Lead generation strategies. Lead funnels. Paid ad campaigns. 

Businesses today put a lot of emphasis on many, if not all, of these elements in an effort to claim their portion of the market, fill their lead pipelines, and gain—or maintain—a competitive edge.

After all… Isn’t this why we are in business in the first place? 

Businesses can invest a ton of money in marketing but see very little return. 

We’ve seen it happen countless times.

We’ve even done it ourselves… 

Depending on your industry, you might have an effective lead generation strategy. And if that’s working for you, then great! 

However, you might be missing one core element to make it better, and that’s storytelling.

Why Storytelling is Important

Think about the last time you listened to a live speaker. Maybe you attended a conference, a retreat, or another type of event. 

If the speaker was a good one, he or she likely opened the speech or presentation with a story. 

If so, then you might not even remember what the actual topic of the speech was about, but there’s a good chance you remember his or her story.

Why?

Here are some reasons why storytelling is so effective and powerful:

• It is authentic
• It is entertaining
• It is memorable
• It provides meaning
• It is effective for learning
• It sparks emotion in the audience
• It avoids coming across as too “salesy”
• It is about connection and communication
• It brings out the real human behind the business, brand or professional

5 Storytelling Tips to Implement in Your Marketing Right Now

Now that you understand the importance of storytelling, you might be thinking, “What if I don’t have a good story to tell?” You do. Everyone has a story, and it will resonate with your audience.

Here are some storytelling tips you can implement right now:

1. Use storytelling over statistics.

You read that right. Storytelling is proving to be more effective and more memorable than statistics. Sure, numbers and statistics are important to support claims, prove a point, or establish credibility, however, keep in mind that, depending on the source, statistics can be misinterpreted, misanalyzed, and riddled with bias. Additionally, most of your readers and audience will forget them. Prioritize storytelling over statistics.    

2. Use stories to structure your content. 

Writer’s block is a very real thing. It has the power to completely destroy careers. Even the most experienced writers struggle with it from time to time. And with the increasing demands of producing marketing content, it can be difficult for writers to keep up. 

One of the best ways to work around this challenge is with storytelling. Storytelling can help you organize your article or content piece, and even help you figure out what to say to your audience, and how to say it.

3. Ditch the keyword stuffing. 

The days of keyword stuffing are long over. Business storytelling will get your brand a lot further than simply throwing in some keywords into a blog post, publishing the post, and calling it a day. This used to be enough to generate organic traffic and even leads, but not anymore. The content marketing landscape has changed, therefore, prioritize storytelling and even thought leadership content over SEO-ifying every piece of content you produce. 

So remember, stuffing is Thanksgiving, not your brand’s content.

4. Use storytelling over sales pitches.

Another benefit of storytelling is that it allows you to talk about your business or brand, the benefits of your product(s) and/or service(s) without coming across as too salesy. This also makes your content and brand more relatable, and you will find you will get further with prospects and leads than through traditional sales methods and tactics.

5. Keep your audience’s attention.

Storytelling makes it easier to keep your audience interested longer. Stories are also easier to process as they are often more interesting, emotional, and memorable. If your story resonates with your audience, especially over long periods of time, then this will likely not only have an impact on them, but they will remember you in the future.

Every Brand Has a Story to Tell… What’s Yours?

Even if you think, “no one cares about my story”, maybe, but that’s doubtful. Your story will likely resonate with someone, and it will surprise you. 

If you need help crafting your brand’s story, contact us today to learn more about how we can bring your story to life and share it with the world.