Since the beginning of time, storytelling marketing has been a common strategy to promote products or services. It is becoming more important than ever with digital communication being so popular and customers having unabated access to all information anytime.
Although brand storytelling is a tradition that has existed for many years, its popularity is growing as digital marketing surpasses its print-form counterpart.
Digital marketing uses storytelling to address the needs of a fast-paced society that demands information quickly.
The only difference between digital storytelling and traditional storytelling is their presentation. Many people today use online platforms to communicate their messages and develop them.
Digital marketing uses storytelling to combine these communication channels and marketing strategies into persuasive selling points.
Uri Hasson, a Princeton researcher, has demonstrated that stories can be reacted to in this way by the brain. Listening to stories can cause our brain activity to be in sync with the storyteller’s—we experience what they are experiencing.
According to Hasson, one of the benefits of storytelling is that it stimulates the brain to allow listeners to turn the ideas and experiences of others into their own.
What is Storytelling in Marketing?
Stories are more than entertainment. They’re fundamentally how humans understand the world. Storytelling in digital marketing allows businesses to express their values and success stories in a way that resonates with customers.
There are many advantages of storytelling. They attract and entice people and build trust between businesses and customers. Storytelling marketing helps prospects understand your message and provides a framework for your marketing efforts.
Why Is Storytelling Important in Marketing?
In marketing, storytelling gives a unique opportunity to engage with customers.
Brands are given the ability to express and promote their principles and personalities in a way that seems less like advertising and more like a concentrated effort to establish consumer connections.
These are five benefits of storytelling in digital marketing.
We Pay Close Attention to and Recall Stories
Our attention spans are decreasing. Microsoft measured how long it took people to focus on one thing in 2000. The average result was 12 seconds. Microsoft did the same study fifteen years later and found that the average focus time had fallen to eight seconds. Today’s study may reveal a lower number.
Not surprisingly, our attention spans have fallen drastically with so many notifications, channels, and platforms competing for it. Everyday, the average consumer is exposed to thousands of ads. Yet, it’s hard for them to remember many of them because so few make a conscious impression.
Strong stories can cut through the clutter and keep prospects’ attention.
Storytelling Marketing Fosters Empathy
Stories can trigger chemicals in our brain that increase their impact and create positive feelings about brands. Dopamine is an emotional regulator that keeps us emotionally invested and engaged in stories.
Another chemical often associated with empathy is Oxytocin. Oxytocin is a chemical that helps us connect with the subject of stories. Did you see the IKEA advertisement about the lamp that was so poor? We feel terrible for this little guy because of Oxytocin.
Empathy is a valuable commodity in digital marketing. It makes audiences more likely to share and consume content. Building audience loyalty can eventually lead to conversions/higher sales.
Complex Ideas Are Simplified Through Stories
Stories are used to illustrate concepts. Your teacher used stories to teach math principles as a child. Politicians tell stories to convince voters to choose them. Although stories can be simple, they can convey complex ideas and illustrate concepts that may seem abstract.
In digital marketing, where every second of attention is precious, it is crucial to communicate complex ideas in a few words.
Apple’s “Share Your Gifts” ad is an excellent example of making abstract concepts concrete.
The animated spot shows a young, creative woman who fills a large box with ideas and artwork until it bursts open. We see that her village is covered in paper scraps, which are then picked up by the townspeople who appreciate them. The scene shows how she finally gets to be recognized for her creative abilities.
TThe ad reinforces the importance of expression and connection to Apple’s brand identity. Apple brands itself as friendly even to non-tech savvy consumers who can find everything they need in a single tech ecosystem.
Stories Remove the Hard Sell
Hard sells are often not successful for businesses with long sales funnels. Pushy, in-your-face marketing can turn prospects off. Prospects will instinctively recognize that they are being pitched to and reject your messaging. Digital spaces make it easier to reject hard sells. Prospects can click an “x” and opt-out anytime.
We don’t like the feeling of being sold to. Storytelling presents a more relaxed and inviting way to sell your brand, services, and products. A great story is enough to make people forget it’s the start of a sales pitch or an advertisement.
Stories Aid in the Development of Brand Identity
Stories can be told in many different ways. A good advertisement might tell a story about how a product/service makes someone’s lives better. Brands can look at the bigger picture and create their own stories.
Apple wants technology to be more intuitive and streamlined. IBM is committed to creating a better planet, and McDonald’s thinks about how to make you smile with food that you love. Their simplicity is what makes them so powerful.
Brand stories are essential. They are especially relevant in this era of purpose-driven advertising. The growing data show that consumers are four to six times more likely to support businesses they believe align with their values, serve a more significant cause.
Do not just tell the story of how but also why and what made it the brand it is today. Does your company try to reduce plastic waste? Are you trying to reach an underrepresented group? The consumers want to know.
Key Takeaway
Storytelling in digital marketing engages audiences on a deeper level. You’re generating crucial emotional connections between your audience and your company through your brand’s narrative. Good storytelling that builds the ultimate connection isn’t always about you, your goods, or features; rather, it’s about emotions, experiences, needs, and desires.
Let Us Tell Your Brand’s Story
It is critical to experiment with various marketing concepts to be innovative. Storytelling is one of the best marketing approaches to amplifying your online presence. If storytelling isn’t your strong suit, seek a Cleveland SEO company like Advanced Digital Media Services that can convey your narrative in a way that is consistent with your company’s identity.
We recognize that as a business owner, you are busy and don’t have time to research the finest marketing strategies for your brand. Allow our experts to assist you in telling your brand’s story. Contact us today to begin a marketing journey to extend your client reach.
