The art of Business Storytelling

?A good brand design or advertising campaign is not just about the graphics and words. Design is part of the equation, but telling the story behind the design is the key to attracting clients. Words are very important to convey a message but to be effective the words should be telling a story not just giving information.

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So what does storytelling actually mean?

Storytelling is all about creating a concept that brings what you have to offer to the forefront but in an emotional way.

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Stories are powerful because they trigger a biological response. A brand story grabs our attention, activates of our brains, and stirs our emotions. When you are invested in a good story, your brain physically responds to it.

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Stories can be told via many mediums: you can convey a story via

• a series of adverts
• infographics
• the use of video which is a very powerful storytelling tool. Real life people or actors in a video will bring the story to life by evoking real relatable emotion.

Studies show that people are much more likely to donate to a cause or buy a product if they have viewed a video, bringing the product or the cause to life in a meaningful way.

You can tell all sorts of stories. They can be entertaining, educational, or inspirational, but if you want them to be impactful, they have to be interesting and relevant to the people you’re trying to reach. This is important not just to pick interest but to draw them into the story.

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If you are the owner of a service business, you; by default have experience in an area that someone else needs help in. In that case your story could be about how you helped a client with an issue they could not fix.

The key thing about that story is that for the right client it is very relatable. It could relate to the very issue that they are dealing with and that automatically means that they are in the market for your service.

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A story could be the back-story how the product or service came into being, or how the user’s life would change by using your product.

With an exploration of the target market, who you are aiming to reach, and how your clients already perceive you, you can create a marketing campaign that reinforces those ideas.

If you do not have an inspiring starter story you can create a cause based ( purpose driven) marketing message. Uber created a clever piece of cause based marketing by promoting a discount code that donated a dollar to MADD - Mother against drunk driving. This helped the perception of Uber as a responsible alternative to driving whilst under the influence of alcohol and gave the company a human side that people could relate to.

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Many companies are too focused on what they can offer people and are not looking at it from the customer point of view.

With a bit of self reflection into how you help or have helped your clients in the past, you can change an authentic personal business story into a compelling marketing message to bolster your sales.

When faced with countless faceless companies to choose from, an authentic story can make all the difference and allow people to connect to your company.

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Thanks for reading!

If you need help, consult us to apply these steps accordingly to your company and make the most out of this useful information.