Successful brands and businesses do so through stories that impact their targets . Indeed, humans like to hear stories that arouse their empathy . This is why marketers have developed a strategy to market products and services using a story. It's about storytelling . So, concretely, what is the importance of storytelling in digital marketing and how can you use it to convince?
What is storytelling?
Storytelling is the art of telling stories to convey a specific message. These stories are often about entertaining people and facts . The marketer then expresses the image he wants to convey of his product through the story. To attract its target, the story must understand the values and emotions it wishes to provoke.
Therefore, the story must be contagious, inspiring, sensitive, useful and above all easy to understand . In addition, it must contain several characters with a protagonist, a plot, obstacles and a moral. In short, good storytelling must include the constituent elements of a narrative text .
What is the importance of storytelling in digital marketing?
Since ancient times, stories have always marked lives. If they contain enough detail and emotion, the reader will automatically connect with them . Brands then use storytelling to make people understand that their products can add value to their lives .
In fact, we can cite 5 reasons attesting to the importance of storytelling in marketing:
- establishes a strong and deep connection with the audience.
- adds a human element to the content, and therefore to the brand as well.
- generates consumer confidence. In this case, 92% of consumers prefer advertisements in the form of stories.
- shows a more pleasant view of the brand and therefore helps to overcome competitors.
- encourages Internet users to promote the brand if they are satisfied with the story, thanks to word of mouth.
To touch the customer right in the heart
Currently, many companies use online platforms to develop and transmit messages to their targets. Storytelling in digital marketing is made up of communications strategies made up of persuasive sales arguments .
In fact, Internet users are bombarded with marketing advertisements as soon as they open a website. However, they tend to avoid this kind of sale because they are tired of it. Their brains are now accustomed to rejecting mundane information and retaining creative stories that catch their attention. They look for publications that are of the best interest to their mind .
To this end, brands must seek to attract the attention of a consumer by connecting with them in a more intimate way . In this case, a company that wants to transform its ordinary product into something extraordinary must market it using storytelling.
To apply storytelling in a marketing strategy, it is important to understand the basic principles of storytelling.
The basic principles of impactful brand storytelling
Not all companies are able to use storytelling in their marketing strategy. However, there are simple methods to implement storytelling and improve your connection with the customer .
Choose a relevant main character
A story must contain a main character to be complete. It can be a hero or other figure with a certain charisma, but the important thing is that the reader identifies with them . The protagonist should be interesting and attractive so that he can leave an impression in the minds of the audiences. The whole story has to revolve around him to allow people to understand him. Also, the lead role is meant to win the hearts of readers to stay in the forefront.
Put the best elements of the story at the beginning
Instead of saving the best elements for last, put them at the beginning of the story. The point is that you have to attract the reader from the beginning to keep their attention until the end. It will then automatically share the story with others. So, the brand must put everything into the title and the introduction of the story .
Add a plot
The plot is the disruptive element of the story , that is, an element preventing the protagonist from achieving his goal. It can also be called “conflict” . It is necessary to encourage the reader to continue reading .
To create a conflicting context, simply set an objective for the main character. Then, an unforeseen event arises and constitutes an obstacle to achieving your goal. Thus, the reader will identify with the hero who encounters difficulties that he wishes to resolve or a goal that he wants to achieve. The story must express the protagonist is forced to fail , but then ends up overcoming the pitfalls thanks to the product of the brand to be promoted .
Keep the story coherent
The story must not change, but remain consistent until the end so as not to lose the reader's trust. Indeed, the brand must maintain and transmit a good image to the potential customer . If the story changes, the consumer will view it as false advertising to lure them into purchasing a product or service.
Create an emotional connection with the reader
Readers are often emotional, and it is this aspect that pushes them to purchase a product or service. The story must then convey A message that touches the customer using powerful and persuasive content. An intimate bond will naturally arise between the reader and the brand. The consumer will immediately want to buy the product. Marketing analysts call it “unconscious desire to buy”.
Storytelling constitutes a powerful weapon within the approach marketing of a brand or company. Their mission is to determine what story reflects their product or service for attract prospects. Indeed, narration always transmits a message to the reader. The idea is to persuade him to act in a certain way, so that his interest is converted into a purchase. So, to entice the target consumer to purchase, the story must be well thought out, persuasive and moving. The brand can choose the medium it wants to use to tell the story (a video, text or images).
