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{"id":4077,"date":"2022-09-25T13:42:58","date_gmt":"2022-09-25T13:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ndiwano.com\/?p=4077"},"modified":"2022-09-25T13:43:04","modified_gmt":"2022-09-25T13:43:04","slug":"what-is-storytelling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ndiwano.com\/what-is-storytelling\/","title":{"rendered":"What is storytelling?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Learn how to master the art of storytelling for business to grab attention, create emotion, and inspire action<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storytelling requires finesse and practice this is why it’s related to art, and the most successful businesses have learned to master the art of storytelling to convey a story in a well-defined and flow-orientated way, engage customers on a whole new level, build emotional bonds with one another, and increase brand awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, great storytelling is the key to your consumers’ hearts, but how do you get started?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With an ever-expanding number of vendors entering the marketplace, the competition is fierce. It can be deeply challenging to build a message that stands out and entices people to your service or product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about storytelling so you can start produce quality and compelling brand stories and create an emotional connection with your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storytelling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. What is storytelling?<\/li>
2. What makes a good story?<\/li>
3. Why storytelling is important in business<\/li>
4. Examples of storytelling in marketing<\/li>
5. The storytelling process<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
1. What is storytelling?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Storytelling is a dynamic two-way communication flow using words between a storyteller and an audience to build emotional bonds and hold the listener\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storytelling presents a story<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The process of storytelling is always based on a story which through a series of linked events describes a beginning place, a middle place, and an end place. Of course, this can refer to physical places. Around The World in 80 Days, for example, is a story of travel from location to location. But stories can simultaneously describe a journey to ideas or realizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same concept of taking the reader on a journey applies to business and marketing stories. The company Apple is a classic example. Instead of marketing their products by listing their features, Apple tells stories about a problem one of its customers faced, and how an Apple product solved it. Their marketing stories tell us that, thanks to Apple, we can improve our productivity with simple, reliable, human-friendly computing products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other words, at its heart, a story describes a series of transformations. For a story to exist, change must happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What other kinds of transformations might a story explore?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Weak to strong: <\/strong>An inexperienced and vulnerable character undergoes a series of trials and becomes stronger and more capable as a result. In a business story, this process might describe a small “ma and pop” business transforming into a successful company.<\/li>
Misunderstood to understood: <\/strong>A central character\u2019s actions or motivations are misunderstood (in a business story this is often a potential customer), but they meet someone who comes to understand and appreciate them. <\/li>
Unsafe to safe: <\/strong>A character faces a perilous situation. They work their way out of their problem to arrive at a situation of deeper security. There are many kinds of safety beyond the obvious example of physical well-being. A business story, for example, might build this kind of narrative around emotional and financial safety. For example, a bank might tell a story about how a customer used their product to move from a situation of financial instability to one of financial security. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Storytelling directly connects a teller and the audience<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
By telling a well-crafted story, you build a connection with your audience. You\u2019ve entertained them, you\u2019ve convinced your audience to care, and you\u2019ve shown your humanity. This simple connection of goodwill builds a powerful foundation of trust that your brand can continue to build on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storytelling simplifies reality, making it much easier for the listener to understand and remember the key points. Apple has mastered the art of telling simplifying stories about their product. For years their campaigns revolved around just two words: “Think different.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storytelling inspires and motivates<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A well-told story holds the reader\u2019s attention, keeping them suspended between fear of something bad happening to the protagonist, and hope that everything will turn out for the best. Much of Nike’s story-driven marketing, for example, describes the struggles of athletes to overcome their personal challenges as well as their competition \u2014 revealing only in the final moments if the athlete prevails and wins the day. Telling the story of one person’s challenge brings these issues to life and inspires viewers to take action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. What makes a good story?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are a few rules of thumb that apply to most great stories. They are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interesting: <\/strong>No one wants to hear a story about how a person woke up, ate breakfast, had a completely normal day, and then went to sleep. <\/li>
