We’ve talked a lot lately about how to build your brand, through creating a personality and voice. And one of the most effective ways to do that is with storytelling. The best brands are good at telling stories, both about their company history and their clients’ experiences. But why is storytelling so effective as a marketing tool?
Storytelling is an ancient form of communication, one in which we all have a long history. From the time we are small we are told stories as a way to inform, educate, and entertain. We are wired to crave stories and to feel like we are a part of them. At some point we’ve all been completely mesmerized by a good story.
With the popularity of social media, and the personal connections and stories that we are addicted to having daily, storytelling is even more important. Storytelling allows you to connect with your clients. But more importantly, a story allows your clients to feel a more personal connection to your business. It allows you to build a persona for your brand, to set your brand up as a relatable commodity and as an authority that your clients can turn to when they are looking for advice.
So how can you start incorporating storytelling into your content marketing? Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Tell the story of why you decided to open the business or how you went about becoming a small business owner
- Talk about challenges you have faced and the successes you have had, both personally and as a business
- Talk about your staff – share their stories so that your clients will start to feel a more personal connection to them
- Engage your audience – ask them questions about their life, what they want to see from your business, or what sorts of activities they are interested in
- Share stories from events or volunteer activities that your business or staff are involved in
- Tell the stories of your clients and their interactions with you, your business, and your community
Incorporating more storytelling into your content marketing sounds like a hard task. But in reality we are all storytellers already. It’s just a matter of writing our stories down and sharing them with our communities.
The power of storytelling can help you establish your brand identity and voice. By building a more personal relationship with your clients, you’ll solidify their connection with you. And you’ll see that reflected in growing brand loyalty and increased sales. After all, people tolerate a good pitch, but they love a good story.