How To Connect With Your Audience Through Storytelling
- Jenny Kristine Bekken
- Apr 5, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 20, 2022
- How to tell an intriguing signature story
It is in our nature to tell stories. From being spread by word of mouth to being written down, stories have been passed down from one generation to the next. Today, stories can be created in many forms. Technology has, for instance, made it possible to tell stories through photographs, TV and social media.
There are a lot of stories and impressions that abound around digital platforms and elsewhere throughout the everyday life of a consumer. From traditional marketing to digital media, we see and hear about brands everywhere. Most of it you probably just ignore, but some of it you might find intriguing. In many cases that is because of the brand storytelling. It entertains you, informs you and, perhaps, touches you. Stories can be told through various platforms, and successful brands are increasingly using storytelling as a part of their branding.
Your brand needs to connect with consumers and present your values and goals as a narrative. This post will tell you why, but most importantly, how.
In my last blog post about how to build your brand through social media, one of the tips was to tell your brands’ story. Humans need emotional dimensions. We prefer to interact with stories rather than ads, and we feel more connected to each other through storytelling. Capturing the audience’s attention is challenging, but digital brand storytelling enhances the possibility to connect with your target audience and boost your brand. Creating a story around your brand enhances the consumers’ willingness to buy the product. Consumers do not only pay for the product, but they also pay for a brand experience. Utilising digital brand storytelling is therefore a great opportunity to reach out to your target audience by highlighting who you are as a brand. A good story adds to the experience and provides value for the consumer.
"Stories cause hormones and endorphins to be released from the brain and it causes our brains to feel focused and motivated to find out the ending"
So what is digital brand storytelling? Rather than using traditional marketing to reach out to consumers, digital storytelling aims to pull the audience into a story. Digital storytelling includes computer-based images, videos, text, music, recorded audio, animations, with more. It is important to be genuine and let the audience get to know your brand. As a brand, you should figure out how you want to appear to your audience. Storytelling connects with the audience on an emotional level by telling your brand’s values, mission and goals. A good story inspires and motivates both consumers and employees. By using narratives, you will make your brand will stand out as more interesting and personal and be informative at the same time.
There are several key storytelling frameworks for your brand to utilise. A signature story is a framework consisting of a beginning, middle and end (not necessarily in that particular order). It can be defined as a ‘once about a time’ - narrative with actual or fictional events. According to David and Jennifer Aaker, an effective signature story needs to be intriguing, authentic and involving. In other words, is not just a set of facts. It should contain some form of sensory or emotional content, and make a strong statement. Embed the fact as a part of your story, or present them at the beginning of the end. The facts can help the audience to understand what your brand stands for and what you can offer the consumer compared to your competitors.
Creating a human connection is an important aspect of storytelling. A story can be fun and entertaining, but it can also cover more serious topics. An intriguing, authentic and involving story has much greater power than just entertaining an audience - it can make us feel something. Narratives can be thought-provoking, give us new perspectives on life, and remind us that we are a part of something bigger than us selves. Some stories stay with us forever. Telling your own signature story, creating suspense and/or adding creative elements that make your brand stand out, will therefore enhance your chance to attract your audience’s attention and remain in their memory. Thus, brands should take this opportunity to grab their audience’s attention, engage them and teach them something about their brand.
Google took advantage of the art of storytelling and creating an emotional connection with the audience. The video above tells an emotional story while explaining the functions of Google Earth. By telling the right story, your brand has the advantage to create a strong connection with consumers. This is one of many examples that demonstrates that storytelling is a powerful tool of persuasion.
So - how do you make a good story? Following, I have created 12 steps to evaluate when using digital brand storytelling.
1. What is your brands’ persona?
Outline who you are as a brand. If your brand was a person, how would you describe it? This should look and feel like your audience, for them to connect with your band on an emotional level. A strong persona is essential in branding, and the connection between what your brand says and what it does needs to be intact.
2. Who is your target audience?
You need to understand your audience to know how to reach them. Who are they and on which platforms are they present?
3. Connect and empathise with your audience
Creating human connection and empathising with your audience is important. Without it, your story won’t be as memorable. Figure out a way to connect with your audience. Rather than just talking to your audience, draw them into your story and make it relatable. Personal interaction is powerful, make the audience care!
4. Know how to tell your story
Choose a relevant format to convey your story, and figure out the creative approach and structured story you want to tell. Using narrative techniques, you can target consumers’ values, fears and aspirations by, for instance, routinely asking them deep questions such as: Who are you? What are your passions? What do you want to achieve in life? Storyboards are a great way to plan your story. Remember to offer value in every piece of content!
5. The nature of your story
Create a story that integrates your brands’ vision, values, beliefs, cultural dynamics, consumer attitudes etc. Try utilising storyline frameworks such as a signature story, and make a strong statement.
6. Utilise a theoretical framework
A framework will help the structure of your story to make sense for the audience. Follow the key elements in a signature story, or utilise other frameworks such as the Freytags’ Pyramid.
7. What would you want your strategic message to be?
Rather than focusing on what you want to say to your audience, have your brand persona in mind and show them what your brand stands for. Do you have a promise that is better than your competitors? Furthermore, have in mind what your call-to-action is. This does not have to be a sales pitch. You can encourage your audience to share your stories, communicate with each other or ask for their opinions.
8. Grab your audience’s attention and be creative
This is the most important part of digital storytelling. For your story to be intriguing, you need to grab your audience’s attention. What is “the hook” of your story? Adding a creative element of surprise will grab your audience’s attention.
9. Create a story that feels real
For your story to feel real, the setting, characters and challenges within your story need to feel authentic for the audience. Seek highs and lows, and make your audience understand why your brand is the better option by telling an authentic story.
10. On which platforms do you want to tell your story?
For instance; social media, your brand’s web page, television, radio etc. How do you want to tell your story through these platforms? Social media is great for shorter messages, while a longer form of content works better with multimedia.
11. Be ethical
Be careful of what you share. Follow the guidelines, be authentic and have the audience’s best interest in mind.
12. Consistency is key
If you seek long-term success, you need to make it an ongoing process. Your brand persona, nature of your story and strategy have to be consistent. Maintain the storytelling and make the adjustments along the way, based on consumer preferences.
Thank you for reading!
- Jenny K. Bekken
Sources:
Jennifer Aaker: Creating Personal Signature Stories:
Learning Freytag’s Pyramid: 5 Cool Examples of How To Use It in Marketing:
Saroo Brierley: Homeward Bound:
The Science Behind Storytelling:
Why Storytelling Is So Powerful In The Digital Era:
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