Marketing is storytelling.
The story of your product, built into your product. The ad might be part of it, the copy might be part of it, but mostly, your product and your service and your people are all part of the story.
Tell it on purpose.
Seth Godin
The Power of a Story
Storytelling is universal. It transcends countries and cultures around the globe. A story is truly an essential trait of being human. We are captivated by stories, and we reward a storyteller with our attention.
Listening to stories makes our brains more active. Buffer published a great article highlighting the science behind storytelling and its effect on our brains. Here are two interesting discoveries:
- The whole brain is put to work: When we are told a story, not only do the language processing parts of our brains become activated, but so do any other areas that would be used when experiencing the events of the story.
For example, if “a ball was kicked” or “an object was grasped”, the motor cortex of our brain gets activated. Likewise, if a singer’s voice is described as “velvety” or someone’s hands as “leathery”, our brain’s sensory cortex lights up. - The storyteller’s and the listener’s brains can synchronize: By telling a story, we can ingrain ideas, thoughts and emotions that we have experienced ourselves into a listener’s brain. As I tell a story, the listener’s brain activity will mimic my own.
For example, if I have activity in the emotional brain region, so will the listener. Likewise, if my frontal cortex is stimulated, so will the listener’s. What I’ve experienced will also be experienced by others.
All in all, stories are stimuli for our minds, as well as things that inspire us, drive us to act, and command our attention. So how can we best use them in our businesses?
Telling Your Brand’s Story
Storytelling breathes life into your products and brand. People aren’t looking for the bullet-point list of features and benefits, but for the bigger transformation and new possibilities that could not have happened yesterday.
“People don’t want more information. They are up to their eyeballs in information. They want faith. Faith in you, your goals, your success, in the story you tell.”
Guy Kawasaki
Your story needs to take others on a journey of transformation. It needs a beginning and an end that clearly paint the pain, the solution, and the transformation in between. What others see in that journey is themselves.
Every story needs to cover the basics of who, what, where, how and why. When answering these questions, think of the audience, the background, the crisis, the action and the outcome.
Try to understand where the real story is. It isn’t in the fancy features, but in the reason for your existence, your purpose, and the outcome you can deliver that others can find a personal connection to, and be inspired to take action on.
Why Storytelling is Ideal for Technology Companies
Technology companies are shaping the world with innovative solutions which are both intriguing and inspiring. However, these stories can get lost in a company’s deep passion for technology and their penchant for tech-talk, buzzwords and product detail. Drop them, because you don’t need them. In fact, your audience will tune them out.
Instead, illustrate what you stand for and why it matters to the lives of others. We all have our own stories – how does yours help transform ours?
What’s Your Story?
If you aren’t sure what yours is or you need a little help telling it, get in touch. We’d be happy to have a short conversation to see if what you need and what we do fit together.