3 Reasons To Integrate Storytelling Into Your Content Marketing Strategy
STORIES MATTER
Everyone loves a good story. Throughout history there have been great storytellers. They are a unique group that capture hearts and minds. Stories can span the full spectrum of life experiences. The common connection we share as humans helps us to understand the development of the story. Our emotions and intellect give us the ability to quickly connect with the story characters and their actions. Stories are also a powerful way to instruct or sway opinion. So it’s no surprise stories work equally well for marketing or selling products and services. In addition this will help to attract new visitors (more eyeballs) to your website. This is the reason storytelling has gained great favor with those who seek to improve their Content Marketing Strategy!
1. HARD VS. SOFT SELLING
The popularity of storytelling is partly the result of consumers being bombarded with “hard” selling of products. We’re all familiar with the tactics of pushy advertisers. Their ads and messages put off their intended audience rather than connect with it. Stories provide the missing “human element” in each website visitor interaction. This also develops empathy and an emotional connection in the process. As a result sales conversion rates begin to rise and visitors are more inclined to return to your website. This helps mitigate the effects of “negative selling”.
2. ELEVATE YOUR BRAND
Not having a story to go along with your brand misses the opportunity to connect with qualified buyers of your product or service. A brand is defined as: “a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” Companies such as Apple, Nike, and Disney are well known for their highly valued brands and loyal base of customers. Although your brand may not be as well known as these companies that does not mean you cannot use the same methods they do. For years Apple has told the story of how their two founders started their company in a Los Altos, California garage on a shoestring budget. Apple’s “rags to riches” story rang clear in the minds of everyone who has heard it. We instantly connect that cute Apple logo with that story.
3. CONNECTING USING IMAGINATION
A story provides us with a powerful way to connect with a website visitor or a potential customer. This is also why professional speakers frequently use a humorous anecdote to win over an otherwise indifferent audience. Humans are actually hardwired for this type of interaction. The publication Psychology Today wrote about why this phenomenon occurs in this article. In a nutshell, the ability to connect with our audience works at a level which is quite deep in our brains. Stories are processed in our imagination and stored in our memory. They are effective because we react to them like they are our own experiences. What is the story you want to tell your audience?
HAPPY ENDINGS
The goal in storytelling is to attract, inspire and motivate your audience. Storytelling topics should be chosen carefully and specifically for presentation to your target audience. Feature unique stories that demonstrate your personal experience and/or involvement. Engage website visitors who are eager to return for the fresh content you post on your website. It’s unwise to use the same story more than once. Website visitors will not return if your content is redundant, irrelevant or low quality!
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