Great advertising is all about the art of storytelling.
For better or worse, ‘storytelling’ has become a major buzzword over the past couple years.
But don’t get fooled – it isn’t a trend. Storytelling has been one of, if not THE, most powerful and influential form of communication in human history.
It’s the best way to draw out emotions, influence decisions, and inspire actions.
This is why stories sell.
Stories communicate messages in highly specific and emotionally impactful ways. They’re memorable, and they give us something to identify with and hold on to.
Statistics tell us what the reality is—stories tell us why it matters and why we need to care.
Storytelling is an essential part of any good marketing campaign and if you want to build your business, it’s something you’ll want to master.
Good marketers know they only have seconds to capture a potential customer’s attention — and storytelling is the most effective way to do this, said Molly Phillips, a senior account manager at Greenroom public relations and marketing agency.
“By allowing us to empathize, imagine, relate and emote, stories efficiently help us to connect with, harness and retain information. If you can sear an image or emotion in someone’s psyche, it is far more likely to be retained long term,” she said.
Storytelling is universal, and its practical application in marketing is crucial for business to business and business to consumer communications.
So what makes a marketing “story” resonate with consumers?
The first thing you need is a logical sequence. Every story has a beginning, middle and end.
In traditional storytelling, such as in books, films, TV shows, plays and even short video/radio ads, you have a little bit of time to set up these three sections.
Other types of media are also excellent platforms for storytelling, including blog posts, press releases, and even short social media posts. These social media posts can be run as ads, building valuable brand awareness in an authentic way.