Storytelling In Marketing: How It Matters
Wayne Elsey, Founder & Head Coach/CEO, The Funds2Orgs Group.
It used to be that change would take years or even decades. As we know, the digital landscape disrupted that idea, and now it’s always pushing leaders to do better, leaner and faster. So, what’s a new business or someone looking for fresh ideas to do? Here’s one great idea: master storytelling in marketing.
Storytelling has been with us since the first humans walked the planet. And even though we live in a hyper-connected and digital world, the art of storytelling is essential for brands to master. The power of a well-told narrative resonates at a human level with people in the same way as music connects with them. In short, people care and pay attention to stories.
Understanding The Impact Of Storytelling In Marketing
As I mentioned, storytelling has been around for a long time. All you have to do is think about the findings in prehistoric caves to know that people have always been sharing stories. Flash forward to our world today, and storytelling remains the best tool for marketing. In other words, storytelling is at the core of all marketing. Every brand seeks to tell a story about its organization and key leaders. And in turn, it engages and motivates people to check out the brand. Two excellent examples of brand storytellers are the following:
• charity: water's birthday campaign: charity: water likes to keep things simple—and it works. Their mission is all about access to clean water, and they share it in every story they tell. In one of their campaigns, they encouraged supporters to make a pledge on their birthdays to support clean water for people in developing countries. The message is clear. It’s emotional. It’s simple. It works.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF) "Adopt a Panda" Campaign: Another fantastic organization doing great stuff in marketing is the WWF. They excel at sharing stories about saving endangered animals worldwide. A great campaign that tugs at the heartstrings is the Adopt a Panda campaign. Adoption is an idea everyone understands. It tugs at the heartstrings. And how amazing to be able to adopt a panda!
Why And How Simplicity Wins In Storytelling
The two organizations above show that storytelling is essential. The simpler the message, the greater the impact. So, when it comes time to think about storytelling, there are several things to keep in mind.
1. Simple Message: Keep things simple. There's so much content, as we know. So, if you want to have your message cut through the noise, it's essential to keep it simple. Remember, you can send people to a landing page for more details. But what you want from them at the outset is to remember a simple story idea from your brand.
2. Emotional Connection: It's essential for storytelling to tap into emotions. People first want to support from an emotional level, and then they use reason. So, remember that brand storytelling always involves catching people’s attention. And you do that by making an emotional connection.
3. Focus On The "Why": A critical part of storytelling is the "why." For instance, why does your brand exist? What pain point do you resolve for customers and the public? Why are you better than other organizations? Remember that in storytelling, answering the "why" sets the stage for the rest of the message.
4. Use Real People, Real Stories: Do we have to say it? Okay, we will. Wherever possible, use real people and real examples. As we know, the digital world is about authenticity. So, it's important to use stories about real people and their stories, including images and videos.
5. Create Great Visual Stories: This has been said many times before, but it's so true! A picture is worth a thousand words. One great picture says a lot about your brand and the stories you tell. So, get good at copywriting and writing, but also get great at fun videos and photography!
Leveraging Digital Platforms For Storytelling
Mastering storytelling means sharing high-quality content. But it also means doing it on the right platforms. In other words, your organization doesn't have to be on every social platform. However, on all the channels, there should be consistency in storytelling, which is supported by the use of common colors, words, themes, etc. Each channel offers unique opportunities, including:
• Website: As we know, an organization’s website is the marketing heart of any company or organization. For storytelling, it’s an excellent place to host permanent and longer stories linked from other platforms.
• Social Media: A nonprofit that excels at storytelling can use blog posts from a website to share short-form narratives. These shorter stories bring your brand to life and allow followers to share and comment.
• Emails: Email marketing continues to be a solid way to reach supporters. It's also an excellent opportunity to share, like on social media, short-form stories that drive people to a nonprofit site.
Compelling Storytelling Is An Imperative
Storytelling is a great superpower for organizations, and those who do it well can achieve the twin successes of increased awareness and revenue. Remember that we live in the "attention economy," so keep it simple and memorable and then give people a clear call to action.