Memorable: <\/strong>The audience sees the story\u2019s world through a protagonist\u2019s eyes and is emotionally vested in what happens next. <\/li>
Organized: <\/strong>A strong storyline will show how people think and feel about events. It\u2019ll build a sense of meaning <\/em>by revealing one or more characters\u2019 inner lives.<\/li>
Entertaining: <\/strong>A good story is crafted with a certain empathy. The teller will pace events to heighten the listener\u2019s comprehension. They\u2019ll make educated guesses about what their audience will recognize and enjoy. <\/li>
Respectful: <\/strong>Stories lead the audience through different realizations but leave the audience to form their own opinions. This is particularly <\/em>important when telling a story about your own life or business successes, where it\u2019s vital not to come across as a braggart or someone whose bias makes your account unreliable.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
3. Why storytelling is important in business<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Business revolves around money, and before money can exchange hands a few things need to happen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A seller needs to establish trust<\/strong>. They need to build confidence that they are who they say they are and that their product or service will live up to a buyer\u2019s expectations.<\/li>
A customer or client needs to understand how the business can help them solve a problem<\/strong>. They need to see how parting with their money will make their life easier, more exciting \u2014 or a little bit of both.<\/li>
The buyer and seller need to have built a relationship<\/strong>. They need to share some principles, aspirations, or worldview that mark them as belonging to the same tribe. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Storytelling is important because a strategically crafted business story can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Capture attention and engage your audience: <\/strong>Humans are hard-wired to think in stories. Our species has been assembling and curating knowledge using stories for thousands of years. Tell a story and you\u2019re instantly speaking an instinctively received and powerfully persuasive language.<\/li>
Change minds: <\/strong>A typical persuasive message implies that you are the persuader and they are the \u201cpersuadee.\u201d By dialing down the pressure and weaving a tale instead, you can persuade your listener to change their own <\/em>mind about you and your product.<\/li>
Inspire action: <\/strong>You\u2019ve engaged your listener\u2019s heart and mind, you\u2019ve shown that you belong to the same tribe\u2019, and you\u2019ve given something real of yourself. What better way to inspire someone to leap enthusiastically at your call to action?<\/li>
Bring facts and data to life: <\/strong>Harnessing the rational mind with facts and figures can be persuasive, but it\u2019s only one part of the picture. Emotion is equally important. Stories provide that much-needed heart that statistics and graphs can rarely evoke on their own.<\/li>
Clarify challenging concepts: <\/strong>People have limited attention spans. Your audience will switch off if your message contains too much abstraction. Stories can clarify challenging concepts by offering a living, practical example of a complex idea in action.<\/li>
Pitch persuasively: <\/strong>When delivering a pitch, you have just a few seconds to grab your listener\u2019s attention. There\u2019s no time for cautious passivity at a time like this! Lead with a story that promises to take them on a strange and perilous journey.<\/li>
Gain buy-in: <\/strong>It\u2019s hard <\/em>to change a person\u2019s mind. When presented with a persuasive message, it\u2019s very natural to put up walls of resistance. A story can bypass this reaction by inviting a listener to simply listen and form their own opinions. Instead of saying \u201cyou should think this,\u201d you\u2019re saying \u201cthis is what happened to me, and here are the conclusions I reached.\u201d<\/li>
Build lasting relationships: <\/strong>A story places you into the picture. Your past, your struggles, your hopes for the future \u2014 all these contextualizing nuances forge bonds between you and your audience.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
4. Examples of storytelling in marketing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll find storytelling marketing examples everywhere if you look! Some are subtle, adding just a dash of story elements to add depth to an otherwise routine advertisement. Other companies build complete campaigns around a storyline, online obliquely referring to their product and call-to-action along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are a few recent examples of great storytelling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nike\u2019s web series campaign<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
In this YouTube ad series, Nike builds an episodic story around two characters, Lily and Margot, who challenge each other to transform their lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lily challenges Margot (who is a bit lazy and socially retiring) to start up a fitness channel online. Margot challenges Lily (a naturally aloof fitness instructor) to make at least three real friends. Over eight episodes, both characters have to push outside their comfort zones, often with hilarious consequences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The striking thing about this story is that very little is said of sports equipment or apparel. The campaign is a story about people striving to grow, and Nike\u2019s brand name is just sitting in the background as the teller of the tale, and a company that understands that sometimes you have to go out of your comfort zone and \u201cjust do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result? A keen sense of belonging with the Nike identity and tons of feel-good brand recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n