Did you miss a lesson? Start Here!
In our last post, we discussed how storytelling can help unite your brand with your audience and bring a new perspective to an audience that has likely seen it all.
I asked you to take a step back and analyze your business so that you could begin to identify a storytelling voice that will resonate with your market.
Your next step is to identify the type of story that will tie in with your overall goals. When it comes to storytelling in marketing, there are 3 main types of stories you can integrate into your campaigns.
1. Brand Stories
Brand stories are perhaps the most important stories you can share with your audience. In fact, most of the top brands in your market likely began integrating storytelling into their campaigns from day one, already during the actual brand creation process.
A brand story explains the purpose of your business and why it was created. It reveals to potential customers that you understand the problems in your market and have created solutions that will benefit them in some way.
These kinds of stories transcend any other narrative your company might have. They present a snapshot of how your brand, and will connect your audience with the information they need or the topics they are most interested in.
It can also solidify your presence in your market and can establish your brand as an authority and thought-leader, even in highly crowded niches.
The best time to use a brand story is when you are looking to build brand loyalty. This type of storytelling can help validate a prospect’s decision to follow your brand when they are in the decision-making stage.
2. Customer Stories
Customer stories comprise of testimonials from people who have successfully used your products or services. These kinds of stories are compelling because they share the journey of success with new or prospective customers who may still be on the fence, unsure whether your product or services are a good fit for them.
The best time to use customer stories is within product launches and case studies that are designed to validate a product or service.
3. Personal Stories
Personal stories constitute the third type of marketing-based storytelling. These can be powerful in establishing the authenticity of business because they are designed to depict your own journey.
This goes beyond why your business was created and instead, it requires you to be open up, and even become vulnerable with your
audience.
You will need to share personal struggles and accomplishments with your audience while also matching the level they are at, so they feel that it possible for them to follow in your footsteps. These stories are inspirational and will help to motivate your audience and give them a glimpse into the outcome should they follow you.
When told in a relatable and sincere way, personal stories will become instrumental in getting your audience to have faith in your brand, and believe the promise of your message. They will begin to see themselves differently, a dream of their own success, and be excited about what is in store for them should they go on the journey with you.
Consider using personal stories when you want to increase your sales and brand recognition or improve engagement with your customers and get them excited about your upcoming offer.
So, what story will you tell? Take some time to think about what storytelling style and tone will likely resonate with your audience. If you do that, your “story” will begin to take shape.
In the next post, we will show you how to ensure that you integrate important storytelling triggers into your campaigns so that you can instantly connect with your audience.
Don’t miss Part 3 on “The Power of Storytelling Triggers”!
Click here for Part 3 on “The Power of Storytelling Triggers”!
Did you miss a lesson? Start Here!
