The Power Of Storytelling In Sales & Marketing

This guide will take you through the power of storytelling in marketing and sales, including how to apply it to your own strategies.

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

–Anton Chekhov

Marketing and sales go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. But, to reap success in both fields, you must stand out from the crowd and create a valuable connection with your audience. This means that cold calls and pushy marketing tactics simply won’t do. Instead, it’s worthwhile to embrace the power of storytelling.

What Is Storytelling?

It is defined as the act of “using fact and narrative to break down walls, build trust and influence people to act”. This means that, instead of writing thousands of words with no meaning, you must focus carefully on curating your message to build a community.

Why Is Storytelling Important In Marketing & Sales?

There are many reasons why storytelling is important in marketing and sales. Whether you’re selling or educating, entertaining or inspiring; storytelling helps to paint your vision.

Here are three reasons why the power of storytelling in marketing and sales is so important:

1.     Stories Make Connections

Stories are led by humans; not statistics. 63% of people remember stories, while just 5% remember statistics. Through connecting with your audience on a more humane level, you have the chance to build a connection -that is more likely to result in a conversion.

2.     Stories Motivate Your Audience

Positive change happens when you feel inspired and motivated. The same rules apply to your marketing and sales techniques. If you tell a story with full transparency, you can leave your audience feeling touched and ready to take action.

3.     Stories Help To Simplify Your Message

Have you ever looked at a marketing or sales pitch and struggled to understand its core message? We’ve all been there. Unfortunately, it’s all too common for messages to get diluted when pitching isn’t done properly. This is where storytelling can help; it simplifies your message without cutting out any important bits of information. Through using real-life stories, your audience will immediately be able to relate… and understand.

What Makes A Powerful Story?

It’s all well and good understanding the importance of storytelling, but how do you apply this to your own campaigns? Here are four things to keep in mind when creating your story:

Emotion: People are far less likely to respond to cold facts. The best stories spark emotion, which in turn, creates a memorable campaign.

Shared Values: Through sharing the same values as your audience, you can create a level of trust and respect that can’t be achieved elsewhere.

A Human Touch: Storytelling reminds consumers that you are human. Exposing your personal side helps to create connections that spark change.

Show, Don’t Tell: Instead of telling your audience about how great you are, show them. Proving yourself through stories in oppose to making claims will build the trust you need.

How To Finetune Your Storytelling Process

You know that your business needs to start storytelling, and you know what makes a good story. Where do you go from here? It’s time to start laying the foundations down and fine-tuning your strategy. To get started, follow these three steps closely:

1.     Understand Your Audience

When creating a story, it’s important to understand exactly who it’s for. Just like children’s books aren’t designed for adults, your story will not appeal to all.

To establish who will benefit from your stories the most, research your target market and create buyer personas to suit. This will help you to figure out what your audience wants to hear.

2.     Decide On Your Core Message & Story

All great stories have a strong core message. Yours is no exception.

Before you put pen to paper, figure out your story’s core message, as well as the action you expect people to take from it. From selling a product to offering a service, don’t let the overall message get diluted.

3.     Don’t Forget About Conversions

Speaking of actions, you must include a CTA (call-to-action) if you want people to convert. While stories are all about connecting with your audience, you can’t forget that you made it with a purpose in mind. Without a clear CTA, your overall message will be pointless.

It’s Time To Tell Your Story

Storytelling is an art. It takes time and a whole lot of effort to perfect. But, the results are always worth it. With this guide in mind, you have everything you need to lay down the foundations of a memorable storytelling campaign.

Just like any other marketing or sales campaigns, storytelling consists of trial and error. Through learning what works and what doesn’t, your business will have everything it needs to create ‘best-selling’ stories with unstoppable results. Enjoy the creative process and see where it takes you!

Keep up to date!

We hope this article of the power of storytelling in sales and marketing helps you take a step in the right direction for your marketing journey.

Please keep coming back to our blog throughout the year to make sure that you always have your finger on the pulse of what’s hot and trending in digital marketing.

You can check out our article on Facebook Ads Not Working? 4 Critical Ad Set-Up Mistakes To Avoid ⋆ Slam Marketing