How to Use Stories to Maximise Engagement

In my previous post, I touched upon the importance of a compelling story to engage online visitors with your brand.

Without a strong narrative to stir up some real human emotion, leads will be a lot less likely to grow a personal connection with your product. This is sad, because personal connections are nice, and your business loses money!

So how do you build this connection with customers? What kind of information should businesses share? Here's how to unleash the power of storytelling!

First, let's talk about why a good story is essential for your business.

The Benefits of Storytelling

Stories lead to emotional connection

We humans are emotional beings; when we are inspired (or tempted!) by a product, we often buy first (in the chocolate aisle at Tesco) and rationalise later. A good story embedded within your marketing makes your lead hungry for what you have to offer, and more likely to buy your stuff.

Stories let you show, not tell

A great way to inspire confidence in your reader is to demonstrate how your product can help them instead of simply listing its features and benefits:

Don't say

Anna's beautiful handmade decorations will make you happy.

Do say

Spending so much of her time inside, remote-worker Michaela realised her home didn’t feel very homely, with bare walls and little decoration or sparkle.

Her drab interior was getting her down. If home really is where the heart is, she wanted to fill hers with colour, candles and things that make her happy.

A friend recommended Gifts by Anna, and now Michaela can't wait to sit down at her desk in the morning.

Don't just make statements of fact. Paint a picture to aid visualisation.

Stories win over sceptics

Take advantage of stories from real people who have bought and are delighted with your product to allay your prospect's lingering doubts or hesitations.

Stories develop brand identity

Every brand has an individual or team behind it, and customers love to put a face to a logo. Never lose touch with your founding myth, your history, your highs and lows. Invest as much time as you need into bringing your brand's story to life with compelling copy that connects on a human level. You NEED an About page! (see previous post)

Types of story

There are two types of story that businesses use to build rapport with their customers:

1. Background stories

2. Ongoing stories

Background stories

You usually include background stories in your website. They are stories about your company that are always relevant and allow visitors to get an authentic feel for your history, personality, and values.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• The reason why you started the business

• Unusual skills of employees that have helped your business in unexpected ways

• Company pets (a great photo op!)

• A coincidence that worked out for the better

Testimonials are GOLD. If your customer loved what you did for them, ask them for a review. There's no better way to win over those sceptics than third-party social proof.

Remember that stories aren't just for your About Us! Elements should be present throughout your site pages. Customers find narratives irresistible, so use them everywhere to make a great impression!

Ongoing stories

Along with your evergreen content, you'll need to tell new stories that keep the public informed of developments, leverage SEO to drive fresh customers to your site, and promote new products or services.

Proactively search for compelling narratives that you can transform into features for your business.

• An upcoming major project or event

• How you have recently benefitted a customer

• Your opinion on a trending news story (contribute your own expertise!)

Ok, so now you're convinced that stories are the way to go, let's have a look at how you can begin incorporating them into your marketing.

How to Write a Compelling Story

All stories have a beginning, middle, and end, but what do these look like in a marketing context? Let's take a look.

The beginning

You need to intrigue, not inform!

Don't say

John Smith founded Smith's Sweets because he wanted to provide children with a healthier alternative they would like even more than their usual candy.

Do say

One nondescript Monday afternoon in 2019, John Smith was standing in line at the checkout of his local supermarket. Staring at the bubble gum and Mars bars his young son always asked him to buy, he wondered...

The middle

The problem is introduced here, followed by the discovery of its solution (your product or service) and a breakdown of the benefits the solution provides.

The end

Your end should showcase positive outcomes. Make sure you include a CTA (call to action) so that your readers know exactly where to go next!

That grey afternoon, Mr Smith changed the sweets game forever. At long last, kids (and adults) can go wild for nutritious snacks that satisfy that candy craving in a BIG way. Don't believe us? Try now and taste for yourself.

Stories really do bring your brand to life! Weaving them into your copy, you allow your customers to connect with your brand and mission on a deeper level.

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Connect leads with your brand like never before!

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