What is Content Marketing Storytelling?
Storytelling is said to be the main ingredient in content marketing. It’s what steals the attention of consumer brain waves across America. According to a Nielsen study, customers crave a more personal connection in the way they gather information when selecting a brand.
When new knowledge is processed in list form, the brain lights up in certain information-gathering areas. Yet when a brand story is told, the brain also lights up in its emotional-processing spaces. This might be why companies like Once Again Nut Butter, with stories of where they got their racoon logo and how they give back to the community, feel so good. Findings show a brand is forged through consumers’ perception.
Emotional branding and storytelling
Take a 30-second Spotify commercial for example. Few words are needed in the emotionally-stirring content marketing video. Its storytelling offers the viewer sentiments on how music is tied to memory. As a result, they’re more likely to choose the brand when they know it embraces their lives, emotions, hearts and memories. As Fast Company states, “our brains make little distinction between an experience we are reading about and one that is actually happening.” Viewers therefore become emotionally tied to the brand that elicits experiences, which go beyond emotion. “Humans are hardwired to find significance in stories,” says Digital Donut.
Once Upon A Time
When the world was simple in pre technology era, content was easily digestible. Now, with the uprise of constant information, stories are told to captivate buzzing minds. “We spend about a third of our lives daydreaming,” Fast Company cites, “Our minds are constantly looking for distractions–and the only time we stop flitting from daydream to daydream is when we have a good story in front of us.” There are a few key factors companies should put into play to tell a good story through their brand.
Research
Stories seek to fulfill needs, answer questions, draw connections and revolutionize the modern world. Completing research on the brand story told is key to successful content storytelling. As i-scoop says, “Stories must be personal. Think about how your brand was born, what inspired you to create the company and what your personal mission is. But most of all think about what the needs of the ‘audience’ were when doing so.”
It’s all in the why
According to the Ten Commandments for Content, “finding your why” involves the reason behind everything the company has done, from its founding principles to its customer reach. Once the ‘why’ is known, the story becomes clear. This must be genuine and truly from the heart.
Listen up
Great storytelling requires great audience understanding. Taking into account the individual wants, desires, fears and needs of the target is the final important tip of the day for great storytelling. This personal touch makes a lasting impression in the minds of consumers as they connect their experiences with a brand. In the words of Forbes:
“I have observed the wild success of many businesses, and the fast failure of others. All had a superior product or service, so why did some fail? Many companies tend to focus too much on that product or service and forget to listen to what customers are telling them.”
Comment below and let us know what online campaigns sparked your emotion?
