Storytelling for marketing campaigns: Connect with your audience in the best way possible and increase your sales.

We all love to listen and tell stories because Storytelling is part of the human being since by nature we are social beings. It’s a tool so old, but at the same time so necessary, that even today it’s still trending and is essential to consolidate your brand. You might ask yourself, what is Storytelling? The person who does this is called a storyteller.

Although this is a concept that seems easy to apply, the truth is that narrating is an art.

Thus, the key to success is being able to master it.

Storytelling has certain characteristics that make it unique.

You must know them and apply them to succeed in the world of marketing.

If you properly use it, you’ll stand out from the competition.

Likewise, this technique has been used by large companies over the years.

Thus, this has given them a lot of clients thanks to the use of different narratives.

With this method, you can get the user to gain experience beyond buying any product or service.

If you want to tell a good story that will for sure give you loyal customers, you will need to meet some basic guidelines.

Likewise, you will also achieve the kind of engagement in the market that you always wanted.

At the BluCactus Agency we will explain why you should be a good storyteller:

• You can create a unique bond with the consumer: 

Good stories appeal to the emotions of people which then allows them to identify with it. Therefore, in today’s world, is no longer enough to just sell a product.

Nowadays, we must create a pleasant and unique experience every time someone buys our product.

Thus, we must offer something different that can make us stand out from the rest.

This will allow us to grab the attention of potential customers. Hence the importance of a good story to attract clients and create empathy.

• Storytelling for marketing campaigns, Ideas are best expressed:

If you want people to understand you, your stories must be spontaneous.

Thus, you must replace complicated concepts with simple ones.

For this, you could include some personal or real-life anecdotes in your stories.

This won’t only catch the attention of the public that reads or listens to you, but it will be less likely to confuse them.

• You can inspire others: 

With storytelling, your brand will be able to project an original image which will then help you connect with users.

Thus, emotions can unite you with consumers and improve their loyalty to you.

Likewise, you could tell stories about the origin of your brand or anecdotes of your employees.

This will create an impact on people which will then help you gain their loyalty.

• Storytelling for marketing campaigns, It’s cheaper: 

To be a good storyteller you don’t need to invest large amounts of money.

The ability to tell stories is ingrained in our system.

Thus, anyone can become a great storyteller.

For this, you will only need to have a little practice, be creative, and have some knowledge.

But what do these stories include?

We know that currently clicking with the consumer isn’t a simple task.

Because of this, stories seem like a fantastic idea to win customers.

However, telling something just to fill a gap isn’t enough.

Besides, thanks to the digital age, readers now prefer to read short and easy content.

This creates a new challenge when creating narratives.

Likewise, creating content has never been easy.

But now that our world is constantly changing, this is even more difficult.

Therefore, pay attention to the main characteristics that a good story should always have:

Storytelling for marketing campaigns, Emotions:   

Yes, we know that we talked about this before, but the truth is that well-told stories create an emotional impact.

Besides, they can be even more effective than ads.

This is because they affect the consumer at an emotional level, thus, they don’t leave them indifferent.

Creativity:

We are sure that you’ve never heard that boring stories hook.

This is because people cannot connect with them. So, remember that having clear ideas isn’t the only important thing.

You have to be creative to create an interesting story. This will impact the consumer and thus create an interest in the brand.

If you do this, you will achieve that connection with the client. 

Storytelling for marketing campaigns, They represent the brand: 

Storytelling is a fundamental part of your brand image.

So make sure you not only tell a good story but also that it goes according to the values ​​of your organization.      

They are not sponsored: 

Stories aren’t used to promote a product, this is one key for successful stories. Although they do sell, they do so subtly and indirectly.

How do they sell the stories you ask?

They only achieve this if there is an emotional impact on the consumer.

For this, you don’t even need to show what you sell or even talk about it.

It will be more than enough if you touch the most sensitive and emotional fiber of that potential client. 

