“Marketing” is boring. “Storytelling” is the oldest art form known to humans.

In a crowded marketplace like Austin, you need a unique angle to set yourself apart from competitors. Angles are hard to come by. Businesses spend lots of time and money trying to pull them out of the aether, or doing market research when handholds are particularly slippery. However, there’s one angle that every business has, though few are clever enough to capitalize on it.

If you really want a branding angle that helps you stand out amongst your competition, just tell your story.

People love hearing about how successful people came to that success, and it hits all of your marketing sweet spots at once. It’s aspirational without being obnoxious and gives immediate authority and expertise to your brand. Think of some of the most successful businesses and well known brands started in Austin – Dell, Amy’s Ice Creams, Franklin Barbecue. You can probably rattle off their origin stories by heart.

There’s no reason your brand can’t tap into that same power. You never want to be trapped in the past, of course, but it’s possible to move forward while still remaining grounded in where you came from. What’s even more powerful is realizing that you can shape your story now. By harnessing your brand’s past, you gain a firmer hold on your brand’s future.

Marketing and advertising efforts should always be telling your story. You don’t need to beat people over the head with an origin, like a bad superhero movie, but you need a little wink there, something in your art or copy that’s an acknowledgment of what you once were, and what you hope to be in the future.