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At its core, marketing is the business of telling stories. People are moved more by stories than by logic–and it’s important that they can identify with your narrative. Translate the value of your business into a compelling narrative, and you’ll connect with your target market in a more meaningful way.
Storytelling is an important communication element that finds its way into our everyday lives. Our kids come home and tell us how school was, our colleagues at work tell “war stories” to share experiences, and our friends share gossip. Even though we’re surrounded by storytelling, the world of business often neglects this valuable form of communication. Think like a storyteller, and build the narrative of your business.
Choose a Protagonist
You want your story to be as simple and engaging as possible. But you also want people to remember and share it — so, pick just one protagonist. It’s common to use a potential customer or current employee as your protagonist, giving your audience a person to relate to. Use an employee’s individual perspective of how they provide value to your customers; or, take a customer’s point of view by telling the story of someone’s specific challenges, and how your company provided them with solutions.
Develop the Story
Once you have your main character, develop your company’s value proposition in an interesting and meaningful way through other characters. Draw inspiration from your organization’s golden circles. Focus on how your organization makes life easier and gets the job done for your customers. While you shouldn’t be afraid to add some drama, a common challenge of storytelling is authenticity — so keep it real.
Choose a Medium
The way that you present your story will change, depending on the digital publishing medium you choose. Video production is the most engaging medium, and it gets a lot of clicks in search results and on the website. Start your video off with a bang by presenting the problem that your business solves up front to get the viewer’s attention and then explain the details. Try to keep the videos under 90 seconds, so your viewers’ attention doesn’t wander. An infographic is also an interesting and popular digital communication medium. Don’t force an infographic if you are having difficulty with applying a graphical representation of your story.
Finally, if your organization doesn’t have the time or resources to create these pieces of advanced content, put together a news article or blog post to release on your website or push out through public relations channels.
Telling the right story–and telling it at the right time and in the right medium–can do more than engage your audience. It can also give your customers and potential clients a glimpse into the “why” of your business.
How do you tell the story of your own business? Tell us in the comments.
For more content creation tips, check out our free guide: The 5 Ws of Content Creation.
Aaron Aders
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