Storytelling for marketing campaigns, Context: 

Understanding the context is staying in tune with what you express and what you want to achieve.

If you don’t include this feature in your story, you are making a big mistake. 

Likewise, if you want to sell love-related products on Valentine’s Day, you can’t tell a story of heartbreak.

On the contrary, you should tell a love story able to connect with your customers.

Be consistent when telling stories and have clear objectives. This will help that narrative go hand in hand with those goals.

What are the most common types of Storytelling?

There are endless stories to tell.

The type of story you use will depend on the message you want to convey, what type of audience you want to affect, and what you want to achieve with that impact.

After defining what you will narrate, to whom it’s directed, and your objectives.

It’s necessary to take into account the different ways that exist to sell with this tool. 

Each type of story has a specific aim depending on what you want to achieve.

Its adaptability will also depend on the format you choose.

Annette Simmons defined the top 6 Storytelling rankings for sales:

• Who I am: In this type of story, you get to know yourself and your brand. It’s used so that the audience knows you from another point of view, knows who you are, what your origins are, and what you can offer the public. This is a perfect opportunity for you to represent what makes you unique.  
  
• What am I here for?: This element works so that you can publicize your goals, what you want to achieve with your audience and your business objectives.   
• Visionary: Visionary minds seek long-term results. In this section, you can show what plans you have in the future and how you intend to achieve them.
• Educational: The purpose of this type of story is to provide people with ways to easily learn.
• Values ​​in action: Here you can show the values ​​of your brand. According to Annette Simmons, the idea is that you show how you can face the needs of your audience and how your company works.
• I know what you’re thinking: Through the story, you will be able to show your audience that you know what their needs are as well as show them you can meet them. Likewise, you can offer them a differential value. Thus, you will transmit your advantage over the competition.

Storytelling for marketing campaigns. What kind of stories can be told?

As already mentioned above, there is a wide range of narrations.

These are even more easily seen in the cinema.

Fiction, romance, drama, or action are just a few topics that are used in that industry to tell a story.

In marketing, Storytelling also has its types, and here are some that are closely linked to Annette Simmons’ 6 proposals:

• Fictional stories: This comprises narrating a story that isn’t real or that doesn’t closely relate to your brand. Nonetheless, you still use it because it conveys your message. You can use these types of stories to let your creativity run free. To do this, you have the option of using literary resources
• Consumption stories: These stories are practical because they show what your product is for. Likewise, they can affect your audience and show the best qualities of your brand.
• Stock stories: It’s based on telling a story that shows the values ​​that your brand wants to convey.
• Real stories: This is a simple type of storytelling since it only tells the story of your brand. However, even if it’s easy, you still have to grab the attention of the public. Thus, this is a great opportunity to show what your company is about.

How to create a successful story?

While it’s true that spontaneity is key to impact the public with good stories, there are certain basic patterns that you must follow to create narratives.

We’ll show you some of them so that you can take them into account when narrating:

• Storytelling for marketing campaigns, Choose a message:

The main idea of ​​what you want to narrate must be clear and properly conveyed in the story. For this, you must be clear about the objective of that narration, for example, if you want to recruit personnel, raise funds, etc. 

• Know your audience: 

You must have gotten this advice more than once in the world of sales. However, it’s important that if you want to make good use of your story, you have to know your audience very well.

It’s necessary to know if people will be interested, or if they will get any benefit from your narration.

For this reason, before telling it, you should get to know the audience you are going to help.  

• Storytelling for marketing campaigns, Decide the medium: 

There are many ways to tell a story, the medium you decide has to be related to the resources you have and what you need to express.

Good transmedia storytelling unfolds if the story is told through different platforms.

For this, the use of multimedia resources is essential.

The medium is the bridge that you will use to connect with your consumers and hook them.

Building that path is important because users will have a fundamental role in spreading your narration.

