What is Storytelling in Marketing?
Storytelling in marketing is the use of a story-based framework (i.e. “Hero’s Journey” or “StoryBrand”) to create an emotional response from your avatar.
Storytelling is used to connect beyond logic-driven arguments for your service and show the feeling your solution provides.
Let’s break down why it’s important to use storytelling in marketing, examples of story-based campaigns, and how you can begin using storytelling in your marketing.
Why It’s Important to Use Storytelling in Marketing
The Power of Storytelling in Marketing
Have you ever seen an ad or brand video that really resonated with you? They likely incorporated a storytelling framework to connect with you emotionally rather than logically.
This is where storytelling shines: emotional connection with your audience.
A common fallacy I’ve seen when brands are developing their marketing strategy is relying solely on logical arguments: price, features, implementation, delivery time, etc.
They completely forgo the power of connecting emotionally with their audience. How do our customers feel when using our product? How does this impact their daily routine? Do they feel a sense of power? Safety? Respect?
These are all great questions to ask when evaluating if a story-based approach will work for your next marketing campaign.
An important sidenote: you don’t want to alienate your audience, whether they’re logically-driven or emotionally-driven. Everyone has a different method for making a purchase decision.
A story-based foundation with a topping of logic sprinkled throughout is a great place to start.
Storytelling is for Everyone; B2B and DTC
Storytelling frameworks are easy to imagine in a direct-to-consumer market, and you’ve seen them before: your avatar as the hero in the “hero’s journey”, lifestyle campaigns showing real-world usage of your product, etc.
But it is a little harder to imagine how storytelling frameworks can be impactful in the business-to-business market. You’re probably thinking, “Daniel, I sell industrial hydrologic cylinders for semi-trucks, what story would I even have?”.
While storytelling for industrial cylinders isn’t as glamorous as a cologne commercial, there is still a powerful story to be told.
Here are eight springboard questions I always ask when creating a powerful storytelling framework:
- How does it feel to use [product/solution]?
- What environments are most common to see [product/solution] in use?
- What sensory elements are involved with [product/solution]?
- How does our avatar’s quality of life change because of [product/solution]?
- Does [product/solution] cause a certain emotion to rise within our avatar?
- How does our avatar’s core group feel when seeing them using [product/solution]?
- What conflict does our avatar experience before using [product/solution]?
- Where does our avatar want to go, and how does [product/service] help them get there?
So yes, even B2B companies can benefit from incorporating storytelling in their marketing campaigns.
The Impact of Storytelling in Marketing
Storytelling impacts marketing campaigns by driving a core emotional response from your avatar. They see the story of someone who is using your solution, and think “Wow, I could really use that right now. I’m dealing with the exact same situation”.
Analyzing market research and stories from your customers is a great place to find nuggets for your next campaign. What problems are your customers reporting being eased after using your solution? How do they feel now after using your product?
Gathering market insight is as important for storytelling marketing as any other campaign would be.
Examples of Storytelling in Marketing
Campaign 01: “Build Your Network on LinkedIn”
This :30 LinkedIn commercial shows the typical “Hero’s Journey”. A job applicant is moving towards the goal of being hired. His internal conflict is feeling small in a world full of applicants.
Here swoops in LinkedIn, where a peer reassures the applicant about their training and readiness for the interview.
No listing of LinkedIn’s messaging features, or talking about the benefit of using their platform. All pure emotion-driven visuals guide the story of the hero towards the treasure.
Campaign 02: Starbucks, “Every Table Has A Story”
This :60 commercial from Starbucks shows how their coffee shops are more than a place to enjoy some espresso, but a place for people to work, connect, and strive toward their dreams.
No listing of bean quality, square footage of the cafe, or even hours of operation. Just a showcase of how Starbucks will help you achieve your goals by having a place to focus and work.
Campaign 03: Johnnie Walker, “Dear Brother”
A poetic journey about how two Irish brothers bond through the enjoyment of Johnnie Walker.
This storytelling film (dare I say?) shows how the simplest enjoyment of Scottish whiskey between brothers will forever serve as a reminder of adventure and joy. All before an untimely death. This story-based ad excellently shows the impact a story can have on an audience, even when selling scottish whisky.
How to Start Using Storytelling in Your Marketing
Showcase the Stories of Real People
A great place to start incorporating storytelling in your marketing is by telling the story of real people. Whether they are your customers or a fictional story created based on customer feedback, real stories will help drive the meaning and purpose behind your brand.
Show your Company’s Story
Brand Story Videos are a great place to start when telling the vision, mission, and purpose behind your brand. Creating a storytelling framework flowing through inception, mission, and implementation of your core solution is a great place to start.
Use Story Frameworks In Your Campaigns
Most marketers are advised to be direct and focus on product features or details, but I’ve found that this often creates a disconnect between the brand and its audience.
I think there’s a better way. One that still shows off the features of your solution while connecting on a deeper, more emotional level with your audience. There are many frameworks of storytelling: the classic “Hero’s Journey”, the standard “Three-Act Structure”, “Freytag’s Pyramid”, “Ficton Curve”, and the most common in marketing, which is the “Storybrand Framework”.
Storytelling isn’t as easy as it sounds. There’s so much to cover within each of these five storytelling frameworks. If you’re just getting started, read this article, “What is Story Structure”, from Studio Binder to learn the basics of storytelling frameworks.
Summary
Storytelling is a highly effective form of marketing. You can improve the impact of your marketing campaigns by using a framework to build your story and begin connecting on an emotional level with your audience.
