Storytelling has existed for as long as people could talk to each other. Despite its status as an ancient art, it is more relevant than ever, especially in business contexts. In marketing and branding, storytelling is a great way to connect with consumers’ hearts and minds and forge deep, meaningful connections with audiences, especially in markets that are crowded with inauthenticity.Â
It doesn’t matter how good your team is; you could have fully qualified marketing team members, an established tech department, and an HR leader with a Masters in HR, but your business won’t stand a chance if your storytelling falls flat. Consumers don’t want to be sold on lists of features – sometimes, they just want to hear a good story. This article explores how storytelling functions as a strategic asset and helps get consumers over the line to connect with your message, detailing its role, benefits, and how you can implement effective storytelling.
What is storytelling in business?
This isn’t a picture book or the latest YA craze. Storytelling in business is about crafting and presenting narratives that communicate what your brand is all about, including its mission, your values, and any unique selling points that will make you stand out from the competition. It’s important to focus on the emotional connection between the human aspects of your brand and your potential customers, so they can connect with the message you’re sending on an emotional level, rather than simply viewing your company as a way to buy goods or services.
Effective brand storytelling is authentic, reliable, and emotionally resonant – you’ve evolved from a service provider, and now you’re a partner who has the same values and goals as the consumer. What this looks like is entirely dependent on your industry and what you actually provide to your audience. For some, it can be as simple as a real customer testimonial, but for others, you might find that it takes a little bit more elbow grease.
Why is storytelling important in marketing?
Humans are drawn to stories. Our brains love finding meaning in things, even when there isn’t any meaning to be found. This is because they help us process information and play a vital role in building emotional bonds – very useful for forming groups and staying alive longer. In marketing terms, taking advantage of this evolutionary trait means that emotionally resonant stories can create empathy and a sense of shared purpose between a brand and its audience.
In a saturated market, creating compelling and relatable stories can be the deciding factor for customers choosing between similar products. Let’s say you’re running a small business – a bed and breakfast, for example. Creating a story that highlights your brand’s origins, the challenges you’ve overcome while building it, or commitments to things you think your audience will resonate with, like environmental sustainability, then you’re crafting a narrative that differentiates you from every other hotel in your area. You’re creating a loyal customer base, too: if you’re telling honest and transparent stories, you’re likely to attract the attention of consumers who value authenticity and are often willing to pay a premium for it.
Benefits of effective storytelling
Stories also have the benefit of increasing engagement with your marketing. If you’re running a social media campaign that asks customers to share their experiences (maybe with a prize incentive) then you’re far more likely to get clicks, shares and discussions if you tell a story when asking for information. You’re also definitely going to build strong, long-lasting relationships with your customers; for example, if you’re a food brand advertising products that are made sustainably, creating a narrative around your sustainability initiatives could create a shared sense of purpose between you and your audience.
You can also use narratives to make statistics more relatable. If you use numbers as part of a larger story, then you can communicate insights that can be difficult to digest in an engaging form, especially if it’s data that’s relevant and actionable to consumers.
How to leverage storytelling
First of all, define your narrative. There’s nothing worse than having a story that’s all over the place. What inspired you to create the business? What challenges have you faced and overcome? What do you stand for as a company?
Next, you need to focus on your customer as the hero and go back to classic storytelling: the hero’s journey. This is to position your customer as the hero, with your brand acting as the wizened guide that will help them on their quest. For example, you could show how a running app can help them overcome their struggles with getting out of the house and being active.
Throughout this process, evoke emotion. Joy, inspiration, empathy and even loss or sadness are likely to be remembered and shared. Think about heartfelt advertisements or inspiring campaigns, like Australian airline Qantas’s advert about reuniting for the birthday of a loved one. It’s a real tear-jerker and a great example of how you can use emotion to amplify your narrative and make sure it remains in the hearts and minds of those who see it. With the ad, Qantas wanted to communicate that they’re all about connecting people, and they hold familial bonds in high esteem because over a third of family trips are to visit other family or friends.
The strategic edge
The art of storytelling is an invaluable strategic asset in business, particularly in how you market your brand. If you successfully craft compelling narratives that resonate emotionally with your audience, then you can find yourself building stronger customer relationships with an audience that will cheer you on. For businesses looking to stand out in a busy market, storytelling isn’t just a cheap trick: it’s an essential strategy that can be worked into every facet of your communication with your audience. Every sentence can paint a picture or tell a story, so make sure your words are making an impact in an authentic and memorable way.