Various means are used to convey the stories. Some of them are:

1. Oral: This is one of the oldest ways of storytelling. The earliest versions of narrated stories were spread this way. Despite all this, this method is currently on the rise thanks to podcasts. Likewise, podcasts are accessible and personalized radio shows. You can download them or listen to them online through different platforms. Another example is AI voice calls. They serve as digital personal assistants. They have different functions such as answer the user’s questions or search content. An example of this is Siri, from the Apple Company.

1. Written: The written stories are an indisputable classic, but you should be careful with them. Likewise, you should keep in mind to whom you’re writing content. For example, millennials and the new generations (such as Z or T) prefer short and easy content. This content must be easy to digest but also interesting. Thus, if you are writing for a young audience, be sure to write brief texts and include multimedia resources in them. Some of these resources can be videos, infographics, and images. Finally, don’t forget to create good content as if you don’t, readers will most likely get bored. Ideally, you should support the texts with some visual resources.

The platform you will use is also essential to define the writing style you need to use. It’s not the same to write for a blog than for an account on Instagram or to tell a story through a thread on Twitter. All platforms are different and writing the right way in the right place is the key to written stories.

1. Visual: In a video, you can use both visual and audiovisual techniques with written elements to impact your audience. However, if you are going to use text, be sure to not do it excessively. This way, you won’t overwhelm your consumers. Thus, this can ve another great option to promote your brand. On the other hand, remember that if you want to create audiovisual material, this can take a lot of time and effort. Likewise, it could demand a bigger budget for its creation.

• Storytelling for marketing campaigns, Define the story: 

The story you tell will depend on your objective.

There are thousands of things to tell that adapt to different contexts.

To choose what type of story you are going to tell you must take into account the following: show yourself as you are, with your strengths and weaknesses.

Motivate people so that they can also meet their goals.

Share examples of everyday situations that allow you to relate to your audience, and tells true stories that lead to human error.

• Share it: 

You must have a good content dissemination strategy if you want your story to be powerful.

What successful brands have used Storytelling?

Several brands have used Storytelling in their campaigns.

These have managed to create a great impact and shake the emotions of their users.

Large companies use this technique because they know that it’s an adequate way to conquer the market.

In case you still have doubts about how to apply stories in your sales strategies, we’ll give you some examples of great brands that have managed to become great storytellers over the years:

• Storytelling for marketing campaigns, Coca Cola:

This Company is an expert at telling stories.

This is because, in their commercials, there’s always some type of story with an inspiring message.

Likewise, they know how to use different narratives to impact their audience.

There are a lot of amazing campaigns from this company.

One example is their 2017 campaign “The Last Customer”.

In it, we can see multiple stories of workers during Christmas Eve.

• Nike: 

In 2017, Nike, the prestigious sports brand, launched a campaign titled “Equality” where different stories were showcased.

In it, stories like those of Lebron James and Serena Williams were included.

Likewise, the aim of this campaign was to send a message against racial discrimination.

Another example from Nike was when they launched its commercial “I would run to you” in 2012.

In this campaign, we were able to see an inspiring love story with a happy ending.

• Storytelling for marketing campaigns, Starbucks: 

This brand is another great example of storytelling. 5 years ago they launched their campaign “Meet Me at Starbucks”.

Where an endless number of stories met in the same place.

This sent the message that Starbucks is a brand for everyone.

BluCactus and Storytelling

Although it’s a tool that has been on the market for decades, at the time it was here to stay.

Without a doubt, thanks to all its benefits, versatility, and adaptability to all digital platforms it will continue to be a trend in 2021.

Likewise, you now have all the tips you need and some examples to motive you to become a storyteller.

By following these tips you can create great stories that impact your audience.

At BluCactus you will find this and other strategies that will help you increase your sales and reach your marketing objectives.

Likewise, we will create the perfect storytelling strategy for your campaigns.

Contact us. We are BluCactus, a digital marketing agency whose purpose is to give you the solutions you need.

Tell us, on which platform or social network would you like to use Storytelling to express your ideas?