Once upon a time… Many famous stories have begun with those words. Those stories have stuck in our minds for many years and their values still remain fast in our hearts. That’s how much power stories exert.
Storytelling has become a professional marketing technique with many professionals flocking to perfect their act of telling enticing and enchanting stories to improve sales.
An untrained mind may quickly dismiss storytelling and claim to focus on ‘better’ marketing techniques but forget the very fundamentals of storytelling.
Storytelling Attacks The Human Emotion
For one thing, storytelling attacked every marketer’s target – human emotion. A good story should be able to bring out the emotions of the audience and that is what every marketer tries to do.
Storytelling connects with human emotions and ties an even stronger knot between the brand and the customer. Customers can identify and unite with a brand that has a powerful story to tell. They simply see you as someone they can relate to. That has been the age-long benefit of storytelling. In its earliest form, cavemen had pictures and inscriptions on walls that told stories of their adventure to future generations. Many people today hold fast to their traditions on the basis of the stories that have been handed over to them. That is the power of storytelling.
Storytelling Promotes Engagement
Remember what happens when a story stops unexpectedly? If you can, you’d definitely ask for a continuation. That is because you are in the story. That is the kind of engagement stories bring. On social media, stories about brands and businesses create engagement because the audience can relate. Fitting examples of stories that create engagement are those that create a problem and a solution. Like magic, people with similar problems would relate and engage. Marketing mission accomplished!
Storytelling Builds Retention
What are your favourite childhood stories? Most likely even as an adult you still have them fresh in your minds. Imagine those stories were promoting a brand. No doubt your affinity to the brand would be strong. That again is how much power storytelling has. When your story strikes a chord in the heart of your audience, it stays that way for a very long time. That is the goal of every storyteller.
There is Always Something New With Storytelling
I remember a workshop I attended for copywriters. The facilitator stressed that no idea is utterly new. What makes an idea unique is how we twist it and to what angle we direct it. Storytelling allows us to play with ideas and twist them to suit a purpose. So even if your business and the competition is selling the same idea, with storytelling you would be doing it differently.
Storytelling Brings Results
When you get your audience in the story, it is only natural that they would do your bidding and move in the direction you want them. Evidently, your story would end with a call to action and chances that they will take the action lies in the effectiveness of your story. Tell a story today and experience something totally different in your marketing strategy.
Your brand has a story your customers would kill to hear. They want to know what solutions you provide and what you’ve sacrificed to give them world-class service. Tell that story, it’s a strategy that works. Websites, videos and social media stories are excellent ways to start talking. If you’ve not started, the best time is now.