In Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen, Donald Miller lays out how three main characters in the classic hero’s journey—the hero, the villain, and the guide—relate to your business’s messaging.

• The hero is your client. It’s who your whole story should really be about. Their struggles. Their obstacles. Their dreams. Their victories.
• The villain is the problem they’re facing (and that you sell a solution for).
• The guide is you and your services. How you’ll help the hero defeat the villain.

Here’s an example of how I’ve incorporated these three characters within my own messaging…

Characters/Setting/Challenge (Current State)

“When you’ve hit a plateau in your training, consulting, or coaching business and aren’t attracting as many new clients as you need, it can be hard to know what to change in your marketing to fix the problem. With so many new concepts to learn and options to consider, it’s no wonder you feel overwhelmed and stuck in place.”

This is all about the client (the hero) and the challenge they’re facing (the villain).

Big Idea

“Luckily, fine-tuning your marketing doesn’t need to be complicated. Just stay focused on the key fundamentals—the 20% of actions that drive 80% of the impact.”

This gives the client (the hero) a quick taste of how they can overcome their challenge (defeat the villain).

Solution/Impact (Future State)

“As your marketing coach, I’ll make it easier to attract more of your ideal clients by helping you identify your competitive strengths, find and fix the marketing bottlenecks that are holding you back, and confidently make the right marketing decisions for your unique business.”

This introduces me as “the guide.”

Call-to-Action

“Schedule your free 60-minute marketing strategy call to uncover the specific marketing bottlenecks that are stopping you from attracting more of your ideal clients, home in on the 20% of marketing actions that will drive 80% of your results, and explore ways to fine-tune your marketing approach so that you can close the gap between where your training, consulting, or coaching business is today—and where you want it to be in the future.”

This shows the client (the hero) exactly how we can get started on their journey to overcome their challenge (defeat the villain).

Look at your own marketing, messaging, and outreach strategy.

Ask yourself…

• Who is the hero of your business’s story?
• Who is the villain?
• Who is the guide?