How Can Storytelling Be Your Brand’s Competitive Edge?

What You’ll Learn

Mary Miller, Marketing and Communications Manager for West Carolina Tel, shares ideas from her panel on how broadband providers using ideas like those presented in Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework can gain a competitive advantage in marketing and in understanding the customer journey.

Guest Speaker

Mary Miller

Show Notes

Transcripts have been lightly edited for clarity and readability.

Intro: A production of Pioneer Utility Resources. StoryConnect, helping communicators discover ideas to shape their stories and connect with their customers.

Andy Johns: How can storytelling build your brand and be your competitive edge? That’s what we’ll be talking about on this episode of StoryConnect: The Podcast. My name is Andy Johns, your host with Pioneer, and I’m joined on this episode by Mary Miller, who’s the communications and marketing manager at WCTEL in Abbeville, South Carolina. Mary, thank you for joining me.

Mary Miller: Thank you for having me.

Andy Johns: Like some of the other recent episodes we’ve done, this episode is being recorded at the NTCA Sales and Marketing Conference in Austin, Texas. So like we always say with these live episodes, if you hear any noise in the background, it’s not background noise, it’s ambiance. Mary just left her session where she was on a panel. The panel was called “Marketing – Let’s Talk About Story Branding.” It kind of tied into the Donald Miller book “Story Brand,” which is a must for marketing or communications folks. If you haven’t checked that one out, Story Brand is a great one to read. But Mary, kind of give us an overview. What was the idea behind the panel today, and what messages were you hoping to get across to folks?

Mary Miller: Sure. Well, really, I mean, first of all, Andy, you mentioned Donald Miller’s book, “Building a Story Brand,” and it is a game changer for any marketer or communicator out there. It really, any person in any form of business, it is a game changer. And, you know, today we touched on the story brand methodology, but also the power of story in your marketing and communication efforts. So we were really fortunate to be joined with Brandon from Pivot and Nathan from Cinch, and we just got up there and talked about story, and it’s a subject near and dear to my heart.

Andy Johns: Perfect. I think part of the reason why I wanted to have you on this episode, in addition to, you know, just being a great panelist, was that story branding for you guys, it works for an established brand that’s been around for a long time, WCTEL. And it works for a brand new brand, Upcountry Fiber.

Mary Miller: Yes.

Andy Johns: Tell us a little bit about, before we go too far down the road, tell us a little bit about that partnership, because that’s – you know, there are a few of those around the country. But I think the Upcountry Fiber partnership you guys have is a good one for folks to to pay attention to.

Mary Miller: Definitely. So we are partnering with Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative to essentially build a fiber network to their customer member base. They serve about 70,000-75,000 customers in upstate South Carolina, and in some of the most remote, underserved areas. And we are building this project out to them. And it’s a long term project, but I’ll tell you what, we are moving quickly. We’re laying about 100 miles of fiber a month and signing up customers as fast as we can. And it’s really I think, you know, you talk a lot about partnerships in this field and the power of partnerships. And I think a partnership is only as good as the partner and the spirit of collaboration that you bring between both organizations. And we were so fortunate to have found Blue Ridge. That is many ways a mirror to ourselves in terms of our values, our commitment to the membership.

Andy Johns: That’s so important.

Mary Miller: Oh, it is. And it’s really, it starts at the board level, and it is permeated through both organizations. And there’s just this spirit of we are going to make this work. Egos are checked at the door. We’re not going to be concerned with who gets credit for what. We are in this together, and that is the tone for this partnership. And it has been a beautiful partnership so far. And what we have been able to accomplish together is so gratifying. And really some of these areas are incredibly rural, tough to get to. Our guys hit rock when they’re trying to trench, but the day that we can hook up customers and see the change that it is making in their life is incredible. And the only thing I can compare it to is how rural electric co-op folks must have felt when the lights finally turned on. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re bringing the world to upstate South Carolina one customer at a time. And it is one of the most gratifying projects to be a part of.

Andy Johns: Yeah, it’s funny you say that. I was reading recently a biography on Jimmy Carter, and he said the biggest day of his life was the day he got married. The second biggest day of his life was the day the lights came on at their house in Plains, Georgia, which is pretty cool. And I imagine a lot of folks are going through the same kind of thing when they get the service that you all are able to provide. So full disclosure, we’ve worked with the WCTELfolks for a long time, and we’re happy to partner with them on a magazine for, of course, the telco, but then also for the Upcountry Fiber thing. But I know you guys tell your story in the magazine, but also a lot of other channels, a lot of other campaigns, a lot of other ways that you’re out there telling that story. What are some of the ways that when you’re looking at conveying those kind of messages, how do you tell your story, whether it’s Upcountry Fiber or WCTEL?

