For as long as we’ve been communicating, storytelling has been a huge part of our shared culture. Before the time of bloggers and journalists, even before we invented techniques to physically record our history, we have been gathering together to listen to and retell our best stories.
Walk into any country pub and you’ll find the same is still true; by nature, we just can’t get enough of a ripper yarn, especially when it’s being told by someone who has a strong understanding of what makes a good story.
The same can be said for your company or brand story. Storytelling in marketing helps your audience understand where you’re coming from, and how you want to portray your narrative. Your story is the series of events that led to the inception of your brand and expresses how that history continues to drive the direction of your company.
A well-crafted and authentic story can make all the difference when a potential customer is looking at your product. Our brains are wired to give a positive emotional response to stories, making storytelling a great technique to capture your audience’s attention, forge personal bonds, and ultimately help them remember your brand.
So how do you get good at telling your brand story? Our tips can help:
- Make it personal – people want to connect with other people, find out the WHO of your business or brand, and share who your key people are and how they helped your brand come to be.
- Highlight your story’s conflict – the best stories involve themes of overcoming challenges and adversity to achieve success.
- Make your story easy to follow – your story should have a linear structure and everything you include should add to the progression of the story. Avoid unnecessary or confusing details to keep your audience engaged.
- Don’t forget about the status quo and a resolution – include some acknowledgement of a ‘status quo’ (the way things are, or the way they were at the start of your story) and give your audience the emotional payoff of a satisfying resolution.
- Give an honest account of your story – a ‘highlights reel’ might make you feel good about how you got to where you are now, but relatable and authentic stories are always more memorable.
- Where possible, support your story with data and visuals – make use of data to give you authority, and visuals to make your story more memorable.
- Know your audience – consider who you’re talking to. You want to understand what drives your audience so you can focus on aspects they are able to relate to, so they can form a connection.
- Encourage your audience to share their own stories – testimonials from your customers can be a unique form of storytelling – they are a great way to back up your claims and demonstrate your company is who you say you are.
- Spread your story across multiple channels – take advantage of each of your communication channels’ individual strengths and weaknesses.
Following these tips will help guide your storytelling, but if you’d like some personalised advice on how to tell your brand’s story you can contact the Threesides team on (02) 6249 1117.
