How to use Storytelling in Your Marketing Strategy

What do you need to tell a great story? First, it's all about how you frame the story that you're trying to tell. You need to keep audience and tone in mind. But to really help nail down your branding story, you need to understand the Golden Circle. Yes, the Golden Circle sounds mysterious, right? Simon Sinek says people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Simon Sinek is an ex advertising executive and author who is best known for his concept the Golden Circle. The Golden Circle looks like this and is all about starting with why. According to Sinek, most people communicate by starting with the what they do aspect and eventually work their way back to talk about how and why they do what they do. But companies that are universally identified as unique and successful think Apple or Google communicate with an inside out type of thinking. They start with the why and only then do they move on to talk about the how and what portions of what they do. To keep it simple, why is why are you doing what you're doing? How is how will this help your audience? And what is what are you offering? So why does the order in which you communicate the story matter? It has to do with the parts of the brain. When you're talking about what you do, you're speaking to an analytical part of the brain. But when you talk about the why and the how, you're communicating with feelings and dealing with human behavior. And remember, storytelling is all about making that connection. When you're planning a story, take time to think through the way you're choosing to tell it, to really connect with your prospects and customers, express the why of your story, tap into the emotional side of things and begin to educate or build awareness. From there. The Golden Circle can help you create your mission statement and set the tone for all all of your content. Now that you understand ordering of a story, it's also important to discuss the elements that make up that story. Regardless of the story you're trying to tell and how you're trying to tell it. Storytelling has three essential elements characters, conflict, and resolution. But how do these three parts relate to storytelling and content marketing? Let's start first with characters. With any good story, there will be characters. Every story revolves around at least one character. You need to introduce the people involved with content marketing. The people that are involved are your readers, your audience. Storytelling can't happen without valuing and understanding your audience. You should always be listening and respond to your audience's wants and needs. If potential customers can get the answers to their questions and see themselves as characters in your story, they'll be more likely to use your product or service and experience the happy ending you offer. Take a second think about a piece of content, maybe a blog post that you found helpful and really resonated with you. Are you thinking about it? Okay, why is this piece of content so memorable? There may be a few reasons why, but some of the most memorable pieces of content or stories stick in an audience's mind because of the characters involved. For the content that you were thinking of, were you the character in the story? Did it resonate with you because you felt like it answered a question? Helped solve a problem? The character is the connection between you, the storyteller, and your audience. To make sure you're focusing on the right characters, start with your buyer Personas. This semi fictional representation of your ideal buyer can help guide you to understanding the goals and challenges that your character will face. Is your buyer Persona a full time parent? Well, you might know that time is not on their side and they would describe themselves as busy. You should keep that in mind for your storytelling. Or is your buyer Persona a business owner who's looking for a better way to communicate between her team members? She'll likely see herself as the character if a team is used within your story. Or maybe you're an educational organization looking to attract students who want to take online courses. They may want to read about success stories of students that are just like them. No matter who your buyer Persona is, the art of storytelling is making sure you empathize and relate to your audience while keeping your buyer Persona in mind. You should also determine the point of view that your story will have. Will it be first person, second person, or third person? And there is no right or wrong option. It will depend on your buyer Persona, the story you're trying to tell, and the format of that story. For first person point of view, this is when the character is yourself. When you use I Saw this or I Learned that. Using this type of language in storytelling is more confessional. It can help establish a personal connection with the reader. You can use this to build authority. And try using first person when there is a known person, an author behind the content. This could work for a blog post, a video, or even an ebook if the author is noted. As for the second person, the character in this point of view is your audience. You will see or you will learn. When using you language, you need to really understand your buyer Personas. Make it personal for them by knowing their pain points, their goals. Tell the story in a way that shows empathy. Lastly, can't forget about the third person. This is the he said and she said type of language. Think back to that buyer Persona example. For an educational organization, the buyer Persona could potentially benefit from a story done in the third person. Case studies about your customers are a good example of using third person stories for this Point of view can be both fictional or non fictional. And again, there's no right or wrong when it comes to point of view. Keep your buyer Personas top of mind and think through what will work best for them. You may have noticed that all HubSpot Academy videos use second person or you point of view. That's on purpose. Since this is your training and this content contains key takeaways you should learn and act upon, it's important that these videos speak directly to the intended audience and that's you. Most importantly, when it comes to point of view, decide on one and keep it consistent. Consistency is key when it comes to content and storytelling. Once you have an idea of who the character will be for your story, it's important to understand the conflict. The conflict is the lesson in how the character transforms through challenge. An emphasis on lesson Remember, when it comes to content marketing and storytelling, the power is in what you're teaching. Conflict helps build developmental and emotional dynamics. It helps make a connection between two entities and human to human connections are the foundation