Startups use storyboarding to craft the perfect buying experience for their customers. They think through every step of what it takes to make a purchase, from product/service selection all the way through ensuring successful delivery of that promise - and everything in between! It's like creating an interactive roadmap based on your brand identity — so you can be sure that no matter how complicated or simple the process is, those ideals remain consistent throughout. At its core, this method helps startups optimize their workflow while avoiding mistakes (and costly issues) along they way – talk about efficiency at its finest!

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#1 Setting the Scene

Setting the scene is directly related to your brand strategy. It’s being strategic about what your consumer is seeing, experiencing, and feeling. The emotional, visual, and intangible elements make a purchase an experience.

All of the cool kids on the DTC (direct-to-consumer) block who launched in the last few years (Casper, Quip, Glossier, etc.) boasted about being digital-first tech companies. But in the last three years, brick-and-mortar stores have become an important part of their growth plans. They understand that a retail touchpoint allows them to completely set the stage for a purchase.

Crafting the perfect purchase experience has become a priority for direct-to-consumer companies like Casper, Quip and Glossier. No longer content with relying exclusively on digital channels alone to engage customers, they've embraced physical retail locations as an integral part of their success stories, recognizing that owning every aspect of the shopper's journey is essential to setting your brand apart from competitors.

It's why many companies refuse to use Amazon as their e-commerce platform. There is little to no brand ownership over the experience, despite it being a huge distribution platform.

Never undervalue the emotional connection customers make while shopping. Each touchpoint has its own identity and builds excitement along the way.

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#2 The Plot : How do you plan for something that motivates your customers to move forward?

The plot is how you plan to move the story and customers forward. 

And just like the outline of a script where there’s an understanding of the key things that need to happen,, you should also consider prototyping the customer journey.

 Prototyping means making versions of your product or service that work before you release it to the public. This gives you an opportunity to test and refine each component of the storyboard. By knowing how people act from the start, you can create an environment that is more likely to lead to a sale.

Sales is complex, and treating it as if it isn’t will severely limit your chances of winning.

"Far too often, retailers think that consumer buying is randomized." "Certain products appeal to certain customers, and a purchase either happens or doesn’t." Shane Johnson

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#3 Dialogue- Content + Brand Strategy

At times, content strategy is thought of solely of marketing materials. Content Strategy and your content involves every SINGLE conversation you will have with your customer. There is no such thing as a neutral interaction. These conversations should have a consistent strategy tone and purpose.

Bigger deals tend to require more conversations. The value you create through your pre to post purchase dialogue is vital to closing the loop on that sale.

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