Do you want to connect with your customers on a deeper, more intimate level?
Tell them a story.
Here’s a not-so-secret secret: Your audience is tired of being marketed at. The “buy, buy, buy” schtick has gotten old, and, oddly enough, people resent being treated like walking, talking credit card numbers.
It’s high time to try something new.
Enter storytelling.
By telling your business’s story, you’re showing your audience the face behind the brand, explaining who you are and why you do what you do, and giving them a reason to choose you over your competition.
When you get people engaged in your story, you’re forging an emotional connection. They want to see how it plays out. And because they’re invested, they’re willing to pledge their allegiance to your brand.
4 Tips to Sell Your Story
Start at the Beginning
Before you can tell your story to your audience, you need to know what that story is. Think about who you are as a business and what you want to represent. What values are important to you? What do you want to achieve?
As you answer your own questions, your story will start to write itself. Pay attention to the things that stand out and spotlight them. For instance, if altruism is a huge part of your identity, then your efforts to give back to your community or a charity you support should be front and center.
Know Your Audience
If you hand a science fiction book to someone who only reads steamy romance novels, there’s going to be a disconnect. It’s not that one book is better than the other, it’s just that people like different things.
The same goes for your brand’s story. You need to craft a tale that resonates with your audience — and to do that, you need to know your audience.
Who is your target market? What are their pain points? How can you, as a business owner, solve their problems and why are you a better choice than the competition? This information will serve as the foundation for your story.
Be Compelling
Do you make homemade jam as a tribute to your grandmother who taught you her blue-ribbon recipe when you were growing up on her farm?
Did you create a peer-to-peer lending service because you once received a hand-up that changed your entire life, and you wanted to make sure others have that opportunity?
Does your landscaping service offer free basic yard trims to seniors over 70 because you don’t believe anyone’s elderly Pop-Pop or Nana should be pushing a mower in the hot sun?
There are plenty of jam makers, fintech gurus and landscapers to choose from. When you’re able to tell a compelling story about your business, you’re giving your audience a clear reason to choose you over everyone else.
Mix Up Your Mediums
People don’t just have different tastes in the stories they like. They also have different tastes in story presentation.
That’s why it’s important to tell your story across a variety of mediums.
Some people respond best to videos, some to written content, some to social media posts and images. The good news is that you can tailor your story to any type of marketing channel.
Remember, you’re not telling a different story on every channel; you’re just telling it a different way.
Tell Your Brand’s Story the “Write” Way!
In business marketing, storytelling is a way to get your audience’s attention, evoke emotion and shape the way people perceive your brand. It makes them feel less like dollar signs and more like a valued part of the community you’ve created. And when they feel included in the story, they don’t want to buy from just anyone — they want to buy from you!
From “once upon a time” to “happily ever after,” Mischa Communications has the plot for your business’s story outlined. Let’s tell it together!