What’s Your Story? Use the Power of Storytelling to Connect With Your Audience

What’s your story?

Your narrative can have a powerful impact on how you connect with customers. Developing and sharing your story is an important part of an effective digital marketing effort.

Stories – of the company, the founders, the employees or the customers – help to humanize the brand and deepen relationships.

How Storytelling Works in Digital Marketing

Storytelling in digital marketing can immerse customers in what your brand is about, its mission and its impact. It starts with the standard storytelling elements: a plot, a theme, characters and narrative. By using digital channels – social media, video, websites, etc. – your storytelling can be more detailed and powerful.

Why does digital marketing storytelling matter? Here are a few key reasons:

• Audience Connection
  Storytelling is personal, intimate and genuine. It has a different feel than traditional advertising. By focusing on storytelling, you can connect with your audience in a different way.

• Shareability
  Powerful stories are made for social sharing. The re-sharing of your brand’s stories on social media can be a way to exponentially spread your message beyond your initial target audience.

• Inspiring Action
  Your stories can help prompt action. Each story should conclude with a call to action that encourages viewers to take the right next step. That action may be an invitation to learn more, a link to a sign-up form or product offering, or an email for a free consultation. Your story is the first step on a customer journey that you hope ends with a purchase.

• Opportunity to Share
  By connecting with your audience, you can also invite your audience to participate. Ask them to share their own stories related to yours and make them a part of the broader storytelling, further deepening their affinity for your brand.

Examples of Brand Storytelling in Digital Marketing

Here are a few powerful examples of how brands have used storytelling as part of digital marketing.

Christie’s
The renowned auction house used a little bit of science, interesting facts, video and illustration to tell the story behind their auction of lunar and rare meteorites.

University of Utah Health
To promote the hospital system’s burn center, the University of Utah used the stories of survivors to introduce viewers to the critical care unit.

Huggies
Huggies wanted to drive home the importance of diapers in the care for newborns and infants … and play on its well-known name. Its Power of Hugs campaign showed the impact of human touch, such as hugs, in connecting babies to the world and people.

Using videos, a white paper and a downloadable tool, Huggies promoted its initiative to provide grants to 30 hospitals around the United States.

How to Get Started With Digital Storytelling

Here are some tips and tricks to use when creating a digital storytelling campaign:

• Use Data
  Understand who your customers are and what stories matter most in data-driven storytelling using existing insights.

• Show, Don’t Tell
  Rather than telling customers the key points of your story, show them. Use real examples and storytellers to convey your message.

• Have an Omnichannel Approach
  Use multiple channels to tell your story and reach your audience. Today, social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are ideal formats for digital storytelling. You can also embed storytelling in emails, websites and digital newsletters.

At Dream Local Digital, we help brands create powerful storytelling as part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. Learn more with our free marketing consultation.