Why storytelling is key to marketing success

There is no single formula for idea generation or great storytelling, but there are some sound practices to follow to help your next marketing campaign succeed.

Brand storytelling best practices

Big brands have told stories that have touched hundreds of millions of people: Coca-Cola, Apple, McDonald’s, Disney, etc. Their reach and ubiquitous nature are almost without equal. Yet, there is plenty of opportunity for smaller brands to make inroads with the most important audience of all – the one composed of people who may have a natural affinity for a brand and can become brand advocates. To do so, brands have to tell good stories.

• A good storyteller has a plot and message to deliver, much like a good marketer has a strategy to implement and service or product to share.
• Good marketing storytellers have to work together – clients and agencies. These are the dreamers of dreams, singers of songs who come up with big ideas that are meaningful to audiences.
• Of course, the best idea is just that until it is executed properly and garners results.

Excellence gets shared
Stories are told across channels and should be consistent, contextual and relevant. For example, a long blog article going into detail regarding a technological breakthrough makes sense. However, people will go to YouTube when they want to see that technological breakthrough in action. While traditional channels can still be effective, the trend is toward publishing content that is very search-friendly and apt to be shared, which extends a brand’s reach much further. In fact, based on a study by BuzzSumo of more than 100 million shared articles, here’s what kind of content gets shared most¹:

1. Long-form content (once more, it has to be relevant and contextual) is shared more than short form
2. Include an image to get more Facebook shares
3. The same holds true for Tweets
4. Emotion counts; especially if you produce awe, laughter or amusement
5. Include lists and infographics
6. 10-item lists are shared more often
7. Content that looks trustworthy gets shared more often
8. Get an influencer to share your content and watch shares multiply
9. Re-promote your content regularly
10. Best day to share content: Tuesday (J&C: this is debatable, good stories should be able to be told any day of the week)

And, but and therefore
So now it’s quite clear that good storytelling gets attention, but how do you write a good story? In the marketing world, a good story equals engagement. If a user/viewer/reader of a story asks, “so what?” and you can’t provide a good answer to that question, then your story is going to be discarded. Online, that’s called increased bounce rate. Offline, your communication is going to be passed over, walked by or crumpled up and thrown into a wastebasket.

Here’s a tip: if your narrative is full of “ands,” as in “X happened and then Y happened and then Z happened,” there is no aspect of surprise or delight. No suspense. Instead, tell a story along the line of “X happened but no one expected Y to happen at the same time, therefore Z was never the same again.” The idea is to introduce something that makes sense within the context of the story but with a twist. Readers/viewers/users want more than the expected. The expected is everywhere. Strive for something more interesting.

Therefore (see how we did that?), the next time you work on a video storyboard, wireframe for a website or an outline for an article, try to use that formula. When you find yourself looking at a story full of “ands,” make a concerted effort to introduce your big idea in a fresh way.

Your story is waiting to be told
When it comes to storytelling, be honest, be forthright and be relevant to your audience. You can break through the clutter of many messages competing for audience attention if you care enough to make every word, picture and pixel count.

A pure brand awareness play is constructive and useful over a long period of time. However, Jacobs & Clevenger looks to plant the seeds of brand loyalty early on by helping our clients offer something NOW that will be attractive to their customers. A clear call-to-action and a positive experience make for pleased customers, and that leads to loyalty. In fact, we pride ourselves in storytelling that engages people and generates interaction. J&C believes that everyone has a good story to tell. Contact us so we can help shape yours.

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