Mary Miller: You know, it is about who we serve and why we exist. And we are so fortunate. This past summer, we became 100% fiber. We currently have speeds up to a gig, and we’re getting ready to launch a multi-gig product, but that’s not what we’re leading with. And what we’re leading with is the people. And so this past year, we’ve really taken a look at our brand and our strategy and peeled back who our customers are, who our members are and what they care about, and we’re trying to meet them where they’re at. And then from there, build out a messaging strategy. And story is a huge part of it. It is an absolute huge part of it. And, you know, in the west Carolina side of things, we’re in rural South Carolina. And what I’ve found, obviously I don’t sound like I’m native to South Carolina, because I’m not.I’m a northerner. I’m from North Dakota. But what has amazed me about being in the Abbeville area is you have rural South Carolina. And so many of the people there are multi-generational residents who choose to live there because they love it. And their dream is to have their grandkids grow up and build a life and build a family right there. And I’m amazed that you have this. And then you’ve got this incredible Internet service that enables the lifestyle they want that rivals, if not surpasses Internet service in some of the most urban of areas. They have it right here. And so our new campaign really is building on that message. And it’s “Anything is possible right here at home.” And so –.

Andy Johns: I thought that was really good.

Mary Miller: It’s great. Kids can work and do all sorts of Internet homework if they need to, you know, gosh, hopefully we’re never in a COVID situation again, but being able to do remote schooling. We’ve had people from the East Coast, Upper East Coast moved down here because they want a quiet pace of life and beautiful weather and just land. And, you know, we’re finding a lot of people before they make the decision to move, they want to know what kind of service that we have. And so we’re really excited to share this story that, right here at home, anything is possible. You can telecommute, stream, game, whatever. And not to mention all the Wi-Fi enabled devices that really punctuate our day to day life. So we’re just telling those stories. And then with Upcountry Fiber, it’s a little bit of a different audience. I mentioned some of those rural, remote, underserved areas, but then we also have these communities on Lake Keowee that are multi-million dollar homes. And we have a real diverse customer base there. And at the same time, we’re trying to build our brand and build that brand recognition. But we wanted these two campaigns to speak to each other, maybe a slightly different dialect, but speak to each other. So that campaign is “Life Unlimited.” And again, it’s really zeroing in on the beauty of the upstate and what you can do and the camping and just the lifestyle. And you are not limited by any sort of digital divide. So we’re just on the beginning phases of this, and we’re having a lot of fun. And, you know, we’re not leading with the speed. We’re not leading with a gig, we’re not leading with any of that. We’re leading with the lifestyle that is enabled by the service we provide.

Andy Johns: Yeah. And so you touched on quite a few things there. Number one, as a plug for the upstate of South Carolina, we wound up over there quite a bit for some weekend trips and everything during the pandemic. It’s just gorgeous over there.

Mary Miller: It is.

Andy Johns: Absolutely, and I don’t think it’s as well known as some of the other parts in the mountains in the southeast. But you touched on a couple of things there. I was going to ask you about the audience because I know you talked about that, and it’s so important to know it like you do. But one of the themes I heard in your session and I heard in others throughout this conference here is that speed is not enough. You know, you can’t talk about just speed. And I know we’ve shared data from the Innovative Systems Survey where they said for the first time ever, the number one complaint that people had in their survey wasn’t the price anymore. It came back to experience. And so, you know, the two things that you see traditionally, so many folks in the broadband space have competed on price and speed. That’s no longer the big thing, and that’s been a big theme throughout this throughout this conference.

Mary Miller: Yes. You know, it’s a commodity. Our competitors, they’re leading with speed. They’re leading with price. They’re often coming into our area and trying to win our customers by almost giving Internet away. We can’t win the day on speed and price. We can’t. But we can win it on service and partnership with each other. And to your point, the experience. And I think as Internet providers and cooperatives in our area, we have so much to offer. And the biggest thing is helping our customers win the day. And so, beyond the speed, you know, do you offer an app? Do you have managed Wi-Fi? What can you do with Wi-Fi? What peace of mind does that Wi-Fi give you? You know, we currently have launched Wi-Fi X that, you know, it protects the threats and viruses from even entering your home network. And that’s something people have to think about their homes now, is there are many networks. I mean, most people have more than ten devices connected to their network. And I think as a cooperative, we exist to solve problems for our members. And part of that is to help them. So to be able to offer a managed Wi-Fi service that will help secure their home, we’re looking out for them because it’s the right thing to do. You know, and then also the customers with children and the ability to maybe better control their Wi-Fi experience and turn off Wi-Fi, if needed. It’s important. And that’s all wrapped into that overall customer experience. But it extends so much more beyond that. It’s how our technicians treat the customers when they walk into their home to hook up the Internet. And I have heard so many stories of things that our technicians have done for customers because it’s the right thing to do, whether it’s hanging TVs or anything above and beyond is just showing respect and showing that spirit of service. And I think that’s what is going to ultimately, hopefully, make us more sticky and want our customers to stick with us.

