Storytelling in Business: Why Do You Do What You Do?

If you don’t know why you’re doing something, stop doing it. Makes sense, right? If people don’t know your “why”, then how can they even think to care about your “what” or “how”? 

I haven’t been to many networking events - to be completely honest, I try to swerve them a lot of the time - but on the odd occasion I do go to one, I usually end up cornered by someone whose only port of call is to speak at length about what they do, and why they’re the best at it. 

You know the type, the person who sees you as nothing more than a human-shaped “prospect”. The one who continually shakes their business card around the room, prodding anyone with ears and a pocket with it in the same way in which a bully in a kids’ film pokes a dead animal with a stick. I’m of course, the dead animal in that analogy.

This interaction (for lack of a better word) tends to involve the individual talking at me for 10 minutes as I politely nod, lean in with the odd “mmhmm” - or, if I’m feeling particularly zany, an “absolutely” or “of course” - while I’m actually trying to tilt my head around them to see if there are any free muffins left at the bakery stand.

A very similar thing happens to me online: companies chucking their products and services at me with little-to-no context as to who they are or why they do what they do. Instead rushing ahead to what they offer and the various ways it’ll benefit me. Only, I’m still not engaged, and now, there aren’t even any free muffins, although escape is made much easier with a simple click of a button, as opposed to pretending to need a wee.

Whether I’ve clicked through to your website, seen one of your ads or stumbled across your social media, if I can’t discover your story in a few clicks, I won’t bother “browsing the huge range of spectacular products”, “jumping on a quick call” or “downloading this amazingly wonderful, phenomenally life-changing ebook”.

Yes, I may register a “click” on your next marketing report, but I’m no closer to converting than I was with the guy at the last networking event I attended, who spoke to me for eight-and-a-half minutes about how his paint dries quicker than his competitors due to new technologies in the sector. That may be a lie, but you get the point...

What is storytelling in business?

Author and lecturer Robert McKee once said, “Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.” Stories connect us, and we all have one to tell. 

The most compelling stories transport you to new worlds, new perspectives and points of view. They create connections, form communities and evoke emotion. Storytelling in business is no different.

It’s up to you, as business owners, content creators, strategists and marketers, to tell your story in a way that stimulates your audience, giving them purpose and something to believe in. 

If you can tell a story that emotionally connects with anyone who touches your brand, giving them a reason to communicate, relate and align themselves to your company and people, you are much more likely to achieve great things.

Who is the storyteller?

I don’t expect you all to listen to me, but for those of you who still need a little persuading, check out the words of the big man himself, Steve Jobs:

"The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come."

That’s right, an entire generation that is to come. Feeling powerful yet? 

Steve Jobs was a visionary in branding and storytelling. He transformed Apple from a tech company into something much bigger and more powerful. How did he do this? By focusing on the “why”, not the “what”.

Just look at this advert from 1984. Not until the last 10 seconds is there any mention of what the clip is actually advertising, or even who it is advertising. 

Directed by Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator director Ridley Scott and debuting during the Super Bowl, this advert is widely regarded as one of the best-ever pieces of marketing.

Think back to what I said earlier and apply it to every element of Apple’s marketing. Does it evoke emotion? Of course. Does it get people talking? Mmhmm. Is it stimulating and engaging? Abso-bloody-lutely.

Still to this day, Apple is thriving from Jobs’ storytelling efforts. The iPhone may not be the most capable or impressive device technically - some argue it has been overtaken by the likes of Samsung and Huawei - and yet it still remains the most popular phone in the world. 

That is because people buy into Apple’s story, just as much, if not more so, than its products.

Why your business’s story matters

A 2012 study showed just how much our brain responds to pieces of text, demonstrating that certain types of words can elicit sensory responses, therefore proving that our minds “do not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life”.

Why am I telling you this, I hear you ask as you scoff at what appears to be yet another so-called marketing expert telling you how to run your business? Well, you’ll be glad to hear I’m not selling you anything here (honestly, I promise!). 

The truth of the matter is, only you know the “why” behind your business. Only you can tell your story. Yes, you can get others to dress it up, decorate it and make sure it elicits the response you hope to achieve, but the core of it has to come from you. 

If reading the word “perfume” can light up the same sensory system in the brain associated with actually smelling perfume, then your business’s story is certainly capable of prompting a customer to take action on your website.

Your business’s story matters to you and is therefore likely to matter to others, too. Yet only 10% of businesses embrace storytelling. This means that, of your 100 competitors across the country, you only need to compete with ten of them when it comes to the most important and influential element capable of turning prospects into paying clients and customers.

The average adult spends almost seven hours online every day. Try to imagine seven hours (420 minutes or two back-to-back showings of The Irishman, by the way) networking. Think of how many terrible sales pitches that would entail, then septuple it. That’s how many adverts and sales messages you will receive online each day.

Storytelling is a way of standing out from the crowd, demonstrating your values and mission while making a real, human connection. Not a click. Not an impression. But a connection. 