for a successful business. Remember, you're dealing with people, not machines. Your company is providing answers, relieving stress, creating happiness, and making life easier for the end user. The revenue your company makes comes from a well thought business plan and customers who believe in you and what you do. If your story lacks conflict, then you're probably not telling a story. Instead, you're telling a pitch, a tagline, unique selling point, or a plain statement. This approach won't resonate with your audience and from a content marketing perspective, it won't get you views and shares and conversions or customers. Conflict doesn't mean that you should be overly dramatic. Be genuine. The conflict should drive the overall story and affect how characters react. This is what should inspire your audience to engage. Make sure the conflict fits your prospect's preference, problems, needs, or the stage of the buyer's journey. If it doesn't fit, why would they be interested in reading the story? Why will they connect? As important as it is to understand your buyer Personas, it's equally as important to understand their buyer's journey and the conflicts that they face at each stage. What problems are your buyer Personas facing in the awareness stage? Those are the conflicts that should be in your story. Spend the time outlining the problems, solutions and products or services for the different buyers journey stages and you'll have a better idea of the conflicts that you can use in your content. Last element is resolution. Where there's conflict, your audience will naturally want some sort of resolution. But what happens next? How does the story end? How did the characters or characters change? It doesn't always have to be a happy ending. Every good story has a closing. So the idea of the resolution is to provide context and emotion for the audience to relate and process the story. The resolution should wrap up the story, but should also clearly call your audience to action. It fulfills the purpose behind the story. For content marketing, a resolution could be next steps or even a call to action for more content. Either way, don't leave them hanging. Character conflict and Resolution it's not a complex process. So here's an example. Keeping it simple by using the nursery rhyme I'm a little teapot. You know I'm a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle, here is my spout and when I get all steamed up I just shout Tip me over and pour me out. Now let's break it down. Who's the character for this story? It's all about the little teapot. Let's get into the story though. I'm a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle, here is my spout. This is not a story. It doesn't strike any emotion that will make you care. But when you introduce some drama about getting all steamed up, now you have a story making element. So what's going on with this teapot? How can you help? And how you tie everything together is where the resolution comes in. The teapot really just wants to be tipped over and poured out. That's a story. It doesn't have to be complex. It's actually better to keep it simple so that it resonates with your audience. Okay, great. You know how it works with a teapot. But how can this tie into content marketing? Let's take this story framework and apply it to a business. Let's choose a market that's saturated with competition, like shoes. TOMS is a slip on shoe company that focuses on spreading social good. With every product you purchase, TOMS will donate a pair of shoes to a child in need. They've made this a part of their brand identity by creating a slogan that reinforces who they are and what they're about. The one for one company. Now let's break down Tom's story into three parts. Everyone needs shoes to protect their feet. But not everyone has the money to pay for shoes. While traveling In Argentina in 2006, Toms founder Blake McCoskey, the story's character, witness the hardships faced by children growing up without shoes. Toms is striking an emotional chord with their audience by raising awareness for an issue that they're passionate about. The best part is how TOMS ties it all together with their resolution. If you buy a pair of their shoes, then they'll donate a pair of shoes to a child in need. Now that's a powerful story. And while Tom started off as a small shoe retailer, they've created a much bigger, more emotional, feel good story that makes their customers feel like they're changing the world by simply purchasing a pair of shoes from them. And just how much success has this brought to Homs? Well, they've sold over 60 million pairs of shoes, which means they've also given over 60 million pairs of shoes to children in need. Now, beyond the three elements that make up the story, there are also some best practices to follow and keep in mind to help make your story great and resonate with your audience. You need to use content to create emotional appeal. Be consistent and authentic and keep the story clear and concise. First, using content to create emotional appeal. Your story needs emotional resonance. Emotion is what will give your story power. Make sure to give your story's character some emotion and think about the emotional response that you're looking to get from the reader. Is it fear? Survival? Guilt? Amusement? Maybe even hope? To get buy in from your audience, you need to elicit emotion. What's the difference between your story and somebody else's story? What's the mission or purpose of your company? Why should your audience care? Next, your story needs to be consistent and authentic. It's not just what you say through your website or your content, but the entire experience that your company has to offer based on your buyer Persona needs. David Ogilvy, one of the most well known advertisers of all time, once said, tell the truth, but make it fascinating. You can make any industry, any product, or any service stand out. And that's done with with providing an experience. And lastly, you need to keep things clear and concise. Everyone can benefit from cutting down a lengthy story. Ever had a friend tell you a story that took about 10 minutes to get through, but probably could have taken them under a minute? Even long stories benefit from when you whittle them down to just the most important parts. And be specific. You're not trying to speak to everyone, you're your story. And experience should not be a one size fits all approach. Communicating with the correct audience niche and creating that need is just as important, if not more important, than the story you're telling. So remember, create emotional appeal, be consistent and authentic, and keep the story clear and concise. Before creating your story, plan out who the character is, the tone of voice you'll be using, what is the conflict, and what is the resolution? Never forget that great storytelling will always start with why.