In childhood, we were put to bed with a fairy tale. As we got older, we were looking for stories in books, TV series, movies, and conversations with our friends. A great story has appeal to audiences of all ages. Some of us are good listeners while others are good storytellers. But one way or another, storytelling is an integral part of our lives.
But how can storytelling help your business?
Every company attempting to develop a strong and enduring brand should become proficient in storytelling as it is a powerful skill in business. More than entertainment, well-told stories fascinate listeners and spur them to action. They are more powerful than statistics, more compelling than business-case arguments, and more memorable than numbers.
All you need to do is to effectively pack a story around how using your goods or services might have a positive impact on the lives of the end-users.
Here are the reasons that exactly explain why storytelling in content marketing is an absolute must-have:
Builds emotional connection with the audience
Helps businesses communicate their brand values and vision in a way that captures the reader’s attention
Fosters brand loyalty and credibility
Prevents you from appearing as aggressively selling
Set you apart from the rest of the competitors
But the key to success is knowing how to implement storytelling in your content marketing. Here is a handful of tips on how to accomplish it effectively:
Learn your audience. Readers need to identify with your writing in order to connect with it. So, spend enough time researching your target audience. Create a story that speaks to your reader’s needs and desires, and appeals to them on a personal level
Be genuine. It’s crucial to be sincere and truthful with your audience when sharing stories. The human brain can filter out noise from the story being told. That’s why one should be extremely careful of how it is crafted.
Be simple. Write in clear, concise language. Avoid jargon, cliches, and complex words. Keep it short and have a great title to grab readers` attention.
Embellish the story with emotion. Emotions are what make your story real and human so without them, your message would be just like another elevator pitch. This could be anything — fear, anger, joy, thrill, surprise, or any other emotion that either motivates, moves or makes the reader feel something and connect with your brand.
Encourage sales. When you tell a story it’s crucial to include a call to action that will engage and excite your audience. This could be anything from asking them to share their own stories, to visiting your website or attending an event. But don’t start with the product or service instead of the story. It might be the biggest mistake that will ruin the whole magnitude of the story. When this happens, it can often feel like a sales pitch rather than an engaging story.
Brand storytelling is part and parcel of any good B2C content marketing strategy. What about B2B businesses, though?
The B2B world has been met with resistance when it comes to adopting a more emotionally-driven form of marketing, as someone refers to B2B as “Boring 2 Boring.” But evidence suggests that B2B businesses have much to gain from taking on a more humanized approach.
People in B2B and B2C don’t differ all that much from one another. Businesspeople are still people. They just happen to be at work. And just because they work doesn’t mean they suddenly appreciate receiving dull emails replete with business jargon, overly technical terms, and unexciting propositions.
But one must give credit that it’s trickier to emotionally engage customers when you’re selling them a complex business solution than a whizzy consumer product.
While storytelling may feel harder to nail in the B2B space, it can be just as effective when done right.
Storytelling in B2B is about evoking the right emotion within a business remit. Rather than focusing on humor, nostalgia, and sadness, conjure feelings of trust, reliability, credibility, and a sense of partnership.
Given how competitive content marketing is getting, it’s critical to understand how storytelling can differentiate your company.
So, when will you start to pen yours?
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