Storytelling Debrief

Over the past few blogs we have focused on storytelling as a form of marketing. We’ve gone over quite a bit of information that we hope will be helpful in your future endeavors. We’d like to put a nice bow on this series and do a quick debrief on some of the more important points.

First off, remember the types of stories people like to hear. People like funny stories, underdog stories, and stories they can relate to. Above all, a common theme should be your story, and the story of your company. Allowing folks to relate to your company is very important. It builds that personal connection and helps them feel like they are supporting a friend when they do business with you. This relationship with your customers is more valuable than almost anything you will invest in. It encourages brand loyalty and repeat buying, increasing your customer’s lifetime value.

Despite how it may seem, when you sit down to figure out what story to tell, there is a wealth of content to choose form. Some great topics can be what you are currently working on, how you started your business, or even your thoughts on your industry. Remember that people love stories they can to relate to, and it’s much easier to relate to someone that could be their neighbor than some big and scary company. Focus on your average joe stories, stories where you were an underdog, and some of your struggles and successes.

Lastly, we covered different sharing channels. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and others are likely your best bet. The number of social media users continues to increase, making it a prime market. Video stories are also very effective as they focus on richer communication than plain text. Many platforms host videos as well as other types of content, making for great content pairing. There are numerous other potential channels that we don’t have time to cover here. We recommend doing some market research to identify the best way to reach your audience. Researching these platforms can only help!

Storytelling can be tricky, but doesn’t have to be scary! Indeed, it very well may be the most effective form of marketing your company does. Beth Comstock of GE said “You can’t sell anything if you can’t tell anything.” Focus on telling your story, and people will listen.