Amazon affiliate links are included in this post.

Note: This book review will be brief, mainly because most of my opinions of the book are purely subjective.

Overview

My rating: 7.5/10  Genre: Business, Marketing, Branding Page Count: 225

Donald Miller is a best-selling Author and CEO of StoryBrand, a marketing company that provides workshops, courses, consulting, and resources to help businesses refine their messaging using a narrative-based framework (SB7).

In Building A Story Brand, Donald Miller uses a seven-step framework, also known as the SB7 Framework, to guide readers in creating a simple yet engaging brand for their customers. The framework reflects the characteristics of a movie plot.

The SB7 framework consists of seven components:

• One: The hero (our customer)
• Two: Problem (internal, external. philosophical)
• Three: A guide (you or your business)
• Four: The guide offers a plan (the product or service you’re selling)
• Five: Which calls the hero to take action (your CTA, call to action)
• Six: To help them avoid failure (the downside if they don’t follow the CTA)
• Seven: And help them achieve success (the benefits of following the CTA)

What I Liked About The Book

Miller’s initial mapping of the SB7 framework, followed by detailed explanations of each step, makes the book accessible and easy to follow. This approach, tailored for those new to branding or marketing, ensures that the book is a perfect fit for its intended audience.

If you are new to marketing, then you will appreciate the simplistic nature of the book.

What I Disliked About The Book

Although I’m not a marketing expert, I studied Business at University, where I was required to take a few marketing courses. I also find marketing exciting and do a lot of research on the subject.

That said, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the book and didn’t find any of Miller’s key ideas profound, new, or exciting. While I can appreciate the framework’s creativity, at its core, it is basic marketing principles repackaged to appear different, even though it’s nothing new.

Additionally, in the book’s last section, Miller shows readers how they can further implement the framework into their business. Although, in theory, this sounds great, a few chapters felt unnecessary and made the book fluffier than it had to be.

For example, there was an entire chapter on how to build a good website. Although I agree that having a good website is essential, I still don’t understand why writing a whole chapter about it was necessary when a few paragraphs would’ve sufficed. 

I was initially excited to read this book, but I don’t think I was the target demographic. Since the content is simple, the book would’ve done better as a blog article or a 30-minute YouTube video. 

Final Thoughts

That said, I recommend reading this book if you’re new to marketing and want to learn more about branding. Otherwise, if you’re familiar with marketing, you can skip reading this book since you won’t miss out on much.

If you want to read the book, you can purchase it here.