Storytelling Marketing

October 15, 2019 | Elke Steinwender
2 min

Storytelling Marketing

 

We all love a good story.

A story takes something boring or destabilizing and turns it into something comforting or extraordinary. Every day we share stories… what we did yesterday, what happened with a client, or what happened in the last episode of a television or web series.

When a brand only shares the characteristic, benefits, and advantages of is products or services, it’s not sharing a story but a list. It’s using an intellectual approach. When a brand shares the experiences around their value proposition, their product, or service then you begin to have the makings of a great story.

 

Definition of storytelling marketing

Storytelling, or narrative marketing, is the art of telling stories in order to create an emotional attachment to your brand or product. Its ultimate goal is to create, grow, or reposition a brand’s value and ensure that the customer feels like a stakeholder in the brand’s success.

 

Be coherent with the story that you tell

The story that you share has to be easily verified or experienced by customers. Let take the example of a brand that positions itself as being highly customer centric but customers’ experiences don’t reflect this. When the story that is lived by the customer is different from the one you are telling, you can tarnish or lose your credibility. Your choices are simple, tell a different story or take the actions required, such as mapping your ideal customer’s journey, crafting new policies and procedures, or investing in training to rectify the situation.

As effective as stories are when they are used alone they remain a tactic and not a strategy. Effective and transformative stories are the result of a well thought out brand experience, coherence across all 7 stratas, of your brand.

 

Be authentic

Storytelling does not necessarily mean making up stories. Clients are likely to be sensitive to real stories that add credibility to your brand. Real stories are also more likely to be shared by employees. The more authentic the story is, the easier it is to share.

 

Here’s an example of a campaign that uses a very emotional slice of life of one their target markets. Tissues required…

Dove – campaign for real beauty – women or men!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47WWytrYtDw&feature=youtu.be

 

Share internally before going public

Again, stories are more than just a marketing campaign. They can be used to create both an internal and an external brand narrative. Make sure your team knows your story before your clients do. Though this seems obvious, many companies don’t leverage the human site of marketing – the power of their employees in their marketing activities.

 

Here’s an example of a storytelling campaign with a goal of reconnecting the brand to its core DNA.

The well-known brand, Land Rover, is generally categorized as a prestigious. Its roots however lied in adventure. With this story, Land Rover was looking go back to their origins. Yes, the budget is enormous but the goal here is to use it as a source of inspiration 😉

Land Rover – the vanishing game

https://vimeo.com/118937205

 

Source pour les exemples :  https://locowise.com/blog/7-incredible-examples-of-brand-storytelling-on-social-media

 

So, what’s your story?

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