Do you want to learn how you can improve your storytelling skills to communicate properly with your potential customers and increase your brand value?
It is not a process, method or technique. Storytelling is defined as an art… The “art” of storytelling.
And just like art, it requires creativity, vision, talent and practice. Unfortunately, storytelling is not something that can be learned in one sitting. A mastery that has gone through trial and error.
Sounds like a big deal, right? Actually, it really is. Because storytelling is the most important component of most successful marketing campaigns. Big brands from small businesses; it separates loyal customers from those who only shop once from your brand.
Storytelling is also a highly valuable tool to add to your notorious “marketing bag.” That's why we've compiled this guide to help you discover and master storytelling, and create amazing and engaging stories for your audience.
If you have your pen and paper ready, let's get started!
What is storytelling?
Storytelling is the process of using truth and story together to tell anything to your audience. Some stories are factual, while others can be embellished or improvised to better convey and reinforce the main message.
While the definition above is pretty specific, stories can be pretty diverse. This chart from ReferralCandy will help you understand what stories are and are not. Storytelling is a kind of art form that is as old as history and has found its place in every culture and society. So why? Because stories have a universal language; understood by everyone, regardless of language, religion or race. Stories spark imagination and passion and create a sense of community between the audience and the narrator.
Telling a story is like painting a picture with words. Anyone can tell a story, but some people develop their storytelling skills to become storytellers on behalf of their organisation, brand or business. You've heard of these people, we often call them marketers, content writers, or PR professionals.
Every member of an organization can tell a story. But before we get into how to do that, let's talk a little bit about why we tell stories as a society, economy, and culture.
Why Do We Tell Stories?
There can be multiple reasons for storytelling, such as selling something, entertaining, educating, or bragging. We'll talk about all this in a moment. Now I would like to discuss why we chose to tell a story rather than a data-driven presentation or a list of items. Why are stories a way for us to share, explain and sell information?
Let's get to the reason.
Stories embody abstract concepts and simplify complex messages.
All of us are confused trying to understand a new idea. Stories provide a way for us to understand a new idea. Think of times when stories helped you better understand a concept; for example, your teacher gave life examples to explain a math problem, perhaps a preacher visualized the situation during a sermon, or a speaker used a case study to explain complex data during his talk.
Stories help to embody abstract concepts and simplify complex messages. Taking an abstract and hard-to-express concept and relating it to concrete ideas is one of the strongest aspects of storytelling in business.
Let's take Apple. In the beginning, it was quite complex and difficult to explain tools such as computers and mobile phones to ordinary users. Apple, on the other hand, used real-life stories rather than technical jargon that only few people could understand, and explained the benefits of its products to users.
Stories bring people together.
As I mentioned above, stories have a universal language. We all understand the story of a hero, an underdog, or a broken heart. We all absorb emotions, share joy, hope, despair, and anger. Sharing a common story can cause the same sense of unity and togetherness even in very different people.
In this world where many things are divided, stories bring people together and create a sense of community. Regardless of language, belief, political preference or ethnicity, stories connect us to how we feel and how we react to it… Stories that make us “human”.
TOMS is a great example for this. By sharing the stories of both its customers and employees, TOMS has created a movement that increases sales and builds community.
Stories make us human, the same goes for brands. When brands are transparent and trustworthy, stories free them from intangibility; enables it to establish a bond with its customers and its employees.
Appealing to people's emotions, revealing both the good and the bad, is how stories inspire, motivate, and ultimately act. Stories also highlight brand loyalty. Building a narrative around your brand and/or product not only humanizes your brand or product but also inherently markets your business.
Few brands use inspiration as a sales tactic, but ModCloth does it well. Sharing the real life story of its founders, ModCloth not only transforms the brand into a brand where you can find something for yourself and makes it worth buying, but also inspires those who want to start a business and people who already have a business.
What makes a good story?
Words such as “good” and “bad” are subjective phenomena that can vary from person to person. But there may be several components to a great storytelling experience for both reader and narrator.
good stories…
Entertains: Good stories draw the reader into the story and arouse curiosity about what will happen next.
Educates: Good stories arouse curiosity and enrich the reader's knowledge.
It is universal: Good stories are relatable to all readers and draw on the emotions and experiences most people experience.
Well Done: Good stories have a concise plot that will convey the main message and get users to absorb the message.
It can be remembered: No matter which way, through inspiration, gossip or humor, good stories are etched in the minds of the masses.
According to Hubspot Academy's free The Power of Storytelling course , there are three components that make a story good no matter what story you're trying to tell.
Characters: Every story has at least one character who plays a key role in connecting the reader with the story. This component acts as a bridge between you as the narrator and your audience. If your audience can put themselves in the place of the character in the story, they will be more receptive to your calls to action.
Conflict: Conflicts allow your character to learn by tackling a challenge. The conflict in your story brings out emotions and connects the viewer through relatable experiences. This is the power of what you convey and teach as you tell stories. If there is no conflict in your story, there is probably no story.
