Marketing is About Storytelling

Thinking back to when I was a young child, I can remember telling colorful stories of princesses “once upon a time” that always seemed to live in a land “far, far away”. Storytelling becomes a huge part of life early on, and gives kids a chance to use their imagination to dream up scenarios in their mind. Now that I’m no longer the little one, and instead am reading stories to my nephew, or hearing about Elsa & Anna’s latest adventure from my cousins, I realize how storytelling is always around us and how effective marketing is about storytelling.

From forms of entertainment like books, magazines, music, movies, etc. to religion, politics, and art, storytelling is always used in some form. Like these forms, marketing is about storytelling, and effectively using storytelling in your marketing efforts can be a great way to create a solid brand. While there are countless benefits, here are just a few ways your brand will benefit from incorporating storytelling into your marketing strategy.

Show Off Your Brand’s Personality

Whether you are telling your brand’s story through a post on your blog or through photos on Instagram, it is a great opportunity to show the personality of your brand. Once you have found the voice of your brand, it is crucial to remain consistent and use it to connect with your consumers. By humanizing your company, you are showing a more personal side in which customers and clients can easily relate. This in turn creates brand loyalty and builds relationships with the people buying your products or using your service. Did your business start with a crazy idea and an office in your Grandma’s basement? Write up a blog post and let your customers know! Our story at 898 is pretty interesting, click here to find out how it all started.

Make your Brand Memorable

When I think of a brand that successfully uses storytelling as part of their marketing strategy, the first that comes to mind is Dove. They have been doing this for years, and show how effective it can be. If you see an advertisement for Dove on TV or come across a piece of video content marketing online, you aren’t going to see them simply advertise the product they are promoting. Instead, you will see real people that use these products and often will hear stories from their personal lives. For example, if you take a look at their Instagram page right now you’ll see some pictures of products, but you will also see pictures of women sharing their own personal stories. By doing this, Dove is connecting with women all over the world that read these stories and closely relate. These are the kind of things that people remember and associate with a brand, which builds trust and loyalty. Click here to see how we helped Mill Creek Metroparks achieve their marketing goals while creating a memorable brand. 

Build an Audience on Social Media

For brands big and small, it is no surprise that having a strong social following is important. While it is much easier for larger brands and companies like Starbucks or GE to gain followers on social media, there are ways in which smaller brands and local businesses can use storytelling to achieve social media success. Whether you want to use Snapchat to show the story behind how something is made or showcase an employee on Instagram every week, keeping your social content interesting and fun will attract followers, which will hopefully convert to leads. Buying ads on Facebook or other platforms can also be a great way to get your company’s advertisements in front of the right eyes. They can easily be targeted to the audience you are trying to reach and there are options for every budget. A strong audience on social media can help create loyal customers that will keep coming back for more. Click here to see how we achieved this goal with GE Lighting by launching 52 new products in 52 weeks with an online web series promoted on social channels. 

Tap Into Emotion

As we’ve discussed in previous blogs, emotion plays a huge role in effective marketing.  Storytelling always brings out some type of emotion, and an emotional connection to a story a brand is telling can create a strong sense of loyalty. Many companies want to be linked emotionally to their consumers and storytelling can be a great tool to use to achieve this goal. By triggering different emotions, brands can bring out the emotion of the consumer and influence their purchasing decisions. Connecting with consumers on a personal and emotional level is great for brand awareness and customer relationships.

Whether you use storytelling through social media, blogs, photos, etc., you will see many more benefits that stories can bring to your brand. By conveying your message to your audience, you will strengthen your brand and set you apart from your competition. Marketing is about storytelling and remembering this can open up many opportunities for your company’s strategy as well as build relationships with customers who can relate to (and enjoy) the stories you tell.

About the Author

Cailyn_Chrystal_ProfileCailyn Chrystal is a Project Manager at 898 Marketing.  Cailyn develops strategies and manages implementation of content through social media channels for 898 Marketing and it’s clients, as well as optimization strategies for websites and content. Cailyn is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, and a graduate of Duquesne University where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing Communications.

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