Storytelling

https://youtu.be/guMfpGwZrZc

What is storytelling? 

Storytelling is the process of using fact and narrative to communicate something to your audience. Some stories are factual, and some are embellished or improvised in order to better explain the core message.

Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to breathe life into your brand and often called one of the main components of a content marketing approach. By giving your products and services an identity by capturing and sharing the stories they really are, you can take your target audience on a journey they yearn to experience. In order for consumers to form a personal connection with your brand, company stories must be authentic, creative and inspirational.

Emotional branding is a progressive marketing strategy that has the potential to drive revenue and increase customer retention.How a person feels about your brand typically determines whether they buy your product. A brand is a matter of perception. When you tell a story that embodies human challenges, you create an experience that resonates with your customers.

Fundamentals of storytelling

Stories are captivating for a reason. From childhood through adulthood, we are drawn to the lessons we learn, the exciting journeys we embark upon, the knowledge we gain and the opportunity to unleash our imaginations.

Stories are continuously evolving and spontaneous iterations are frequent based on community memes, popular culture and events. Storytelling is not inventing a story. In fact, the very reason why your business exists, why you have developed products and services and why you do what you do is filled with stories.

Storytelling is not a one-off exercise but a matter of consistency and adapting to evolving human needs, although sometimes specific actions and initiatives can seem to have that one-off dimension.

Just like a fairy tale, a captivating brand story must have three acts that set up the situation, chronicle the conflict and offer a resolution. However, business stories are unique because they require a fourth element – a call to action, which is often indirect.

Identifying stories to tell

Stories must be personal. Think about how your brand was born, what inspired you to create the company and what your personal mission is. But most of all think about what the needs of the ‘audience’ were when doing so.

Why Do We Tell Stories

• Stories solidify abstract concepts and simplify complex messages

Stories help solidify abstract concepts and simplify complex messages. Taking a lofty, non-tangible concept and relating it using concrete ideas is one of the biggest strengths of storytelling in business.

• Stories bring people together

Like I said above, stories are a universal language of sorts. We all understand the story of the hero, of the underdog, or of heartbreak. We all process emotions and can share feelings of elation, hope, despair, and anger. Sharing in a story gives even the most diverse people a sense of commonality and community.

• Stories inspire and motivate

Stories make us human, and the same goes for brands. When brands get transparent and authentic, it brings them down-to-earth and helps consumers connect with them and the people behind them.

What makes a good story?

Words like “good” and “bad” are relative to user opinion. But there are a few non-negotiable components that make for a great storytelling experience, for both the reader and teller.

Good stories are …

• Entertaining: Good stories keep the reader engaged and interested in what’s coming next.
• Educational: Good stories spark curiosity and add to the reader’s knowledge bank.
• Universal: Good stories are relatable to all readers and tap into emotions and experiences that most people undergo.
• Organized: Good stories follow a succinct organization that helps convey the core message and helps readers absorb it.
• Memorable: Whether through inspiration, scandal, or humor, good stories stick in the reader’s mind.

Three components that make up a good story

1. Characters. Every story features at least one character, and this character will be the key to relating your audience back to the story. This component is the bridge between you, the storyteller, and the audience. If your audience can put themselves in your character’s shoes, they’ll be more likely to follow through with your call-to-action.
2. Conflict. The conflict is the lesson of how the character overcomes a challenge. Conflict in your story elicits emotions and connects the audience through relatable experiences. When telling stories, the power lies in what you’re conveying and teaching. If there’s no conflict in your story, it’s likely not a story.
3. Resolution. Every good story has a closing, but it doesn’t always have to be a good one. Your story’s resolution should wrap up the story, provide context around the characters and conflict(s), and leave your audience with a call-to-action.

The Storytelling Process

1. Know your audience.

Who wants to hear your story? Who will benefit and respond the strongest? In order to create a compelling story, you need to understand your readers and who will respond and take action.

2. Define your core message.

Is your story selling a product or raising funds? Explaining a service or advocating for an issue? What is the point of your story? To help define this, try to summarize your story in six to ten words. If you can’t do that, you don’t have a core message.

3. Decide what kind of story you’re telling.

Not all stories are created equal. To determine what kind of story you’re telling, figure out how you want your audience to feel or react as they read. This will help you determine how you’re going to weave your story and what objective you’re pursuing.

4. Establish your call-to-action.

What exactly do you want your readers to do after reading? Do you want them to donate money, subscribe to a newsletter, take a course, or buy a product? Outline this alongside your objective to make sure they line up.

5. Choose your story medium.

Stories can take many shapes and forms. Some stories are read, some are watched, and others are listened to. Your chosen story medium depends on your type of story as well as resources, like time and money. A digital story is told through a variety of media, such as video, animation, interactive stories, and even games. 

6. Write!

With your core message, audience objective, and call-to-action already established, this step is simply about adding detail and creative flair to your story. Read more about our storytelling formula to help you with this step.

7. Share your story.

Don’t forget to share and promote your story! Like with any piece of content, creating it is only half the battle — sharing it is the other. Digital stories can be shared on YouTube and Vimeo. While spoken stories are best conveyed in person, consider recording a live performance to share later. The more places you share your story, the more engagement you can expect from your audience.

Digital storytelling: the drivers

As said, the increasing attention for digital storytelling is driven by necessity but also goes hand in hand with the rise of predominantly digital marketing channels and tactics which lend themselves for it.

Just think about the link between storytelling and social sharing. Or about digital content marketing with its almost natural link with textual and visual – digital – storytelling.

• Good stories are remembered. And that requires art and science. Creativity and data.
• You’re talking to, with and through people who have their own stories to share. That’s where the magic happens: in the meeting of stories.

Make it personal

Do consumers always prefer stories and do we always need them? Sometimes customers just want plain facts and answers: when addressing (customer) questions becomes a content marketing strategy.

But even in these cases storytelling can be relevant when used for the right reasons. And these right reasons are to:

• make a lasting emotional connection,
• inspire and engage with a focus on the consumer’s story and personality,
• be better than the best answer.