The Power of Storytelling for Businesses
Posted on 24th January 2022 at 10:21
When it comes to digital marketing strategies, you would expect to see a focus on website copy, blog updates, social media posts, and perhaps some paid ads. The inclusion of ‘storytelling’ might seem strange, but in fact it’s essential to every single area if you want your online marketing to succeed.
When we talk about business storytelling, we’re referring to the unique qualities of a company – from its history and brand identity to its values and mission statement. It’s this story that makes brands memorable, helps them stand out from competitors, and builds trust with customers.
Finding Your Unique Story
Stories are arguably as old as language itself. It’s in our nature to want to share our experiences, so it makes sense that this communication should be extended to businesses and customers. They need to be entertaining and educational, organised and memorable, and include universal themes, but when it comes to copywriting, storytelling also needs to be specific, relatable, and authentic.
1. Be Specific
Your content is only successful if it engages your target audience, so be specific about who you want to speak to, what message you want to convey, and the outcome you hope to achieve (with a call to action). Using your own story and focusing on one core message can also create consistency across your content, which in turn will help to build your brand identity and increase consumer confidence.
2. Be Relatable
Every story needs a main character, and for customers, they want to imagine themselves in the role. Writing about events and experiences that most people can relate to is a way to involve your readers in the story and encourage them to respond to your content emotionally. Showing the human side of your company will help to form connections, inspire communication, and motivate your audience.
3. Be Authentic
Though storytelling is usually associated with fiction, when it comes to marketing, you need to focus on fact. Understand your story and present it in a way that is genuine. Showing weakness can also be a strength, allowing you to present a hopeful and thought-provoking message.
Business Storytelling in Practice
Once you have an idea of what your business story is, you can begin to include it in your online copy and even carry it across to your wider marketing strategy. Using the six steps below, you can create effective content highlighting your story for use on websites, blogs, social media, adverts, and more.
1. Know Your Target Audience – It’s a good idea to revise and update your audience profile regularly to ensure you attract and engage with the best customers for your business.
2. Clarify Your Content – What’s the key message and how does your story demonstrate it?
3. Include a Call to Action – Essential for any online content, what do you want to inspire your target audience to do after reading? Such as clicking a link, giving a ‘like’, or getting in touch.
4. Create a Structure – As with all great stories, your copy needs to take the reader on a journey. Spend time outlining the main areas and make use of formatting to add clarity.
5. Write, Check, and Rewrite – You might not want to spend time editing every single Tweet, but keep in mind the power of online content. It’s an effort worth the investment.
6. Distribute Your Content – Going live with a post is just the beginning. The advantage of effective storytelling is that it can be repurposed across multiple channels and used again.
Need a helping hand with sharing your unique business story? Get in touch with our team.
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