The power of storytelling is a potent force in the world. Stories create meaning, shape culture and build bridges between communities. They also have a powerful impact on business success – from creating meaningful conversations with customers to inspiring employees to think differently about the way they do work. In this post we will share some tips for how your company can use stories as strategic tools to grow their business and better connect with people.
There are several benefits for companies who embrace storytelling:
Storytelling allows leaders to engage their audience in a deeper, more meaningful way. It helps them communicate abstract concepts in concrete ways that are easy for audiences to understand and remember. Storytelling also builds trust because the stories come from within people’s own lives or communities—and it is this truthfulness which establishes credibility with an audience.
Writing a blog post is just one way for leaders to use storytelling. Leaders should also be telling stories in their day-to-day work, whether it’s through email updates, YouTube Videos, Facebook Lives, or presentations at meetings—in fact the more opportunities they have to share their personal story with others, the better. When people hear these stories and understand the challenges leaders overcame, they begin to trust that leader more.
It is for this reason that content centric business model - embracing the power of story- should be embraced by all companies. Storytelling can help everyone in an organization become a better leader and cultivate deeper connections with their audience members, no matter what type of product or service they offer.
Stories ignite the imagination and inspires people to find solutions for everyday challenges.
Identify your story and understand how it creates meaning in the world. The team that started Airbnb understood this when they shared a personal story about their frustrating experience trying to book a room online. It was this authenticity that connected them with future users and helped the company become one of today's most successful startups!
Ensure that your brand story is relevant and relatable.
Testing your story in different contexts, engaging key audiences and experimenting until you find success. At Dropbox for example, they tested "big ideas" like "you can sync anything" against smaller stories like "I need to share this presentation with my team." It was the latter that became part of their marketing strategy.
Create a strong story that educates, entertains and inspires.
Create a strong story is by starting small and building upon it over time. Airbnb started out connecting people who wanted to rent an air mattress in San Francisco, but today they are connecting people who want to vacation all over the world.
Another way to create a strong story is by finding the right medium for your audience. For example, instead of making TV commercials or online ads, Airbnb put content on billboards and buses. They understood their customers wanted an authentic experience with no distractions – which led them to think outside-the-box when marketing!
Content centric business model - embracing the power of story- should be embraced by all companies because it helps everyone in an organization become a better leader.
People are craving real stories, even if they don't realize it. Everyone wants to feel like their life has meaning. As you engage your customer, create deeper connections and share stories that educate, uplift, inspire, and entertain, you'll discover that sales flow in easier.
