Storytelling, as the name suggests, is about telling a story. It is used successfully by major brands. A good story can completely transform a company's image and be remembered by customers for years to come. It is how you convince people who are initially uninterested in your products or services and encourage them to buy. What is storytelling and how can you use it in your strategy?
There is no doubt that storytelling requires creativity. In large companies, a host of marketing professionals are responsible for creating a strategy based on storytelling. However, with a good idea and an open mind, you can weave elements of storytelling into the marketing of any, even one-person, business. It has the advantage of a non-intrusive sales pitch that persuades audiences to buy products far more effectively than traditional methods. What is good storytelling?
Storytelling in marketing - what is it all about?
What is storytelling? Storytelling has always existed in culture. Fairy tales help children learn about and understand the world. Legends, myths, gospels - they are all based on similar narrative principles. For centuries, people have told stories to help them interpret events or communicate specific values. Today, we cannot imagine life without books, films and create our own narrative and images in our heads every day.
The emergence of storytelling in marketing is therefore quite natural. Brands were basing advertising strategies on stories long before there was a separate term for this method. These could be biographies of the founders, but also fictionalised stories that enabled the customer to identify with the product.
It is difficult to determine when it was noticed how great the use of narrative marketing was, but today all major brands use this method in their communications. By using storytelling in their strategy, they have established themselves in the market and led to their own 'live happily ever after'.
Moreover, there is scientific evidence for the effectiveness of stories in building trust and motivating people to behave in specific ways. A moving story evokes empathy, and emotions are what we remember. Therefore, a good story will allow you to build a lasting relationship with your customers, engage them with your brand and, ultimately, sell what you offer. 
How to use storytelling in marketing?
There are various methods of storytelling. The most effective, but also the most challenging, is to invent a protagonist and his or her adventures, during which your product or service proves to be extremely helpful. The story can go on for years, as we often see in the communication of major brands. Their heroes win the hearts of consumers and are inextricably associated with specific values.
Personal branding works on similar principles, where you tell your audience about the hardships and successes along your career path. It is very popular nowadays to show every stage of opening your own business on social media. Authenticity and personality attract the viewer and allow you to build a relationship even before you start selling properly. Larger companies often turn to stories based on the founders' lives to allow readers to identify with them.
Contrary to appearances, sales storytelling is not strictly sales-oriented. Encouraging a purchase remains the backdrop for a story that aims to evoke emotion, engage the customer and create a specific image of your company. The story should mention your products in a non-intrusive way and present the benefits of owning them. As you can see, the functions of storytelling are numerous - this is why it plays a key role in marketing strategies. 
What are the elements and principles of creating effective storytelling in marketing?
Every brand can tap into storytelling. How do you start reaping its benefits? First, define a presentation objective tailored to the target audience potentially interested in your products or services. It needs to be more specific than 'to encourage people to buy'. Otherwise, the story will not be authentic.
Targets may include:
- increasing awareness of the company,
- starting a discussion on a given topic,
- reader involvement,
- creating a bond with the audience,
- presenting you or the values behind the brand,
- educating the audience and building an expert image.
The next stage is to create a hero or heroes with whom customers will identify. By taking your own true story, it is important to bring to the fore the qualities that make you similar to your target audience.
When you create a personal brand and show up on social media, you tend to attract like-minded people. The question is, will they be the ones who will want to buy your products? If not, perhaps a better strategy is to create a fictional protagonist. Alternatively, you can use only the individual elements of storytelling.
A story must have a beginning, a development and an ending. In almost every industry, it is better to bet on credibility, which will allow customers to identify with the challenges of the characters. A realistic portrayal of the problems your products will help break out of will awaken interest and create a need in the audience.
It is worth further reinforcing it by including a more or less subtle call to action at the end. An effective ending will again evoke the emotions evoked while reading the story and add them up. In a CTA, it is best to address the audience per you. Don't be afraid to use a commanding tone either. The final sentences are the right time to mention a special offer - preferably a short-term one, to encourage listeners to buy when their curiosity is peaked. 
Storytelling in marketing - what are the advantages and disadvantages?
There is a reason why storytelling in advertising is hugely successful. An emotionally evocative story and characters you can identify with are much more memorable than dry advertising slogans. Storytelling in business reinforces or creates the desired brand image, builds engagement and appeals to customers.
Social media is now responsible for the lion's share of success. An interesting story increases the likelihood of shares beyond your niche. Building reach in itself can be the purpose of implementing storytelling into your brand strategy. Just as advertising spots and their protagonists used to be memorable, today specific memes or so-called 'threads' circulate around the internet for years. Some of these originated as part of marketing and then took on a life of their own.
The principles of sales storytelling are slightly different from the creation of a regular story. Putting a narrative into the right context not only requires creativity. The ability to plan for the long term is also important. As a business owner, you won't necessarily be able to handle this task alone, but you should know that a storytelling service performed by an external company is more expensive than traditional marketing.
It is very important to identify the right target group, as storytelling will not reach everyone. For non-marketers, it can be challenging to do the analysis. If you cannot afford to use an agency, consider buying a training course or read a guide on the subject.
Is it worth using storytelling in marketing?
Storytelling in marketing is used by almost all major brands: there is no better way to bond with customers and become memorable. Adverts based on stories are much more effective in capturing the attention of the viewer and, by acting on the imagination, motivate specific behaviour. Readers, viewers or listeners acquired through storytelling are more likely to become regular customers.
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