7 Ways to Tell Stories to Sell Online
in Marketing by David Nartin
7 Ways to Tell Stories to Sell Online
Consumers are unconcerned about you. They are concerned about how much you mean to them. And stories provide meaning. You become more relatable when you convey your company's narrative. Consumers will buy from you if they can relate to your brand.
You may use social media to communicate your tales at a large scale and develop strong ties with your customers. Storytelling to the public used to be expensive and only possible through huge media companies. Now, thanks to easily accessible social media technologies, storytelling is either free or nearly free.
Here are seven easy strategies to improve your social media storytelling skills:
- Tell the tale of your company
While not every business began with a wedding, every business has an intriguing beginning that begins with a founder and a dream. The humble beginnings of any company have the ability to resonate with customers. When a customer hears the tale of how your firm came to be, he or she can form an emotional bond with you right away.
- Tell the stories of your staff
Your brand is made up of actual people, each with a unique story to share. Perhaps it's a member of staff who rose through the ranks while returning to school and raising a family. Perhaps it's someone who serves customers with a constant smile on his face. Find the most interesting stories and share them on social media. Check out Mary's story from McDonald's as an example.
- Tell the stories of your consumers
Create a narrative that enables customers to connect the dots between what they require and what you provide. Consider how your company has benefitted your customers. What do you think you've meant to them? Many happy, motivated customers may be found in any successful firm. Whatever your business does, it solves issues; all you have to do now is figure out how to make emotional connections with the people who work for you.
- Encourage your consumers to share their own stories
Only inspiring your customers to tell their own stories on social media beats telling your customers' tales. This is the equivalent of a testimonial in today's world. It's always been a big part of word-of-mouth marketing, but now it's even easier and faster with social media. Consider your most ardent consumers or those with whom you've had the most significant encounters. Then provide them with the resources they need to tell others about you. You may encourage customers to start a narrative movement around your company with just a little encouragement. Consider putting on a competition.
- Make frequent use of graphics
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. It may be trite, but a picture can express a narrative much more effectively than words alone. This is backed up by the growing popularity of social media sites like Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr. Pictures can strongly transmit behind-the-scenes stories about your brand, your business, and your personnel when telling stories online. Consider posting a selection of your filtered photographs to your Facebook profile using Instagram.
- Make video an even bigger part of your marketing strategy
A thousand words are worth less than a video. Online videos ranging in length from 30 seconds to two minutes have the ability to fascinate online audiences in the same way that high-budget TV advertising does. Upload short videos of employees and customers sharing their personal tales. Make it emotionally engaging so that your clients on the opposite side of the screen can relate.
- Be a human being
Just because you're utilizing social media to create tales doesn't mean you have to behave like a computer. Quite the reverse, in fact. You have no chance of developing a genuine relationship with your customers if you don't convey your story with an authentic personality. No matter your size or present success, touching stories may humanize you and make your organization more likable.
You could be the best storyteller on the planet, but if you don't leverage your stories to convert your audience into consumers, it's all for naught. Similarly, even the best narrative will not sell if the wrong people are listening to it. The good news is that online storytelling is significantly less expensive and risky than traditional marketing. So, if the tale you're telling today doesn't strike a chord, try again tomorrow.
