Most nonprofits and small businesses waste great gobs of money on outsourced marketing campaigns or paid advertisements. What was intended as a wise investment turned out to be a costly mistake.
The results can be devastating—for the bottom line and your own morale. Your already-modest budget is further reduced, and you begin to question yourself. After all, if Fancy Graphics Marketing Firm® and Brilliant Millennial Marketer® can’t help you, maybe there’s something wrong with your products or services.
But what if the problem isn’t your products or services? What if the problem is how you talk about your products and services? More likely than not, that’s the problem. You must clarify your message if you want customers to buy or donors to give.
That’s why we’re reviewing Donald Miller’s newly released Building a StoryBrand 2.0 today. The answer to your problem won’t be solved by throwing more dollars toward outsourced marketing campaigns because most marketing firms are obsessed with pretty logos and fancy graphics. Their experts know everything about Canva and Square Space but very little about effective messaging.
In Building a Storybrand 2.0, nonprofits and small businesses are offered a proven paradigm to build an in-house marketing and messaging paradigm that is simple, effective, and easily grasped by everyone—from the CEO down to the interns.
Miller’s framework offers a compelling solution for organizations wanting to transform their marketing effectiveness without breaking the bank. By leveraging the universal elements of storytelling, organizations can craft messages that resonate deeply with their audiences and drive real engagement. This updated version builds upon the original book’s success while further enhancements for today’s evolving marketing landscape.
The StoryBrand Framework: A Proven Formula for Clarity
At the heart of Miller's approach is the StoryBrand BrandScript, a seven-part framework that mirrors the elements of compelling storytelling. This comprehensive framework transforms how organizations communicate with their audiences:
A Character (your customer) who wants something: Every story begins with a hero who has a desire. In your marketing story, the customer is that hero, and they want something specific—whether it's financial security, better health, stronger relationships, or enhanced status. Miller emphasizes that organizations must identify and focus on a single, clear desire that resonates with their customers' survival instincts.
Has a Problem (external, internal, and philosophical): The hero faces three levels of problems. The external problem is the obvious challenge (like needing investment advice), the internal problem is how it makes them feel (confused and overwhelmed), and the philosophical problem speaks to why it's fundamentally wrong (everyone deserves financial security). Miller shows how addressing all three levels creates deeper connections with customers.
Meets a Guide (your organization): Enter your organization—not as another hero, but as the experienced guide who has “been there, done that.” Like Yoda to Luke Skywalker, your role is to show understanding through empathy while demonstrating the authority and competence needed to help them succeed.
Who Gives Them a Plan (clear steps to success): Customers need a clear path forward. Miller advocates for creating either a “Process Plan” that outlines the steps to working with you, or an “Agreement Plan” that alleviates common fears and concerns. The key is making the path simple and crystal clear—confusion is the enemy of conversion.
And Calls Them to Action (direct and transitional): Heroes never take action alone; they need a push. Your marketing should include both direct calls to action (“Buy Now,” “Schedule Today”) and transitional ones that feel less risky (downloading a free guide or attending a webinar). These calls to action should be prominent and compelling.
That Helps Them Avoid Failure (paint the stakes): Every great story has stakes—what could be lost if the hero doesn't act? Miller shows how to appropriately highlight the negative consequences your customers want to avoid, without resorting to fear-mongering. This creates urgency and motivation for action.
And Ends in Success (transformation): Finally, you must paint a clear picture of what success looks like. This isn't just about features and benefits—it's about transformation. How will your customer's life be better? What will they have, feel, and experience? What will their average day look like? Miller emphasizes the importance of making this vision concrete and specific.
This structure isn't arbitrary—it's based on the storytelling patterns that have captured human attention for millennia. By organizing marketing messages within this framework, organizations can create clarity and eliminate the confusion that often plagues marketing efforts. The framework works because it aligns with how human brains process information and make decisions, focusing on survival, transformation, and the universal elements of story that we're all naturally wired to understand.
Your Customer is the Hero: A Paradigm Shift
One of the most powerful insights in “StoryBrand 2.0” is the recognition that your customer—not your organization—is the hero of the story. This represents a fundamental shift from traditional marketing approaches where organizations position themselves as the hero. Miller argues that customers don't need another hero; they need a guide who can help them achieve their goals.
The book emphasizes the importance of identifying what the customer wants and understanding their problems at three levels: external (the obvious problem), internal (how it makes them feel), and philosophical (why it's wrong). This multi-layered understanding allows organizations to create marketing messages that resonate on a deeper level and demonstrate true empathy with their audience's challenges.
Your Business is the Guide: A Position of Trust
Once organizations understand their role as the guide, Miller shows how to position themselves effectively through two key elements: empathy and authority. The guide must first demonstrate understanding of the hero's struggles through empathetic statements like “We understand how it feels” or “Nobody should have to experience...” Then, they must establish authority through testimonials, statistics, awards, and other concrete evidence of their expertise.
This positioning is particularly crucial for nonprofits and small businesses, who often compete with larger organizations for attention and trust. By clearly establishing themselves as experienced guides who truly understand their audience's challenges, these organizations can build the credibility needed to win their audience's confidence.
Executing an Effective StoryBrand Marketing Campaign
Miller outlines seven critical steps for implementing the StoryBrand framework:
Generate a StoryBrand BrandScript that clarifies your message
Create a compelling "one-liner" that succinctly communicates your value proposition
Design an effective website landing page that follows the StoryBrand messaging architecture
Develop a lead generator that captures contact information
Create an automated email nurture campaign
Collect and share transformation stories from satisfied customers
Implement a systematic referral generation program
This systematic approach ensures that your marketing efforts work together coherently to guide potential customers through their journey from awareness to engagement.
Worth the Investment
“Building a StoryBrand 2.0” represents a significant evolution from its predecessor, offering refined strategies and updated insights for today's marketing challenges. For CEOs of nonprofits and small businesses, the framework's greatest strength lies in its ability to help organizations create powerful marketing campaigns without the need for expensive outside agencies. By following Miller's clear, systematic approach, organizations can leverage their existing staff to create marketing that truly resonates with their audience.
At The Ashford Agency, we've seen firsthand how the StoryBrand framework can transform an organization's marketing effectiveness. We offer specialized workshops and coaching services to help nonprofits and small businesses implement these principles and achieve their marketing goals. If you're ready to clarify your message and connect more effectively with your audience, contact us to learn how we can help you leverage the power of story in your marketing efforts.
Bruce Ashford is the CEO of The Ashford Agency, a consulting firm specializing in helping nonprofits and small businesses implement effective business and marketing strategies through the StoryBrand framework.