Andy Johns: Yeah, one of the slides I had taken a picture of from a presentation here is a Seth Godin quote – and I’ll always love a good Seth Godin quote.

Mary Miller: Yes.

Andy Johns: It’s “Marketing is the way your people answer the phone, the type setting on your bills, and your return policy.”

Mary Miller: Yes.

Andy Johns: It’s everything.

Mary Miller: I took a picture of that, too. Yes, it is. It is. It’s also it’s how they feel when they see your brand, when they hear your name. It’s that feeling. And it is one little tiny thing at a time. It’s exactly that. It’s how your lobby feels and smells when you walk in the door. It’s whether your employees are smiling. It’s everything you put out on the Internet. It’s essentially living. You know, you really want to be in alignment with your values and make sure that what you value is also what we are putting out into the world.

Andy Johns: And it goes back to the story brand to bring it back to the original topic that, you know, the customer is the hero on that journey. And it all goes back to that.

Mary Miller: We’re not the hero. I know we’d like to think of ourselves as, but we’re not. We are the guide. We’re the Obi-Wan Kenobi. We’re helping them win the day. And I think going through Story Brand training and reading the book, that is the biggest “aha moment” for me. You know, I’ve been in the electric industry, co-op industry. I’ve been in the software co-op industry, and now I’m here. And, you know, I told the story of 50th anniversary celebrations and celebrating them. And now that I’ve gone through the Story Brand training, I think there’s things I would have done differently. It’s not about us. It’s not about our milestones. It is about the customers and the members that built us and that brought us to the dance and that sustain us today. And I think there is a way for organizations to tell their story, but if you do it through the eyes of the customer and you let the rest of the story unfold, that’s where the magic happens. And that’s why you see some of the most successful brands. You don’t hear Apple talking about their technology. I mean, and when you compare an Apple to a Google phone, the Google phone probably takes better pictures, but people are loyal to Apple. And it goes back to what you said. It’s about the packaging. It’s about the messaging. It’s about the aspirational identity that Apple presents to us. And, you know, same with, I’m a big fan of REI. REI is a co-op. I’m a member of it.

Andy Johns: Same.

Mary Miller: You know, and I think they do some of the most surprising things. Like on Black Friday, they close, and they tell you to get outside. As a member, that makes me feel good because they care about me. That’s how I view it. And I think as broadband co-ops, we have such a potential to have that same impact with our customers and members.

Andy Johns: Absolutely. Last thing for you, and I appreciate the time this morning. What advice do you have for somebody maybe who’s listening and whether they’re at this conference or not, they’ve been competing on price and speed or, you know, kind of the basics of it. And they’re, you know, hey, this sounds pretty good. Where do they start or what kind of advice would you have for somebody who’s kind of opening their eyes to this approach for the first time?

Mary Miller: Well, I think, read the book.

Andy Johns: Read the book.

Mary Miller: Read the book. That will help so much. But also let your “why” lead you. Why do you exist? And get to the crux of it. And then find out what matters. What matters? And the biggest hint is that it’s not speed. What matters is that they can work from home and be on Zoom calls, and when they’re presenting, not be all of a sudden, you know, glitching on them. But find out what matters and segment your messaging. Know your audience. Tailor your messaging when you need to be very careful about that, but always be authentic and true to yourself. Don’t try to be a chameleon and change your personality based on who you’re talking to. Stay true to yourself and your values, but just learn to frame your messaging differently based on your audience. But it’s not hard. Anybody can do it.

Andy Johns: There’s so much to unpack there with the segmentation and everything else you brought up, we’ll have to bring you back for a sequel at some point and do this again sometime.

Mary Miller: Oh, I’d love to.

Andy Johns: All right. Thank you so much for being on, Mary.

Mary Miller: Oh, thank you for having me.

Andy Johns: She is Mary Miller. She’s the marketing and communications manager with WCTEL in Abbeville, South Carolina. I’m your host, Andy Johns. And until we talk again, keep telling your story.

Outro: StoryConnect is produced by Pioneer Utility Resources, a communications cooperative that is built to share your story. StoryConnect is engineered by Lucas Smith of Lucky Sound Studio.