How can storytelling help you connect with customers on a personal level?

Storytelling matters, as it has the power to evoke emotions. B2B marketers ofte-n struggle to create campaigns that strike- an emotional chord, opting instead for rational marketing strategies. A prime example- of effective storyte-lling is VW Commercial Vehicles' "Working with You" campaign. In 2015, the company took a unique approach by shifting away from the typical product-centric approach. Instead, they emphasized service- and partnership, targeting managers. The campaign conveye-d emotion and empathy, demonstrating an unde-rstanding of the challenges faced by small business owners. This approach resulted in an increase- in brand awareness as well as an increase in sales and market share in VWCV's history within the UK market.

Simple storytelling that helps what your business does is important. In B2B storytelling, getting the voice of the customer often helps with the story telling as viewers get to listen first hand their painpoints and challenges and how the company helped resolve their challenges. If there is a way to connect the products and services in an emotional way with the consumer, that would be great too. Generally we have seen these kind of messages from B2B brands during certain months like in March for Women’s history month or April during Earth Day etc.

Are you surprised to know that B2B marketing your buyers are actually humans? ?? Jokes aside, similar to how you and I are influenced to buy certain brands of shampoo or body wash (B2C), B2B buyers use the same to make decisions for their business - their hearts and their minds. So understand their business challenges and objectives, and go create a story that resonates with their hearts and minds to show that you understand what they need and the value you create for them. Remember, it's never about you. It's all about them.

Storytelling is a powerful tool for forging personal connections with customers. By weaving narratives into your brand's messaging, you engage on an emotional level. Stories create relatable experiences, instill trust, and demonstrate shared values. Customers don't just buy products or services; they invest in the journey, the people, and the purpose behind your brand. This connection fosters loyalty and strengthens the customer-brand relationship, making storytelling an essential strategy for building authentic, lasting bonds with your audience.

I've audited a few hundred B2B buying journeys. I would say for certain that - Buyers start the journey driven by emotions - They often end it with logic/rationalization Here's the thing though. Throughout the process, they still want "stories" to ground their decisions in reality. Examples from similar businesses and peers, who have found success with the solution they are evaluating. A list of data points and feature sets does not give buyers the context they need to make an informed decision about the progress they can make. So add colour and a human touch with anecdotes, customer experiences and all the fairy tale endings.

At the end of the day, if your brand story is honest, nothing else in this world can stop people from connecting with you. Although it is B2B, ultimately you are selling it to a human which is H2H.

Storytelling has often been dismissed as too 'emotional' or 'abstract' for B2B. Trust me, there's nothing fluffy about connecting with your audience on a personal level and watching your metrics soar. Start with understanding your customer's pain points, their challenges, and their desires. When your story resonates, the engagement metrics won't be numbers - they’ll be affirmations. A compelling story isn’t just for attracting new customers; it’s for keeping the ones you’ve got. Measure retention and lifetime value against your storytelling efforts. Happy customers become brand advocates. Quality storytelling can speed up your sales cycle. Keep track of how fast leads move through your funnel before and after implementing storytelling.

The best way to capture the journey that a B2B buyer went on and how it "ended" is to capture it in their own words. Find 3-5 of your best customers and go speak to them at length. Start at the beginning of when they noticed the problem and figure out every step they took until the purchase. You'll be blown away by the themes and stories that start to emerge. You will also be capturing the voice of the customer, which is the best thing for building credible and relevant content.

In many cases, I have noticed stories being more potent from an employee than a founder. And this is something I feel a lot of brands have still not made use of.