Balancing Clarity in the StoryBrand Framework with a Bit of Magic

Clarity and magic can coexist.

All of us working with the StoryBrand Framework are on board with the primacy and value of clarity, but I think for many of us in the Certified Guide community, there’s this haunting voice in the background as we work. It keeps tugging on our typing arm, asking if we will lose something in the act of being crystal clear – the emotion, the spark . . . something magical.

If you're using the SB7 Framework to market your business, you've likely had the same tug on your arm.

Because we’ve seen the outstanding, magical commercials StoryBrand shares in the Live Workshop, like these . . .

We’ve laughed and cried real tears at some really effective marketing. Magic is possible, but easy to miss.

Feels like a lot of pressure.

So, here’s an invitation. Something that might help this feel easier, because a little bit of magic goes a long way.

The Best Marketing Magic Is Simpler than You Think

To explain what I mean, I’m going to turn to the master, Stephen Sondheim, and my favorite show of his, Sunday in the Park with George. Improbably, it’s a beloved musical about a guy struggling to finish a painting. Well, there’s more to it, but if you were the audience about to enter the Booth Theatre in New York in 1984, that’s the information you had. And what you saw was a blank, white stage – a canvas – full of possibility and mystery.

As the first chords rang out, the stage was transformed with old-school, simple, well-timed theatre magic into the background of Georges Seurat’s legendary work, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. (The show is sitting on YouTube here – all you need is the first few minutes.)

It’s a stunning shift, all led by the artist, George, as he speaks and wills it all into being. Color and light are poured onto the stage, and it’s filled with the water, the grassy lawn, and the trees of the park in the painting. Not a bad start.

Then this happens.

Just a few lines into the start of the show, George’s model, Dot, asks him why he’s so agitated, to which he replies, “I hate this tree.”

And one of the trees flies off stage.

It’s the oldest trick in the theatrical book. It flies up into the air, pulled on ropes and wires, accompanied by a magical, musical chord. It’s also really funny, and that simple act of motion casts a super-clear message. The rules of this world are now clear.

The transformation in the beginning was impressive, but now, make no doubt about it, we are in the painting, and this is George’s world. The very trees obey his command, and the audience is set perfectly off balance not knowing what to expect for the next two hours.

Simple moments of magic, properly contextualized, go a long way, and they’re often born from the oldest tricks in the book. People anticipate these kinds of moments in the theatre, and the moment someone clicks on our websites or opens an email is a kind of theatre, a raising of the curtain and an opportunity to surprise and inspire.

So, here’s my StoryBrand marketing challenge for you, and I’m taking it up myself.

Once the StoryBrand BrandScript is aligned, and you’ve called the wireframe into existence with beautifully aligned concepts and thoughts, there’s an opportunity to ask…

Have I found a moment which clues the audience into the magic of this story?

Because magic, properly contextualized, brings clarity.

You just need one! And here's the good news, it still comes from the old tricks…

A certain image.
A compelling bit of copy.
An unexpected story loop.
A surprising design element.

I haven't achieved this in all of my clients’ projects yet, but here are a few moments I think turned out kind of magical.

I love the header image for this site, Flourish Veterinary. This consultant helps veterinary staff overcome a super stressful environment and rediscover the love of their work. This happy vet tech being loved on by some real cute dogs represents the joy these professionals want to recapture in their work. It’s a stock shot - lucky find. No big deal - just the right place and time.

My frequent StoryBrand collaborator, Jay Tickle, put a nifty moment of magic into our Thai3Wheels site when he did the final website design. All I did was provide images of the product with and without the fresh flavors and ingredients which make it great. They were doing to be used in different places on the site. He programmed in a magical little animation on the hover over the jars which reveals the fresh flavors within. I love it. It’s just not a jar. It leads somewhere – to possibility.

Funny enough, my other frequent partner, Naomi Gee, did the same with her label design. I was like, "Can you put the entree on the label?" And she delivered a design where only part of it is seen, and it points somewhere - to work yet to be done and flavors yet to create. That was their magic.

My favorite headline yet is on this site, Burn Ban which Certified Guide Jackie Martin kindly asked me to collaborate on. Those four words, Make Water Work Harder, are magic to the firefighters who see this site. There’s hope in the midst of the overwhelming odds they face.

One moment of marketing magic is a win.

It elevates the rest of the clear storytelling needed to win trust, generate leads, and drive revenue.

Simply asking the question goes a long way. “Did I find a moment of magic - a storytelling element that helped crystalize what this is all about?”

One moment, born from the essential, old tricks, is all it needs. If you find a few, you’re freaking David Copperfield!

So, here’s the fun part. I wonder what some of you will discover if you think back. Have a look and pat yourself on the back for the magic you and your collaborators have sprinkled into the essential clarity of your work. What was it? Magic is meant to be celebrated and shared.

I guarantee you have already created moments, magical signposts that pull the whole story together and create anticipation for what comes next.

And I guarantee you’ve got more rabbits in your hat.

Let's make some marketing magic together.

Schedule a Call Here to make sure your business is using the StoryBrand Framework and Marketing Made Simple methodology for maximum impact. We'll help you find the right brand message for connecting with your audience and use it to turn your website into an engine for growth.

Oh, and we'll make sure we find some moments of magic along the way.