The Importance of Storytelling in Marketing and PR
Storytelling is something that unites us all, it’s a method for communicating, learning and sharing. As such, the use of storytelling is a tool which enables marketing and PR professionals to form a deeper connection with their audience.
Studies have shown that the use of storytelling in marketing and PR actually activates more areas of the audience’s brains than factual content. Following a story stimulates brain activity and when we hear or see a story unfold, we tend to imagine ourselves in the shoes of the protagonist, so we experience the content in a deeper way.
Storytelling is an especially important tool in a heavily saturated market, as it can help a brand to stand out from its competitors and stimulate its audience’s emotions and attitudes, encouraging a customer to choose a particular brand over its competition.
Your customer is the protagonist
If you’re considering employing storytelling in your marketing and PR strategies, it’s important to start with the idea that the main character of your story is your customer.
The most effective storytelling will hook your audience from the start, encouraging them to imagine themselves in the shoes of the story’s protagonist. It’s important to keep your audience interested, so, the most captivating storytelling will focus on a common challenge or senario that your audience experiences, and outline how your brand or product will solve this.
What is your brand’s story?
When it comes to creating a story around your brand, the focus should be on the nature of your brand, and not on your product. People often buy into a brand- rather than the product itself.
Storytelling works best when the story is about a brand’s values, and what sets it apart from the competition. When your audience shares the same values as your brand, they’re far more likely to connect with, and use, your business.
Why does your brand exist? Was there a problem that you set out to solve, a gap that you sought to fill in the market, or did you envisage a fairer way of doing things? These are the questions you should consider when creating your brand’s story.
Give your brand an edge
Excellent storytelling can really set a brand apart from its competitors. Think about the media frenzy that ensues each year with the release of the John Lewis Christmas advert. Every year the John Lewis ad perfectly tugs on its audience’s heart strings, and creates a deeper connection between the brand and its customers.
Everyone loves a good story, and whether you realise it or not, your brand has one to tell! Identifying your brand’s story, and telling it effectively, could be the key to setting your brand apart from your competitors and forming strong, loyal bonds with your audience.
If you need a little help telling your brand’s story, we can help! Get in touch today to chat to our friendly team of experts about our PR and marketing services…
