“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
~ Philip Pullman, British novelist
People have always been drawn to stories. Whether it is in the form of fairy tales, or modern-day novels and movies, audiences are captivated by stories that take them on an emotional journey. Think about urban legends. Whether it’s the guy who picks up a woman in a bar and ends up in a bathtub with a tube coming out of his back and his kidney missing or the one where the girl is followed home by an SUV that keeps flashing his high beams at her because someone is in the back of her car with a knife – a good story will captivate your audience.
Stories are powerful because they reach people at a deeper subconscious level.
Storytelling allows us to connect at a deeper level with our audience and help them experience a multitude of emotions and perspectives, from fear and anxiety to hope and joy. But it can also help establish our authority by connecting us with our audience. It’s this deeper level connection that we are making that is so powerful in marketing. When building your brand and authority, people want to buy from people they trust. (If you haven’t read my previous newsletter, about moving from Trust to Monetize, click here) Sharing experiences with others creates deeper understanding of who they are which builds trust between all parties involved.
People forget facts and statistics, but they don’t forget a good story
A story’s power lies in its ability to grab your audience’s attention and keep them interested for as long as possible, which is why stories work well with marketing campaigns – you only have limited time before reaching potential customers or clients. Here are seven tips to improve your storytelling.
Storytelling Tips
1. Make your story compelling. Do you have a “hook” that will catch your audience’s attention right away?
2. Know the purpose of your story. Don’t just talk for the sake of talking. Point out the connection before your audience gets bored and questions why they’re spending time listening.
3. Use vivid descriptions and strong words. Always use present tense. Avoid passive voice or sounding wishy washy. Avoid using too many statistics. Instead, paint a striking picture in the minds of your audience to draw them deeper into the story.
4. Don’t brag; connect instead. While your accomplishments may be impressive and will set you apart from the vast majority, don’t bore your audience with them. Keep these impressive feats on your resume. When telling your story, relate to your audience by telling them about everyday experiences or times you’ve messed up. Everyone messes up so that’s a common thread among all of us. How you came out of your mess is what will impress your audience.
5. Connect emotionally. Decide which emotion you want to tap into during your story and provide information to your audience that will elicit that emotion. People will remember you better if you add emotion to your story. Think of all those times you cried at those sappy romance movies.
6. Avoid coming across as Ferris Bueller’s boring teacher. OK, this is a throwback from the ‘80s but in the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” his teacher has the most monotone voice in the world. You can imagine just how awful it must be to sit in his classroom after just hearing a moment of his dialogue. Avoid this at all costs! You want to engage your audience, not bore them and make them run for the doors.
7. Give your audience what matters. Be concise. Edit the details to avoid putting them into a boredom trance. You’re not fabricating anything, you’re simply picking and choosing wisely which details to share.
You’ll notice that these tips progress naturally from grabbing their attention to making a connection to providing a satisfying conclusion. With some tweaking and practice, you’ll have your story perfected and ready for the audience.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s toolkit. It can be used to create an emotional connection with customers, and make them more likely to remember your brand. By following these seven tips for great storytelling, you can create marketing content that engages and entertains your audience, and drives results for your business. Have you tried using storytelling in your marketing? What has been the reaction from your audience? Let us know in the comments below.
