Starting a business presents a unique set of problems, but branding that company in a way that appeals to the masses oftentimes presents an even bigger and more challenging proposition.
初期建立一家公司意味着会出现一系列问题，不过推广公司品牌在某种程度上时常能够吸引广大消费者，这也意味着公司将会面临更大的挑战。

While branding is often associated with large corporations and pricey advertising agencies, the truth is that companies of all sizes have a brand and can benefit from telling their story.
通常推广公司品牌都会与大型机构还有费用高昂的广告公司相联系，实际上，任何规模的公司都具有自己的品牌并且能够从推广其理念中获益。


Businesses of any size can strengthen their relationships with customers by following the six steps listed below:
任何规模的商业机构都能够加强与客户之间的联系，以下的6步就能帮助你：

Step One: Collect the Back Story:
第一步：了解公司背景。

Successful brand stories must start by gathering relevant information, which includes an assessment of the brand's culture and the problems and opportunities it faces with competition in the marketplace.
成功的品牌故事都必须从收集相关信息开始，其中包括该品牌的文化和面临的挑战，以及在市场中竞争的机遇。

Step Two: Characterize the Brand:
第二步：品牌个性化。

Once some information is collected about the brand, a more detailed explanation and understanding of the brand's values and beliefs is needed to further shape the brand story. By doing this, it can set up guardrails on a brand that will help it stay focused on strengths and avoid weaknesses.
当所需的信息收集得差不多了，接下来就要把品牌故事再深入扩展，可以通过对其公司价值和信念作详细的分析和了解。通过这种方法，就能够建立品牌有效屏障，帮助公司扬长避短。

Step Three: Characterize the Prospect:
第三步：描绘前景。

With background information collected, the next logical step is to identify potential needs that the brand can appeal to with potential customers.
当所需的背景信息都已收集，下一步就要清楚潜在需求，由此满足潜在客户的需求。

Step Four: Connect the Characters:
第四步：角色联系。

Creating a strong brand story that appeals to potential customers is not of much use unless that story can be connected to prospective customers. The hope with creating a strong brand story is to build a relationship that is based strongly on values and beliefs.
塑造出一个强有力的品牌故事，能够吸引许多潜在的客户，但这并不是一件简单的事情，这个故事必须与目标客户相联系。塑造强有力的品牌故事的希望必须建立在价值观和信念的基础上，这样才能与客户打好关系。

Step Five: Confront the Obstacles:
第五步：直面困难。

There are four significant challenges that affect the development of the brand story. These challenges include awareness, comprehension, confidence and affinity and need to be addressed in order to fully connect with customers.
对于品牌故事的塑造，有四个主要因素能够决定其成败。它们分别是品牌意识，品牌解读，品牌自信和品牌亲和力，并且这些因素需要充分地运用到与客户的联系当中。

Step Six: Complete the Story Brief:
第六步：故事的完整性。

The last step in this process involves connecting the inner layer and outer layers. Outer layers include the function of the brand and what customers desire, while inner layers include what both parties subscribe to.
塑造品牌故事的最后一步包括内部因素和外部因素。外部因素包括品牌的功能和顾客的需求，而内部则需要双方的支持。

声明：本双语文章的中文翻译系沪江英语原创内容，转载请注明出处。中文翻译仅代表译者个人观点，仅供参考。如有不妥之处，欢迎指正。