Certified StoryBrand Guide Since 2019
The Clearest Message Usually Wins
Stop confusing your customers and start growing your business.
Based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Serving all of the United States.
CLEAR MESSAGING
UNIQUE POSITIONING
TRUSTED BRAND
You can't afford to blend in.
You're not the only game in town. Your business likely blurs with all the others in your customers' minds.
Your business needs to be the first one people think of when they have the problem you solve. To do that, you need to be KNOWN in your community. To be known, you need to stand out, and have a clear, memorable, and repeatable message.
Joe Garrison & Donald Miller in 2019
“If you’re looking to invest in marketing for your small business, you should hire StoryBrand Certified Guide Joe Garrison. Joe is great if you are looking for a marketing strategy. If you are tired of investing in the mystery of marketing and really want a return on your dollars, you should hire Joe today.”
Dr. J.J. Peterson, Head of StoryBrand
THE STORYBRAND DIFFERENCE
The right words set you apart in your community and industry.
The Right Message
Finding the right message that speaks directly to how your customers feel about the problem you solve is the quickest way to gain their trust.
The Right Positioning
When you position your business as the guide in your customer's story, they see you as a trusted authority to help them over come their problem.
The Right Choice
A clear message that connects with your ideal customers at the right time, makes you the obvious choice for them to hire to solve their problem.
"We highly recommend Joe and Moonflower Marketing. Prior to Joe, we had no brand identity or story. Joe helped us get it together with our brand story and created a website that illustrated what we do, how we do it, and we are thrilled with the results."
Jason Hoffman
Managing Partner | Restoration Maintenance
Oakland Park, Florida
THE PROCESS
Finding the right words is simple with the right Guide.
BUT, here is what I need you to hear...building a StoryBrand message for your business is not the first step in the process. Sure, we could sit down in your office and hammer out a clear message for your business, but clear on what? We prefer to take a couple of steps back to gain a deeper understanding of your business, your ideal customer, and your local market. THEN we walk you through the StoryBrand framework. This ensures we build the right message to grow your business.
Here is our process. StoryBrand messaging comes in step two.
01
Diagnose
We dig into your business and marketing to find the real reasons growth has stalled, not the symptoms, but the root cause.
02
Advise
We build a clear, focused marketing strategy tailored to your firm. No fluff, no guesswork, no cookie-cutter playbooks.
03
Grow
We walk alongside you to execute the plan, measure what works, and keep your firm moving forward.
WHY MOONFLOWER MARKETING
We've seen it before.
We know how it feels to pour everything into a business you've built, and watch growth slow to a stop. The uncertainty. The frustration of trying things that don't move the needle. The quiet worry about where the next client is coming from.
For more than ten years, Moonflower Marketing has helped over 100 organizations get off the guesswork treadmill and start growing again.
Law Firms & Solo Attorneys
Accountants & Financial Advisors
Health & Wellness Clinics
Therapists & Counselors
Home Services
Recruiting Firms
Stop guessing and start growing.
You've spent years building your business, but you know it's time to take it to the next level. Maybe you've tried different marketing tactics, or even hired other marketing agencies, but haven't seen the results you know you should be getting.
While most marketing agencies and contractors jump straight into tactics (paid ads, social media pushes, content, etc.), we take a step back and start at the beginning.
By auditing your marketing, ideal customer, local market, competitors, and more, we help you build a marketing machine that works.
Build a strategy, clarify your message, then execute the marketing tactics that have the best chance of making your marketing budget work harder.
Ready to StoryBrand Your Business?
STORYBRAND EXPLAINED
What is the StoryBrand Messaging Framework?
The StoryBrand Framework was created by New York Times Bestselling author Donald Miller and outlined in his book, "Building a StoryBrand." In the book, Miller lays out the seven elements of storytelling that invite your customer into a story and move them to action.
A Character
Every story starts with a character who wants something.
What is the one thing your customer wants as it relates to your business?
All effective marketing starts with a clear understanding of your customer.
Has a Problem
What is keeping your customers from getting what they want?
StoryBrand breaks the problem into three parts.
External Problem: This is the thing that is, or feels, tangible that is blocking your customer from getting what they want.
