Storytelling is everywhere.
Think about famous leaders throughout history; what made them so persuasive?
Popular social movements, what made them so engaging?
Your favourite novels, what makes them so appealing?
The last movie that made you laugh or cry, what about it grabbed your attention?
The underdog, the comeback kid, the rags to riches, the quest, etc…
The fairy tale ending, the unhappy ending, the tragedy…
Stories appeal to us in different ways. Some resonate with us stronger than others.
But, the truth is… the right stories sell.
I came across an article written by Jonathan Gottschall, “Why storytelling is the ultimate weapon.” Personally, I really don’t like using “war” analogies in marketing, and for me, marketing is never a weapon; however, he makes a good point with this…
He explains that when we read facts, we keep our guard up. With hard facts, we are searching for inconsistencies and not always taking the information at its face value. Do you do this?
Whereas stories disarm us. We drop our intellectual guard and look for ways to connect it to our own experiences.
In business, stories can take on many forms…
The origin story.
Customer experience stories.
Stories in ads and campaigns.
These are all opportunities to share who and what our business is at its foundation and most importantly why we exist. This showcases our brand’s values and helps consumers feel a deeper connection to our companies.
“We rely on data to tell us what has happened, and stories to tell us what it means.”
Nancy Duarte
Yes, data still tells a story, but it doesn’t drive the heart of our messaging. And although its tempting to deliver data driven information, unless we’re attaching story to data, it isn’t what’s going to be remembered.
What stories can you share in your business? How can you gain a deeper connection with your customers or clients through strategic storytelling?
