Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller

Many business owners who come to us have already invested heavily in marketing — a logo, a website, a few social media accounts, and maybe even a trendy SMMA promising to “get their name out there” and “boost engagement.” 

But despite all that effort… nothing’s really working.

Why? Because they’ve skipped the 20% that drives 80% of the results: clear, compelling messaging.

More often than not, we see websites that talk a lot about the business — but say little that actually matters to potential customers. And if your messaging doesn’t clearly answer “What’s in it for me?” from your prospect’s perspective, they’ll bounce. Fast.

In his book Building a StoryBrand, Donald Miller explains that great marketing isn’t about telling your story — it’s about telling your customer’s story and positioning yourself as the guide to help them succeed. After all, you started your business to solve your customer’s problems — so why wouldn’t your messaging do the same?

That’s where Miller’s SB7 framework comes in — a simple, collaborative tool to align your entire organization around a clear and compelling customer-focused narrative with the content that you already have to instantly improve your marketing results.

And the rest? You can leave that to us.

Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Knowing what to say by creating a clear narrative is one thing — but knowing how to say it through compelling messaging puts you miles ahead of the competition. Because no matter how great your idea is, it’s only as good as your ability to communicate it effectively.

In their book Made to Stick, Chip Heath and Dan Heath explore why some messages resonate and spread like wildfire, while others quickly fade away. They reveal that the most compelling messages share a handful of distinctive qualities that make ideas easy to understand but hard—if not impossible—to forget.

But beyond these qualities, one concept stands out in particular: The Curse of Knowledge. This cognitive bias happens when someone with specialized knowledge assumes that others share the same understanding. In other words, the more you know about something, the harder it becomes to imagine what it’s like not to know it.

As a business owner, your deep expertise in your industry is both an asset and a liability. You may have brilliant ideas, but your messaging may sometimes end up either overly simple, overly complex, jargon-heavy, or simply disconnected from the needs of your customers and staff.

Being aware of the Curse of Knowledge — and applying the SUCCES framework (yes, with just one S at the end) — can transform how you communicate. It will not only improve your external marketing but also streamline internal communications, making your entire business operation smoother and more efficient.

Influence by Robert Cialdini

Warren Buffett’s right-hand man, Charlie Munger, once said, “Cialdini’s book is by far the best and most useful book on psychology,” adding, “You can’t really understand human behavior without reading Cialdini.” — and he’s absolutely right.

In his magnum opus Influence, Robert Cialdini —  Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State and visiting professor at Stanford — distills a lifetime of research into seven timeless, easy-to-apply principles of persuasion. Paired with his fresh, pragmatic writing style, Cialdini delivers insights that are readily applicable to how we communicate, persuade, and lead.

It’s no surprise Influence has become required reading for psychology students, as well as top marketers, salespeople, negotiators, and leaders across industries. At aion.agency, we integrate these principles into a broader framework of behavioral psychology to craft marketing strategies and that drive real-world results — often with immediate impact.

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