community-first. It’s so London and features real pnp members. No slogans. No monologues. Just movement. There’s no swoosh splashed across the screen, but every athlete is wearing Nike. It’s subtle. Human. Smart. They’ve understood the power of going small to go big. By backing real communities, they earn relevance, and conversation, organically. This is the kind of work that builds earned eyeballs, not just ads. It’s grassroots storytelling on a global scale. At Axe + Saw, we talk about this a lot, how community is a superpower, how brands can move at the pace of culture when they listen first. I'm so pleased to see Nike coming through with campaigns that bring their values to life. The things that always made them a brand that stood out. Now I can’t stop thinking about what’s next, what other subcultures, micro-communities, and scenes they could champion in this way. That’s where the future of brand storytelling lives.

Want to see brand storytelling done right? Etsy’s 20th anniversary "What it Takes"  campaign reminds us that being original, human-centric, and true to your values builds trust *and* stands out. Let's break it down... Devoid of traditional (and expected) branded flair, the campaign shifts attention to the creators—the users—and what it takes to produce the one-of-a-kind items that fill the marketplace. Instead of focusing on the highly-visual products, this quiet tribute celebrates the power of originally, the need for human connection, and the richness of craft through telling the stories of three makers. As Etsy CMO Brad Minor put it, this is about “celebrating originality” in a world that often prioritizes convenience. I often advise that content should educate, inspire, or entertain. This hits all three. Through a mix of in-person events, social video, and UGC, the campaign (by Orchard) successfully humanizes an otherwise intangible online space. In a great breakdown for DesignRush, Roberto Orosa surfaces three key lessons: 1. As mass production and AI-generated products grow more common, shoppers are increasingly drawn to brands that feel human and handmade. 2. By showing the hard work behind creativity, the platform shifts the narrative from product to process. 3. It’s one of the cleanest examples of how brand storytelling can focus not on what’s being sold, but on why it matters. 🌟 Takeaway: As trust becomes the biggest currency in brand-building, stories about your people, your purpose, and your process ensure you’ll never run out of original ideas. See the Etsy “What it Takes” campaign in action: https://lnkd.in/gSE4HYJ2 Full article via DesignRush: https://lnkd.in/gmFTzYDz Video credit: https://lnkd.in/g4rtY_cw

"Your brand isn't what you say it is. It's what they say it is." - Marty Neumeier The duality of brand existence 👇👇👇 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗺𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆: 1. The objective realm of products, services, and measurable performance 2. The subjective realm of perception, emotion, and cultural meaning This duality creates a complex reality where success depends not just on what a brand does, but on how it resonates in the collective consciousness of its audience. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 Core Essence vs. Expression A brand's ontology can be understood through two philosophical lenses: 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 (𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲) Core purpose Foundational values Brand promise Organizational culture 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀) Visual identity Marketing campaigns Product iterations Communication styles A brand's essence exists independent of its temporal expressions. Nike's essence of athletic excellence and human potential remains constant, while its campaigns and products evolve. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻? Brand knowledge forms through three primary channels: 𝟭. 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Product usage Customer service interactions Physical touchpoints 𝟮. 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Marketing communications Social media presence Third-party reviews Cultural conversation 𝟯. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 Brand heritage Shared experiences Cultural associations Community narratives ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗴𝗮𝗽 The space between a brand's objective reality and its perceived reality requires careful navigation: 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝟭. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 Build from authentic capabilities Demonstrate before claiming Under-promise, over-deliver 𝟮. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Consistent storytelling Experience design Community building Cultural participation 𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Continuous improvement Innovation aligned with perception Closing experience gaps ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Practical implementation - Building brand truth 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 What unchanging purpose drives your brand? What values are truly non-negotiable? What unique value do you provide? 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Craft consistent narratives Design meaningful experiences Engage in authentic dialogue Build community connections 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 & 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁 Track perception gaps Listen to customer stories Evolve while maintaining essence Respond to cultural shifts A brand's reality exists at the intersection of objective truth and collective belief. Success comes not from controlling this reality, but from understanding its dual nature and working skilfully with both dimensions.