Internal Problem: How does your customer feel about not getting what they want?
Philosophical Problem: A brief statement on why it is just plain wrong that your customer cannot get what they want.
And Meets a Guide
YOU are the Guide! Your customer is the hero.
Establish both empathy for your customer and the authority to help them overcome their problem to position yourself as the guide.
Who Gives Them a Plan
A simple three-step plan shows your customers that success is possible and not overly complicated. Don't let them self-remove!
Process Plan: An overview of the process you take to help your customer win.
Agreement Plan: The promises you make (and keep) that ease your customer's mind, position you over your competition, and show htem success is likely.
And Calls Them to Action
People will go where you tell them to go if they trust you.
What is the ONE THING your customers need to do to do business with you?
This is essentially your "buy now" or "schedule a call" button.
To Help Them Avoid Failure
If there is no consequence for NOT doing business with you, there is no reason to do business with you.
Identify the potiential consequences of your customer not taking action to solve their problem. Just don't overdo it!
And Find Success
Your customers want to know where you are taking them!
Paint a clear picture of what THEIR success looks like after working with you.
Show success as often as possible.
STORYBRAND SOUNDBITE STRATEGY EXPLAINED
What is the StoryBrand Soundbite Strategy?
The StoryBrand Soundbite Strategy is a simplified version of the fuller SB7 framework. Honestly, it's a little easier for you to implement in your business. It is based around the acronym, "PEACE." Here is a quick breakdown of the StoryBrand Soundbite Strategy, and a video of Donald Miller explaining it.
Problem
Every business needs to own a problem. The purpose of the problem soundbite is to attract attention.
People are problem-solving animals. When we have a problem, we immediately notice anything that will help us solve it.
Own a problem and turn that into a soundbite that generates attention.
Empathy
Create an empathetic bond with your customers by relating to them and the pain their problem has created in their life.
Answer
The Answer soundbite positions your business as the solution to your customer's problem.
Change
The Change soundbite adds personal value and increases the value of the offer. It clearly shows your customer how they will not only solve their problem but also become a better version of themselves.
End Result
The End Result soundbite casts a vision that motivates and creates action.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What should you need to know about StoryBrand
Will StoryBrand work for my business?
Absolutely. Any business that uses words to convince customers to buy a product or hire a service can benefit from the framework.
What is StoryBrand and why does it matter for my practice?
StoryBrand is a proven messaging framework created by Donald Miller that draws on how stories work. It positions your client as the hero and your firm as the trusted guide that helps them solve their problem. Research from Dr. J.J. Peterson’s doctoral dissertation found that the more thoroughly a business implements StoryBrand, the more it grows in profitability, revenue, and new customers. It’s not a gimmick. It’s how clear communication drives real business results.
How long does it take to implement StoryBrand?
This depends a bit on your business and the amount of marketing collateral we need to update.
At its fastest, you can have your StoryBrand Messaging done and a new homepage written within a few weeks.
Our average is typically 2-3 months from messaging session to launched marketing collateral (usually, website and a few additional items).
Can I DIY StoryBrand?
Sure. You could purchase Building a StoryBrand 2.0, attend a workshop, or buy StoryBrandAI and attempt to StoryBrand your business.
The snag is that often, you're too close to your business to see it clearly from the customer's point of view.
Hiring a StoryBrand Guide can provide a valuable outside perspective to ensure your messaging is as simple and clear as possible.
I don’t have a big marketing budget. Is this still worth the investment?
This is actually the best place to start because your budget is tight.
When you can’t afford to waste money, you need every dollar to count. Clarifying your message is the highest-leverage marketing investment you can make. It makes your website work harder, your referrals more effective, and your proposals more persuasive.
Everything else you do in marketing gets better once your message is clear.
Does StoryBrand help with SEO and traffic
The short answer is "kind of."
StoryBrand is designed to invite your customer into a story of their own transformation. In that, it is very user-friendly, which tends to lead to longer time on page, which search engines like.
StoryBrand and SEO fit together well, though. I write landing pages first using StoryBrand, because my main focus is your customer. Then, I go back and add what is needed to ensure it's got a strong SEO foundation.
You can read my article StoryBrand and SEO for a deeper dive on my process and the relationship between the two.