Every company has a history, and those facts may make for great stories. However, you’ll need to be clear on your mission to get to the heart of your brand’s story. Why did you decide to start this company? Where do you hope to go, and what are some of your greatest accomplishments so far? When you’ve done some thinking and have settled on your brand’s unique selling proposition, the next step is to craft your essential messages. In this article, I will provide five ways to dobusiness storytelling from the perspective of a marketing and public relations pro that can increase brand awareness.
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How Important Is Storytelling For Businesses?
Stories are powerful in how they affect listeners and readers. In fact, they are much more powerful than outlining relevant statistics and other types of communication methods businesses use to spread awareness. A Stanford University report found that people are twenty times more likely to remember posts with business success stories than with statistics alone. People forget statistics faster than company stories.
A good business storytelling framework is essential to the growth of businesses because, according to neuroscience, the decision to purchase a product is 95% subconsciously made. When you write a good story, it evokes emotions and feelings that make us react. Most times, we actually purchase products based on how our emotions are at the time and back it up with logic afterward. Businesses that know this have the power to change the buyer’s mindset, so they are more likely to purchase when they see your product on the market; this increases brand awareness.
Best Ways to Tell Your Business Story
As a content marketing and public relations pro, here are my five favorite ways to share a business story.
1. Videos
Storytelling in marketing through video content is a sure way to boost brand awareness and audience reach. Video storytelling combines sight, sound, and motion to evoke emotion in a way that a static image cannot. I think of it like show and tell, allowing me to convey an impactful story in a matter of seconds.
Creating videos doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor, either. Today’s smartphones have great video capabilities, and depending on our brand, a more personal homemade feel may make videos even more compelling to my target audience.
2. Content with Visuals
Articles and blogs are some of the most common methods I adopt to tell business stories in front of my target audience. More than a third of search engine users mainly focus on organic results and ignore ads (ad clicks are often mistakes anyways), so it is important that our blogging strategy remains top-notch.
More than 90% of the information the brain takes in is visual. Also, the brain processes visuals faster than text. This means that while copy can help me to rank well, it’s my presentation that often keeps a visitor engaged when they find themselves on my page. In other words, stories come to life with visuals. Adding infographics to content marketing is one effective approach to do this. But, I ensure that all the visuals in my content are not just there to break up the text but also to enhance its readability.
3. Social media
There is nothing more relatable than showing the personality of a business through stories on social media. Social media is an environment that helps brands connect to their audience more effectively than almost any other. I discovered that if people can relate to your business on social media, they can relate in real life when they want to buy your products. Plus, it’s a two-way communication that can really solidify brand loyalty when done right. Consistency in posting videos, pictures, and messages that relate to your target audience and what they care about is key.
3. Press Releases
Press releases are a way to share business stories with the public and establish connections with audiences I might not otherwise have. The media can help build a positive public image as journalists have influence over consumer opinion. And with all the choices available, positive stories about my business from these trustworthy sources have really helped keep me in their consideration set at the time of purchase. Press releases with specific keywords in which you focus can also enhance your website’s traffic and SEO.
5. Your Website
Pretty much every business has a website these days, but many don’t make the most of them in terms of storytelling. It’s important to really consider how your About page for example, can do a better job connecting with your target audience by sharing more engaging information about how your company came to be and your team. Let your brand personality and culture shine here by incorporating fun facts, employee quotes, or more informal headshots. Whenever I do this, I add testimonials and case studies to give credibility to my business claims and show how I really impact my customers’ lives for the better.
Bonus Tip from a Marketing and Public Relations Pro
Storytelling is both an art and a science. For it to be the most effective, you’ll need to have a unified voice in every message, understand the needs and wants of your audience, and have excellent writing and/or conversational skills. Not every business has this expertise in-house. If that’s the case for you, consider outsourcing your storytelling needs to an experienced PR firm.
Also Read – Top Reasons To Invest In A Franchise Business
