How can You Use Brand Storytelling to Connect with Your Audience & Why?

Consumers navigate a world full of marketing noise, constantly bombarded with marketing messages compelling them to buy here and now.

Not surprisingly, they reach a point where they want to switch off and even install ad blockers to save themselves from the onslaught of promotional content online.

As a marketer, you will surely not want to hit the pause button, which is a valid point. But you can refine your campaigns by using content that cuts through the noise and packs a punch into its message.

That’s how storytelling in branding works, as it focuses on creating a human connection with target buyers rather than selling directly.

What is Brand Storytelling?

A brand is not just a label. It is a story. A story that needs to be told. A powerful tool that is more potent than any other marketing strategies that business schools bring forth.

However, to use this effectively, you must understand brand storytelling and how it can help your business grow. In the simplest terms, brand storytelling tries to humanize the brand. This increases the relatibility rate for the audience.

As a result, brand storytelling usually evokes strong human emotions. This is usually done with the help of storytelling techniques that one might see when presenting narratives.

Effective brand storytelling can truly make the brand seem more relatable and human-like. In fact, in some cases, the brand even gains a sentient status. Therefore, effective brand storytelling is the key to success.

Therefore, this is very different from other forms of brand storytelling, such as data-driven storytelling, in which data is used to create a narrative.

Examples of Brand Storytelling

One amazing example of good brand storytelling is the Paperboat campaign. Paperboat is an Indian beverage brand that has grown in prominence in the last few years.

The brand’s subject of storytelling is nostalgia. The brand primarily creates organic Indian juices. Therefore, they use visuals and a story that reflects organic nature.

Moreover, the brand uses the nostalgia factor to hook audiences as well. Hence, this is a great way to personify or use brand storytelling.  

Importance of Brand Storytelling?

Statistics show that 55% of buyers are more likely to remember a narrative than facts. Likewise, 68% of consumers say that brand stories are instrumental in driving buying decisions.

Undoubtedly, storytelling should be the cornerstone of a branding plan. However, these statistics are only the tip of the iceberg because stories can empower your business in many more ways.

Let us share some insights on how some leading brands leverage stories and why you shouldn’t miss out on the strategy.

Creates a Familiar Personality

A consumer research report by Salsify states that 46% of U.S. consumers admit they are willing to pay more for brands they trust. Since familiarity is the key, marketers must find ways to leverage it.

The best alternative is to create a personality people connect with on a deeper level. You can do it by using a character and storyline.

GEICO, a leading insurance company, is a classic example of the use of brand storytelling. The GEICO Gecko is its fictional spokesperson, who defines its personality.

The cute character uses memorable catchphrases to establish a deep connection with the target audience and convince them to buy into its narrative.

It Defines your Purpose and Values

Another reason to integrate storytelling into your branding plan is that it enables you to define your brand’s purpose and values. You can use them as cornerstones of your narrative and replicate them through it.

The best part of weaving a story around your business’s core traits is that consumers are more likely to remember them and your brand.

Brands like Dove and Intuit have done a great job highlighting their purpose through their stories. Dove’s narrative is about how women should develop a positive relationship with their appearance, and Intuit highlights the vision to power prosperity.

Adidas is another example of a compelling narrative that emphasizes values like passion, performance, integrity, and diversity.

Helps Build a Following

Storytelling can also help brands build a following. When people hear friends or family narrating an engaging story about a product or place, they feel fascinated and engrossed.

Consider the example of Airbnb, which leverages customer-focused brand storytelling with a series called Stories from the Airbnb community. The brand managed to garner a huge fan following with short videos showing hosts behind the properties.

With digital marketing, the opportunity to pick followers is greater than ever. Statistics validate that 76% of consumers search for a brand online before visiting a physical location.

That means you must add a story to your website to engage with them and compel them to buy. You can use a StoryBrand website checklist to integrate storytelling into your website.

The StoryBrand framework is a tool that helps in clarifying the marketing message and creating a story around it. Marketers can use it to connect with ideal customers, communicate immediate value, and improve their marketing strategy.

With the framework, brands can simplify their message and place customers at the center of the journey. It is specifically valuable for designing website user experiences.

Bennett Web Group notes that the StoryBrand framework can make your website a bestseller. All you have to do is to focus on elements like clarity, communication, customer engagement, and user experience to win the storytelling game.

Boosts Long-Term Relationships

Selling is not about hogging the spotlight. It is more about strengthening your relationships with your customers to attract them the first time, retain them for the long haul, and encourage them to spread the word.

The best way to achieve the goal is through overt promotion through storytelling. It leads to robust relationships and loyal customers.

The “Just Do It” slogan Nike uses in its campaigns is often the only way to tell that the content is associated with the brand. Many campaigns actually hinge on a great story rather than a product or the brand itself.

Being completely out of the picture is how Nike strengthens its relationships with its fan base.

How To Map Your Brand’s Story In A Few Steps

Honestly, the world is your oyster, and you are the only person who decides how you want your story to be told. We will not interfere in that department. However, we will help you follow some ‘best practices’ that will help you elevate your brand storytelling:

• Know Your Audience: The foremost thing you must do is know your audience. You cannot expect to connect with an audience you do not know.
• Be Authentic: The consumer might be pea-brained, but the audience can see through lies. Therefore, be authentic and honest about your brand’s identity. Do not be who you are not.
• Simplicity: Try to follow a minimalistic pattern. Do not become gaudy and wasteful in your efforts to show a ‘hero’s rise.’ Be minimal, subtle, and relatable.
• Visualize: Visuals are the best way to personify something intangible. Therefore, make sure that the visuals match your brand’s identity.

Conclusion

Storytelling is a game-changer when it comes to branding in a competitive environment where customers are spoiled for choice.

A story can potentially connect with your audience and transform them into loyal followers.

This is a chance you shouldn’t miss out on because it can give your brand a winning advantage.

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