Have you heard of They Ask You Answer and StoryBrand and want to implement both frameworks? Are you wondering how they can work together?
Both frameworks revolve around understanding your audience’s needs and clearly communicating, both of which are essential components of a successful marketing strategy.
This article will explain how combining They Ask, You Answer with the StoryBrand messaging framework can clarify your short-term and longer-term messages and engage your audience effectively at every stage of their adoption journey, to increase your leads and streamline your sales cycle.
They Ask, You Answer focuses on creating content that addresses your audience’s fears, issues, and concerns, while StoryBrand focuses on creating a clear narrative that puts the customer at the forefront, quickly engaging your audience and informing them why you are, or aren’t, a good fit for them.
Together, these strategies can enhance the effectiveness of your communications in both the short and long term.
What is StoryBrand?
StoryBrand is a framework that helps businesses shift the focus from themselves to the customer, enabling more engaging communication. The framework creates a narrative in which the customer is the central character facing a challenge.
Your company steps in as the guide, offering a solution and prompting action, which ideally leads to your customer’s success and subsequently, brand loyalty. This approach is especially relevant in the medical device industry, where the complexity of products can often cloud the clarity of messaging.
By employing StoryBrand, you can clarify your message, making it easier for healthcare professionals and patients to understand how your technology can help them achieve their goals.
What is They Ask, You Answer?
They Ask, You Answer is a customer-centric business philosophy that prioritises transparency and education in content creation by addressing customer fears, issues, and concerns.
In the medical device industry, this approach can be particularly useful, as the buyer’s journey is often slowed by the issues, fears, and concerns of your audience. By adopting this framework, you can answer their questions and make the answers easily accessible to your audience when they need them, thereby shortening your sales cycle.
This strategy encourages you to shift from a selling mindset to becoming a trusted advisor, fostering a culture of helpfulness and trust—a powerful differentiator in a competitive and regulated market like medical devices.
Do you want to shorten your sales cycle and grow your revenue without growing your team?
How do they work together?
Now that we’ve established what StoryBrand and They Ask, You Answer are, we can explore how they work together to improve your customers’ experience, streamline your sales journey, and enhance your brand awareness and recall.
Establish your message first
When integrating StoryBrand and They Ask, You Answer into your marketing strategy, it’s crucial to start with StoryBrand. This approach helps to firmly establish your brand’s narrative, ensuring that all your materials communicate clearly how you will help your audience achieve their goals.
Starting with StoryBrand sets a strong foundation and is important to move your audience on to the next step of their adoption journey, where they absorb your They Ask, You Answer content to aid their decision-making.
If your messaging is confusing and doesn’t make it clear how you help your audience, they’re likely to leave before they reach any of your They Ask, You Answer content.
Essentially, for They Ask, You Answer to have the best chance of success, you must first implement StoryBrand.
Focus completely on your audience
One of the main ways that StoryBrand and They Ask, You Answer overlap and work together is in their customer-centric approach.
Both frameworks emphasise the importance of understanding and addressing the actual needs of your audience, rather than pushing the information you think they should know.
StoryBrand begins by crafting a compelling narrative around your customers, positioning them as the hero of a story where your company acts as a guide. They Ask, You Answer complements this by ensuring the content answers the real questions customers are asking, establishing a dialogue based on trust and understanding.
Together, they create a holistic approach that prioritises the customer’s journey, delivering relevant information that meets their needs and speeds up their decision-making process.
What can this mean for you?
Integrating They Ask, You Answer and StoryBrand into your marketing strategy can transform how you engage with your audience. By directly addressing customer queries and crafting a clear, customer-driven narrative, you eliminate confusion and align your content with the needs and behaviours of your audience.
This strategy empowers customers to make informed decisions, fosters trust, and positions your brand as a transparent, customer-first authority. Embracing these frameworks will bring clarity and efficiency to your marketing efforts.