How To Integrate Storytelling Into Your Marketing Strategy
Written by Victoria Louise Crump-Haill – Digital Strategist / Account Director
Businesses are empowered more than ever before to become storytellers. From the shoe brand TOMS telling their ethical story to Mr Kipling’s ‘exceedingly good’ cakes, storytelling allows brands to connect with customers on an emotional level. Here we provide 7 ways for you to develop great stories.
1. Create a character
Think about The Green Giant or Isaiah Mustafah’s Old Spice man. They have created compelling characters that embody the ideals the company stands for.
2. Recount your origins
The history of your brand is juicy content. Make sure you use the Facebook timeline to help tell your brand’s story with founding dates, old logos and even early web designs. You can see 10 excellent examples of brands using the Facebook timeline here. Every good story has a beginning, middle and an end, so make sure you let people know how and when you began.
3. Integrate brand values
Mission statements are important. They are part of your story, your background and your heritage. Like Copella, integrate your company’s mission statement into your social profiles where possible.
4. Take people behind the scenes
Focus on the human element of your brand by using your employee’s stories as part of your content strategy. Remember, people don’t want to buy form corporations, they want to buy from people! Innocent do this really well by telling interesting and friendly stories from the inside. See their blog here.
5. Honesty is the best policy
Being honest is crucial to effective brand storytelling. Don’t oversell or overpromise, but show your company in the best light possible, as the people you really are. And write naturally. For more tips on good writing, see this brilliant slide.
6. Find an emotional connection
What are your audience interested in? What is rich emotional territory for them? Think about what your product means to your audience and remember to look beyond the physical product. You can use this emotion as part of your story. Dove reminded women that they are more beautiful than they think with their award winning Real Beauty Sketches campaign, while Coca Cola focus on happiness shared with friends and family with Share a Coke.
7. Meet your storytellers
Find people who love your brand and who will share your story as they are your most valuable ambassadors. We Are Social worked with Marmite in 2009 to create the Marmarati; an exclusive secret society of 40 Marmite lovers. By nurturing and loving your key influencers, you will amplify your social community growth rate.
