In any good story, the hero NEVER acts out of their own volition. The reason why is that everyone instinctively knows the hero doesn’t make major life decisions unless someone or something challenges them. It’s like Newton’s First Law of Motion: a body at rest tends to remain at rest until an external force acts upon it.

The role of a Guide is an essential one in the hero’s (your customer’s) story. When facing external, internal, or philosophical and moral problems, heroes intuitively know they can’t fix these issues on their own. If they could, the problems wouldn’t exist in the first place.

When companies make themselves the hero instead of their customer, they create direct competition for the lead role in someone else’s story. Remember, none of us feel as motivated when we’re sidelined to supporting roles instead of starring. Let’s break down how you, as a brand, can take control over who your hero really is and how you can be the solution to their problem.

A popular sentiment in marketing today is, “stories sell.” But how? This directive is like the equivalent of a gym owner simply saying, “you should work out.”

Without the proper motivation, guidance, and game plan, most of us don’t know where to start with either of these. If you don’t have a trainer, an exercise plan, and a nutrition guide, you’re far less likely to succeed in your journey to fitness. The same goes with storytelling. We need a roadmap.