Intro
Storytelling is an ancient practice. It’s the internet Version 1 😀
It’s how as a species we have passed on lessons, rules, laws, and processes from generation to generation, tribe to tribe, place to place. Stories teach us, inspire us, and invoke our emotions.
“What does that have to do with marketing?” I hear you ask.
Effective storytelling is a powerful tool for any organisation or business. It creates a personal and relatable link between you and your customer. It creates a connection, and with that comes trust. Write an authentic story and your customers will want to keep coming back to you. Storytelling helps you to stand out from the competition.
As someone running a small business, I’ve always been fascinated by the ability of the internet to ‘level the playing field’. Boxing clever allows almost anyone to compete with billion-dollar multinationals. Reading this blog post, it’s likely you’re a small organisation too, perhaps wondering how to get ahead in a sea of competition. The good news is, you absolutely can!
Does that fill you with optimisim? That’s a micro-story right there.
Of course you’ll be familiar with storytelling elsewhere. It’s all around you, such as adverts with ‘personal’ stories (portrayed by actors, mind you 🤔), every movie you watch, and the guests on talk shows plugging their book.
Let’s go through some of the key elements that a great story needs.
Be relatable
What is it that the “main character” of your story shares with the reader? You’ll need to know your audience - who do you want/expect to read this story, how do they normally speak, what words & phrases are they used to, and will they understand any industry terms or acronyms you use? In other words, use their language about something that is familiar to them. What experience or aspect do you have in common so that your story specifically resonates and relates to them?
Identify the problem
Your story has a point, of course. Be clear about the problem, difficulty or need that underpins this story, and ensure that is one that your audience identifies with. Selling a robo-vac? Then the need is a clean floor without putting in time & effort. Outline the problem or obstacle faced by the main character, and take the reader through a journey to find the solution (probably YOUR solution).
How was the problem solved?
And finally, describe that solution. How it was implemented, the difference it made, and thoughts & feelings about the new situation. Did it all work out as planned and expected? Definitely stir the emotions here!
Storytelling fits into all sorts of different areas of marketing. Your “About Us” page is a great start - why is it that you do what you do, and how does that relate to your customers? If you run an email newsletter, that’s an excellent place for storytelling. Flyers, product/service webpages, TV & radio ads, wherever you’ve got the space & time to squeeze in a story.
So maybe take 15 minutes now for a quick review of your own marketing. Are there places where you could/should be storytelling?