Solution: Every good story has an ending, but that doesn't always mean a good ending. At the resolution/end of your story, you should complete the story, create strong context around the characters and conflicts, and add a statement that will move your audience.
Now that you know what should happen in your story, let's talk about how to shape your story.
We agree that storytelling is an art. Just like art, storytelling requires creativity, vision and talent. It also takes a lot of practice.
Introduction: The Storytelling Process.
Painters, sculptors, illustrators and potters all follow their own creative processes in producing their art. Doing so helps them figure out where to start, how to develop their vision, and how to perfect their practice over time. The same is true for storytelling… especially for businesses that write stories.
Why is this process important? Because, as an organization or brand, you may want to give a lot of facts, numbers and messages in a concise story. How will you know where to start? Start with step one first. So you can better understand where to go (and how to get there).
- Know Your Audience
Who wants to hear your story? Who will your story benefit and who will have the strongest reaction to it? To create an effective story, you must understand your readers and know who will react to your story and who will act on it.
Before you move your pen across the paper (or without moving your cursor through the online document), you should research your target market and identify your potential customer persona or personas. This whole process will give you control over who can read, view or listen to your story. It will also guide you through the next few steps as you build the foundation of your story.
- Identify your main idea.
Whether your story is one page or twenty pages, whether it is read/viewed/heard in ten minutes or an hour, it must have a main idea. Just like the foundation of a house, the foundation must be laid before it is completed.
Does your story want to sell a product or raise funds? Does it explain your service or defend something? What is the purpose of your story? To demonstrate this, try to summarize your story in 6-10 words. If you can't do that, you don't have a main idea.
- Decide what kind of story you want to tell.
Not all stories are created equal. To determine what kind of story to tell, clarify how your audience should feel and react to your story as they read it.
Doing so will help you shape the flow of your story and what you aim for. If your goal is:
If it is to mobilize your audience, your story should describe how a successful action was completed in the past and include how your readers can use it to take action. Don't overwhelm the story with unnecessary details and avoid exaggeration so your audience can take the action your story encourages.
If it is to tell your audience about yourself, tell a story about human struggles, ups and downs. Today's consumers prefer brands with which they can establish unique and human bonds.
If your goal is to convey your values to your audience, tell them a story they can apply in their own lives that includes emotions, characters, and situations that are familiar to them. This kind of storytelling format can work pretty well for some people to convey things they might not want to discuss, agree with, or want to understand.
If it is to instill community and collaboration in your audience, tell stories that people can talk about and share with others. What people can relate to in your story and say, “Yeah, that's how I am!” Use a situation or experience they might say. Create neutral characters and situations to make your story appealing to everyone.
If it's to inform or educate your audience, create stories with trial-and-error experiences so your audience can spot a problem and discover, understand, and implement the solution. Be sure to discuss alternative solutions in the story.
- Create Your Call to Action (CTA)
Your goal and call to action may be similar, but your call to action will set out the action your audience will take after reading your story.
What exactly do you want people to do after they read your story? Do you want them to collect donations, subscribe to a newsletter, sign up for a course, or purchase a product? Be sure to summarize it to make it clear what you want people to do.
For example, if your goal is to build a community or encourage collaboration, your call to action (CTA) could be "Tap the share button".
- Choose the medium where you will share your story.
Stories can come in many formats and formats. Some stories are read, some are watched, and some are listened to. The setting you choose for your story will depend on the type of your story, as well as resources such as money and time.
Here are different ways to tell your story for you.
A written story is told through articles, blog posts or books. These mostly contain text and sometimes images. Written stories are always the most accessible and cost-effective as they are produced using pen and paper or free word processors such as Google Docs.
An oral story is told in presentations, pitches or panels. TED talks can actually be thought of as oral stories. By their structure and non-editable nature, stories that rely on oral narrative require practice and skill to get your message and emotions to the audience.
An audio story can be told or prerecorded by speaking, so it differs from an oral story. Audio stories are usually in podcast format, and with today's technology they are easier to produce than ever before. (For a great story-driven podcast, check out The Growth Show !)
A digital story can be told in many different formats, such as video, animation, interactive stories, and even games. That's why the digital story option is the most effective for emotional as well as visual stories, which is why it's the most expensive option. But don't go dark, it's important to convey a strong message in your story.
- In summer!
Now is the time to pick up the pen and shape your own story.
With your main idea, audience, and call-to-action already in place, this step is all about detailing your story and adding creativity. Read more about our storytelling formula to help you with this step .
- Share your story.
Don't forget to share and highlight your story! As with any content, creating stories is half the job, and sharing is the other half.
Depending on the medium you choose for your story, be sure to also share your story via social media and e-mail. Additionally, you can feature written stories on your blog, Medium, or elsewhere as a guest writer. You can share your digital stories on Youtube and Vimeo. Oral stories, on the other hand, are best conveyed face-to-face, so you can record your live performance to share later.
The more media you share your story, the more interaction you can expect from your audience.
Resources for Storytelling
Storytelling is a trial and error process and no one tells a perfect story on the first try. That's why we've compiled the following resources to help you improve your storytelling skills and learn about different ways of storytelling.
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