Here is my step-by-step guide to LinkedIn content that has led our clients to raise over $100M in the last 12 months. Step 1: Treat Your Timeline Like a Deck Your LinkedIn feed becomes your investor pitch but in public. Forget the one-time deck reveal. Every post you publish should act as a standalone “slide” in your ongoing story. Think: 12–16 posts over 90 days, each building trust, clarity, and momentum. Step 2: Use the 5 Core Content Pillars Rotate through these to cover your full narrative: 1. The Problem ◉ Explain the problem in plain English. ◉ Show market pain, inefficiencies, or broken systems. ◉ Use a stat, anecdote, or customer quote to make it real. ◉ Bonus: Use storytelling — “We saw X every week. So we built Y.” 2. Your Solution ◉ Introduce your product or service as the answer. ◉ Showcase the product in action (screenshots or demo clips). ◉ Explain your edge: what’s new, better, or 10x different? ◉ Don’t pitch. Educate. 3. Market Momentum ◉ Share what’s changing in the industry. ◉ Back it with data, trend signals, or why “now” is the time. ◉ Mention TAM, growth rate, or where whitespace exists. ◉ This is where you show scale potential. 4. Team Credibility ◉ Share your founder story. ◉ Introduce key hires with a story about why they joined. ◉ Show your team dynamic, values, and culture in action. ◉ Investors want to see who's behind the execution engine. 5. Traction + Vision ◉ Post about metrics, milestones, customer growth, testimonials. ◉ But also: vision. Where’s this all going in 3–5 years? ◉ Show you’re thinking big, not just surviving. Step 3: Use Video to Build Trust Faster ◉ Record 60–90 second clips where you speak directly to camera. ◉ Mix in demo walkthroughs, team moments, or async updates. ◉ Don’t over-polish. Real > Perfect. ◉ Founders who look and sound investable are halfway there before the first call. Step 4: Feature the Team ◉ Investors often ask, “Why this team, why now?” ◉ Highlight chemistry. ◉ Post short profiles or quotes from team members. ◉ Show shared obsession with the mission. Step 5: Build Hype Without Pitching ◉ Talk about fundraising indirectly. ◉ Share when you hit milestones (“waitlist hit 1K,” “closed 3rd enterprise client”) ◉ Hint at traction, not desperation. ◉ FOMO is your friend — make them want in before the round is announced. Talk about fundraising indirectly. ◉ Share when you hit milestones (“waitlist hit 1K,” “closed 3rd enterprise client”) ◉ Hint at traction, not desperation. ◉ FOMO is your friend — make them want in before the round is announced. Content isn’t a “nice-to-have” during a raise. It’s your unfair advantage. ______________________________ I am James Farnfield, I am building Shake Content, a LinkedIn content agency that creates posts, videos, webinars and podcasts. All wrapped in a beautiful marketing strategy perfect for time-poor, resource strained B2B high-growth leaders and their teams.

As someone who’s always tuned in to how D2C brands navigate the digital world, the debate around whether they should focus on social broadcasting or community building feels like a classic “why not both?” moment. It’s not a matter of one vs. the other. Instead, brands should think about how each plays a unique role in the larger ecosystem—and how the right platform can make all the difference. Social broadcasting is the loudspeaker—the flashy billboard you pass on the highway that screams, “Look at me!” It’s the big, bold marketing strategy designed to capture attention quickly, whether through viral TikToks, Instagram ads, or that YouTube video with a million views. Think of brands like Glossier, Inc. or Gymshark. They’ve mastered the art of broadcasting, using these platforms to amplify their messages at scale. Instagram and TikTok have proven especially powerful for broadcasting, thanks to their visual nature and ability to push content to new audiences through algorithms. It’s a numbers game—reach as many people as possible and hope something sticks. But here’s the thing: social broadcasting is fleeting. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. You might catch someone’s eye with an aesthetic Reel or a catchy sound bite, but will it keep them coming back? That’s where community building steps in. If social broadcasting is the billboard, then community building is the cozy coffee shop where your regulars come to hang out. It’s personal, intimate, and meaningful. D2C brands that master community building foster a sense of belonging, offering their customers a space to connect, share stories, and feel heard. Brands like Starface World and Topicals have created strong communities by leaning into platforms that encourage engagement rather than just passive consumption. Take YouTube, Podcasts, Try Your Best (TYB), Substack for example. These platforms may not have the viral flash of TikTok, but they allow for deeper connections, fostering trust and loyalty that’s harder to replicate in a broadcast-only strategy. Here’s the real kicker: you don’t need to choose. The most successful D2C brands leverage both strategies—broadcast to reach a wide audience, and then nurture a community to keep them around. Understanding the strength of each platform is crucial. Let’s take TikTok, for instance. It’s a perfect social broadcasting tool for generating buzz, launching products, or engaging in trends. But once you’ve grabbed people’s attention, where do they go next? That’s when you funnel them into your community spaces—whether it’s a private Slack channel, a Discord server, or a brand ambassador program. It’s about knowing when to shout and when to invite people in for a chat. D2C brands don’t have to pick a side between social broadcasting and community building—they should be doing both. #D2CBrands #CommunityBuilding #SocialBroadcasting #BrandStrategy #SocialMedia #Marketing #PopCulture