Why Storytelling Works
The beauty of storytelling is that it taps into a very fundamental part of the human psyche. It’s something we’re used to and familiar with. And it can work just as effectively now as when we were children.
Paul Zak at Claremont Graduate University in the US conducted a study into how storytelling impacts the human brain. He and his team found that compelling stories cause a release of oxytocin in the brain. This affects our empathy levels, and means we naturally feel more willing to work with and approach those telling these stories.
So if you can get storytelling right as a brand, there’s a higher chance of customers treating you as an authentic partner…
Are you Authentic?
In 2018 alone, we saw the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the introduction of GDPR and the Google Plus data leak. Try to go online and avoid the term ‘fake news’ for an hour. It’s a tough ask.
This all means that being authentic and trustworthy has never been more important. As a business, you need to make sure site visitors and customers know you’re legitimate.
Storytelling raises opportunity around gaining customer trust, building brand awareness and increasing loyalty. A well-told, relevant story adds to the authenticity your brand portrays.
Getting Storytelling Right
To truly benefit from storytelling in a marketing context, you need to have a think about the typical customer/retailer dynamic.
What is your brand all about? What do you stand for? Where do you come from?
By looking at these questions in detail, you can create a distinct and powerful idea of who you are and feed this into your storytelling efforts.
So for example:
- Are you environmentally-conscious?
- Are you charitable?
- Are you dedicated to advancing your field?
- Are you investing in young people or graduates?
What makes your business unique and special is a great basis from which to let your storytelling tree grow. And once you’ve picked out that which differentiates you from the crowd, it’s possible to bring storytelling into your content approach across blogs, social media, video content and more.
I’m ready – let’s write a story
As mentioned, the real key to getting storytelling in marketing right is keeping that feel of authenticity and trust front and centre. To achieve this, you should make the effort to analyse who you’re writing for.
Ask yourself who is in your key customer groups and demographics, and consider what will appeal to them both in terms of context and content.
You can use data and statistics to help frame your story, and be sure not to forget about standard content techniques such as making your content SEO friendly to ensure people can find it, for example.
Storytelling can be a great avenue to explore as you consider your content and wider digital marketing strategy this year.
Interested in working with Un.titled? Contact our team today.
