Our Passionate about Stories series looks at storytelling from organisations of all shapes and sizes. The series gives us an opportunity to learn from brands we love and develop our storytelling skills.
Our first Passionate about Stories of 2019 is looking at Beardbrand, the company dedicated to making the best beard products and being the best beard company.
To find out how we can help your team tell your brand story, request a consultation here.
Their story
In early 2012 after competing in the 2012 West Coast Beard & Mustache Championships Eric Bandholz launch Beardbrand. Originally it was a way to unite beardsmen and form a community.
Beardbrand grew steadily on their blog, YouTube channel and through Tumblr for 2012, but Bandholz had a bigger vision. He recognised the potential of the company, even when no one else did. He saw a gap in the market for advice for growing beards, maintaining them. One of the biggest things Bandholz wanted to overcome was the negative stereotype attached with beardsmen.
By the Autumn of 2012, Bandholz met Lindsey Reinders and Jeremy McGee. Both of them saw potential in Bandholz idea and they came onboard. Together the three of them came together to launch the first ever Beardbrand store.
Making their mark with videos
When they first started out, Beardbrand used video and their YouTube channel as their biggest marketing tool.
Their YouTube channel often contains instructional videos for how to look after your beard. They include information about beards, grooming tips, barbershop videos, travel hacks and overall beard maintenance information.
The brand also collate their videos into different series and stories, making sure there is something for everyone and every beard.
Through their channel, Beardbrand has also been able to introduce different members of their team. Eric Bandholz, Carlos Costa, Greg Berzinsky and Jeff Buoncristiano all have their own series on the channel. This lets the audience know more about the people and the beards behind the brand. Allowing them to tell their own stories in front of the camera builds a relationship with an audience and adds personality to the brand.
As of December 2018, their channel had 1,033,295 subscribers.
Style and Substance
Beardbrand’s website and social media account ooze style. A simple glance at their Instagram page will show you they believe in stylish photography and slick storytelling.
With style companies often tend to lose substance. This hasn’t happened with Beardbrand.
While keeping their sense of style their blog, website and social media shares informative and engaging content perfect for their target audience.
Handy tips for how to grow your beard and maintain it, tips for growing your hair and posts about skin care are just some of the featured piece of content.
These speak to the brand’s target audience and keep them engagement with the content and the brand overall.
As Beardbrand continues to grow and succeed their ability to tell great stories is something they will never lose. Its proven track record of helping grow the brand means it will be something they will continue to do and something that will stand to them and help with their audience engagement and growth.
