Storytelling in Digital Marketing: The Basics
Everyone has a story. The way you tell that story matters. Crafting a compelling narrative for your vision can go a long way – especially in digital marketing. How you present yourself online matters for your brand. People are drawn to the human nature of a story well told – and what part they play in that story.
Human connection has always been all about stories – those passed down from our ancestors to teach us lessons, those we read for fun, and those we embrace as part of our own. This need to connect and belong is a vital part of digital marketing because digital marketing is fundamentally not human. Your story must come alive through monitors and screens and needs to be very compelling to do so.
So what goes into crafting a story for your digital audience? We’ll discuss the building blocks of your brand’s narrative, elements of successful storytelling in marketing, and measuring the effectiveness of your storytelling.
Your Brand Story: The Building Blocks
When thinking about your company’s story, there are several things to consider as you build out the framework and turn even the most basic story into a narrative that will intrigue others, bringing users to your site and eventually converting passive browsers to paying customers or clients. These include your brand mission, your target audience, relatable elements, and the art of problem solving.
Your Brand Mission
At the top of this list is your brand mission. It should be at the heart of your brand’s story and set the tone for how you will tell it. For example, if you’re a startup in the fitness space, your mission might be something like, “to help make exercise more fun, simple, and enjoyable for working moms.”
Bonus tip from my playbook: try handwriting a few different ideas for your mission. Research has shown that handwriting helps our focus and creativity. You might come up with something that will drive the rest of your story forward!
Your Target Audience and What They Need
Another important factor to consider is your target audience. Who are they? Where do they mostly live? Which age group do they fall into? Where do they hang out online? Defining your core group as specifically as possible will help you hone into elements that can make your story more approachable, understandable, and convincing, which leads to our next point: relatable elements.
Relatable Elements
Like you and your brand, your storytelling in marketing materials should be unique. The trick is to craft a compelling, convincing narrative without sounding too unapproachable or distant. Choose a few ideas that most people can relate to and put your spin on them. Remember to be personal and have your own voice come across while appealing to an issue experienced by your audience. This will help make your story powerful for anyone.
Introducing a Problem to be Solved and How You Will Solve That Problem
Last but certainly not least, show your audience how you will solve a problem in their everyday lives: and make it simple, efficient, and quick. It’s no secret that people are busy. Your story should tell them exactly why they should stop and try your product or service to improve their lives.
Say you’re the owner of the fitness startup we discussed earlier. Here’s a sample problem: many working moms feel they don’t have the time to get in a good workout during the week. As a solution, you may offer a 15-minute program that anyone can do from anywhere – with proven results.
Remember that while everyone’s story is different, your building blocks should revolve around the core values of your brand and dive into why your audience should listen. If you’re not sure where to get started with this framework, I can help.
What Makes a Successful Story in Marketing?
Now that we’ve covered the building blocks for crafting a compelling narrative, we’ll dive into exactly what makes a story successful for a brand. Three things are important here: personalization, authenticity, and empathy.
Personalization
It’s important to make your brand’s story unique. If you tell your story from a personal angle, it is more likely to evoke an emotional reaction in your audience. Many brands fall into the trap of crafting a generic narrative with little detail, making it difficult to connect emotionally with their users.
There are many ways to create a unique story that while personal to you, will also inspire your audience and connect with them through your words, language, and tone. I’ve done this for many years and can help you reach the same success I’ve had with previous clients!
Authenticity
When conveying your brand’s mission through storytelling, building trust and credibility is critical. Remember to never lie in your marketing materials, and consider even adding in some studies and facts to back up your story.
A compelling narrative + the data to back it up = a winning strategy.
Empathy
Showing your audience that you recognize and appreciate their struggles is another element of successful storytelling in marketing. It is human to want to be heard and understood – showing your audience you care will go a long way toward connecting with them emotionally and helping them understand your brand.
Measuring the Effectiveness of Storytelling
Sometimes, you may have to edit your brand’s storytelling in your digital marketing materials to make it more compelling. But how do you know what’s working? While it’s subjectively hard to judge a good story, the numbers never lie.
Below are some things to look out for when understanding how your story is relating to your audience.
Social Media Data
Social media is a great way to reach your audience. Looking at things like page visits, follower counts, and engagement can help determine if you need to adjust your tone or work on appealing more to your target audience.
Website Clicks
One of the most important ways to get your story across in our digital era is through your website. If customers aren’t scrolling past your hero block, perhaps it’s time to adjust the language on your landing page and craft a short, but gripping narrative to keep the user engaged.
Email Metrics
Another key element of digital marketing: email. Customers receive hundreds of emails a day. What are you doing to make yours stand out? If your open rates or click-through rates aren’t where you want them to be, consider playing around with storytelling in your emails, starting with the subject and preview lines. After all, those are the first things your audience sees when they receive an email in their inbox.
While this is just a brief overview of elements to track, it is important to use data to drive your storytelling approach and influence how your brand is presented to users online.
Conclusion
Storytelling is a crucial part of any digital marketing strategy. All successful brands have a strong online presence that is crafted with the most compelling storytelling and language. Think of your favorite brand and its taglines, tone, and language often immediately come to mind. Make your brand stand out with the power of digital storytelling, and never underestimate the impact a compelling narrative can have on your business.
