Storytelling for Digital Marketing

It’s time to learn Storytelling for Digital Marketing. In this article, we explain how to Increase Customer Retention With Digital Marketing.

Since the very beginning of man, when our earliest ancestors gathered around the campfire – humans have been telling each other stories.

Today, we spend billions of dollars at the theaters to watch grown men dress up in metal suits of armor and tights as they save the world from yet another diabolical villain.

J.K. Rowling became a billionaire and was able to get a generation of young people obsessed with reading multiple 500+ page books about a wizard school.

Good stories make such an impact because they resonate with us on a deep level.  The best marketers understand this and utilize storytelling to connect with their audience, they use Storytelling for Digital Marketing.

How the Brain Responds to Stories

Most would agree that a well told story is more compelling than a set of facts.  Stories can invoke an emotional, visceral response.  Not only that, but they are much more memorable. This has to do with how the brain processes information and which parts of the brain are active when receiving a story vs facts.

Basically, when being presented with hard facts or data, like a dull powerpoint presentation – the brain is only active in two areas which are involved in language processing and comprehension.  This type of information doesn’t inspire emotion or decision making.

When we experience a story however, the brain responds completely differently.  Various parts of the brain light up including the language processing parts, but also areas responsible for the various physical senses such as smell, touch, movement, sounds, colors and shapes.

Hearing a good story is an immersive experience that stimulates your brain in a similar manner to a vivid dream.

What Does This Have to Do With Marketing?

Marketing is all about presenting information in a way that will entice a potential customer to buy a product or service.

By incorporating storytelling into your marketing, you can present your messaging in a manner that deeply resonates with your audience.

“Research shows our brains are not hard-wired to understand logic or retain facts for very long. Our brains are wired to understand and retain stories. A story is a journey that moves the listener, and when the listener goes on that journey they feel different and the result is persuasion and sometimes action.” Jennifer Aaker, marketing professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business

It’s worth repeating: “the result is persuasion and sometimes action”

All of your content, PPC, SEO, emails, funnels, and so on is a waste if it doesn’t persuade your audience to take action in the end. That’s why Storytelling for Digital Marketing is so important.

How to use Storytelling for Digital Marketing

So you understand that stories are a powerful way to communicate and inspire your audience to take action.  How do you use Storytelling for Digital Marketing, and craft the right message?

Understand Your Audience

First and foremost, understanding your audience is vital for any aspect of digital marketing. Storytelling for Digital Marketing is no exception here.

• Who are you communicating with?
• What are their challenges?
• What emotions will they connect with?
• What types of characters will they relate to?

By first understanding your audience, you’ll be able to better craft a story that resonates with them.

The Elements of Storytelling for Digital Marketing

Great storytelling is an art and can take a lifetime to master, however, here are a few of the basic elements to get you started:

• Character – The character can either be your brand (or brand mascot, like Mr. Clean), your product/service, or the customer
• Conflict – In fairy tales, the conflict would be the dragon that is terrorizing the kingdom; in your story it might be a challenge that your customer is dealing with
• Resolution – The resolution would be the slaying of the dragon and returning peace to the land.For your story, that would be whatever solution your business brings to address your customer’s challenge.

These elements are really all you need to tell a story and can be applied to any format.

Consider Your Channels

Are you creating a post for Facebook?  An email to your subscribers?  A banner display ad? Or a video ad?

Each platform has its own unique communication style audience mindset.  A successful Facebook post might not translate well as an email. A great video ad for Youtube might not work well as a display video ad.

Understand the unique nature of whatever platform you are choosing and mold your story to best fit that way of communicating.

Contact Us to learn how we can help you tell your digital stories. We’ll help you integrate storytelling into a data-driven and targeted digital strategy to achieve your business goals.  Or, learn more about our services today