The art of storytelling in business

People are always looking for something to believe in and somewhere to belong. Your brand can provide that, but only through a powerful story.

To create your business’s story, we must start with what not to include. A story is not:

• Your history
• What you’re doing
• Your blog
• Facts and figures
• What you’re selling/providing
• Your successes and case studies
• Customer service
• Your competitors

Think about your favourite stories, not just in business, but in life. How many of them involve logic? How many of them are remembered and adored because of the numbers involved? None. The stories we carry with us and share are the ones with emotion.

The unique and tremendously successful companies such as Google and Apple each follow a similar pattern: a model that is actually favoured by marketing expert Simon Sinek.

The Golden Circle Rule

“People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it,” says Sinek, who came up with The Golden Circle Rule. This model challenges business owners to:

1. Start with Why they do what they do, before diving into...
2. How they help their audience, before finally discussing…
3. What they offer.

Try to answer each of these three steps for your business, and remember to focus on human behaviour and emotion for each one. 

You can learn more about this storytelling technique in Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle Presentation.

What separates a decent business story from a great one?

In business, stories are all about helping prospects make sense of a decision they’re about to make, easing them towards becoming a customer, without appearing salesy.

The requirements of great storytelling remain the same for brands as they do for novels, films and television. They need:

Characters

"A reader doesn't really see the characters in a story; he feels them."

Cornelia Funke, author of Inkheart.

At the centre of every powerful story are the characters. Take a look at your bookshelf or your DVD collection (do people still have DVD collections?). When determining the effectiveness of a story I myself have consumed, I ask one question: What were the names of the main protagonists? 

For instance, I know that Matthew McConaughey’s character in Interstellar was called Cooper because that’s one of my favourite films. I remember that Keyser Soze was the antagonist in The Usual Suspects because he was one of the best villains in film. And still to this day, I recall the moment Piggy was struck by that boulder in The Lord Of The Flies because it remains one of the most enjoyable reads of my childhood. Spoiler alert by the way… 

If you don’t understand and recognise the people in a story on any level, the story will not resonate with you. So, make sure you put your customers at the heart of your story. After all, the characters are what connects the audience to the events and plot, and subsequently, your products and services.

Think about your buyer personas: who are they? What do they hope to achieve? What are their challenges? Is your story told from their point of view (second-person narrative), a narrator’s point of view (third-person) or your own (first person narrative) perspective?

A first-person narrative can help form a connection between you and your customers, while a second-person narration makes the experience more personal for readers. Just be sure to keep to one tone. 

Conflict

“You need contrast and conflict in order to tell a story.”

David Lynch, Director of Mulholland Drive & Blue Velvet

If what you’re writing lacks conflict, stop what you’re doing. You’re not writing a story; you’re writing a sales pitch. A conflict, providing it is genuine, honest and not overdramatic, is what steers the overall story and encourages readers to engage.

At the foundation of every successful business lies a problem to be solved, a question to be answered, and a solution.

If your business already has a customer base, you already have people who believe in your values. It’s up to you to demonstrate them through a story that involves relatable characters and a conflict that fits their needs and problems

Resolution

“Every great story deserves a great ending.”

Christopher Nolan, director of Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk.

The resolution of your story reiterates your purpose. Really think about what drives you. What do you want your audience to do now that they’ve consumed your story? 

Wrap things up, but make sure things don’t end there. Inspire action. The customer’s journey is only just beginning.

Other examples of great storytelling in business

I gave you the example of Steve Jobs earlier, and I can already hear some of you fiercely Googling (another great storytelling company, by the by!) Apple’s marketing budgets and protesting that it is simply not possible for your business to replicate the likes of their 1984 ad. 

If you’re doing so, you’ve missed my point entirely.

You don’t need huge budgets, fancy adverts and special effects to tell a great story. There are many other amazing storytellers in business that have focused on their people, their mission and their values to tell their tale. 

Gandys, for example, is centred on a magnificently heartwarming, uplifting, yet also equally tragic, story. The company sells lifestyle clothing online and via their store in London, but it is remembered and shared mostly because of the journey of founders and brothers, Paul and Rob. 

Their story’s characters are the founders of the business. The conflict? Losing their parents in the Boxing Day 2004 Tsunami. The resolution? An incredibly admirable, uplifting, and inspiring mission of "giving back to other underprivileged children around the world."

AirBnB is another recent example of fantastic storytelling in business, focusing on the value of community, collaboration, and hospitality to create something much bigger and more inclusive than the service it offers. Need more? What about TOMs or Hinge or Iceland’s highly-talked-about Palm Oil advert?

Tell your story

Stop producing content for the sake of filling a gap. Content is power. Content is emotion. Content is caring. It needs to be compelling, authentic, fascinating, inspiring, clear, concise, specific, emotional, truthful.

Don’t be the guy waving his business card about, shouting at anyone who will listen. Be the free muffins at the bake sale. Be the… Okay, I’m officially giving up on the networking metaphor... Just write your story, okay!