Confusing? I’ve come across so many articles, features and blogs recently that claim ‘storytelling is the new way to market your business’. All this talk of ‘no more focus on brand identification and traditional PR, tell authentic stories’ is really not new. Without wanting to sound arrogant – that’s what we’ve always done, always believed, always promoted. People buy from people and we, the people, are the storytellers for the people. Yet, all of a sudden, it’s the new marketing hot topic. Perhaps we were just ahead of the game.
So, what does it mean to tell a story? Stories are based on specifics that may include characters or events and have a beginning and an end. They are honest (if non-fictional), heart felt and relatable and paint a picture of who you and your company are. Good stories are inspiring, influencing and possibly funny or emotional. From childhood through to adulthood we are told stories of many different kinds and we take or learn something from them. So, we are all familiar with storytelling but when it comes to telling your or your brand’s own story, it isn’t always that easy. That’s what we do and we’re experts at it. ‘Ah yes, that’s our story’ is a phrase we’ve heard so many times when we’ve listened, learned, understood then told a company what the story they should be telling about themselves is. Understandably, sometimes it’s harder to know what your story is when you’re in it!
Sat behind your desk on third coffee of the day battling to meet another deadline, stick to budgets and trying to keep your employees motivated leaves little room for thinking ‘what is our story and how can we tell it in an engaging way then get it in front of our target audience?’
Remember your story isn’t always all about you. You’ll be a main feature but people really want hear about stories they can relate to. Stories about people like themselves. Here are some key points for successful storytelling for businesses:
Understanding client persona
This is whom you’re talking to and talking about so the more you know about them the better. Who are they? What do they do? What do they like/dislike? What drives them? What are their hobbies and where do they get their news and information from?
Make your client the hero/heroine
This is your client persona and they should be the main character of your story. They need a back-story that comes with challenges. Challenges that you can help solve. The story is this character’s journey and the happy ending is the antagonised hero or heroine who overcame their issue with the aid of your service or product.
Brand understanding
Knowing your brand and being able to articulate your brand are two different things – the latter is much harder. You need to understand your strengths, what solutions you offer that are better than anyone else’s and why your audience needs them.
Tell your story in the right way to the right people
This is vital. There is no point having a well thought out story if it isn’t reaching your prospects. Utilise the right platform. We tell stories through film, photography, audio, design and copy depending on what will be most effective for each individual project we work on. We then determine where the relevant audience are taking in their news and information. This could be on social media, print, TV, radio or a bespoke mix.
If you want to talk about how to communicate your story, or if you aren’t quite sure what your story is yet, why not get in touch with Jo, our account manager, on 01726 250850.