Brand Storytelling: Increase Engagement and Boost Sales with Storytelling

Brand Storytelling: Increase Engagement and Boost Sales with Storytelling

Storytelling is not a new discipline. For tens of thousands of years, humans have used storytelling to communicate and to connect. Research shows that the human brain is wired to engage with stories and is 22 times more likely to remember stories than facts. In today’s technology-driven world, we interact and are connected like never before, yet we often feel disconnected. Storytelling remains relevant and important to keep us connected through our personal experiences.

Brand storytelling is important in business because it creates a personal connection between your brand and your consumer. While the internet gives us immediate gratification and access to information, brands look for ways to stand out from the crowd with a memorable emotional pull. You can do this by creating compelling human stories that enhance your customer’s experience with your brand.  

What is Brand Storytelling?

Brand storytelling is about humanizing your business. This makes it easier for customers to engage with you on an emotional level. Rather than think of your brand as a “good” choice, they will come to think of your brand as the “best” choice. 

Brand storytelling includes building a narrative about:

• Who you are — who is the person behind the business? What challenges have you faced? Your story helps customers understand who you are and why they should support you.
• What you do — what you do doesn’t equate only to what you make. You may make clothing but you give customers the opportunity for self-expression.    
• Your core values — these explain why you do what you do. Is your goal to be a green company? To help people live healthier lives? To be adventurous? Align your values with those of your prospects and customers. 

Brand storytelling uses these elements to create a compelling narrative. Stories are easy for prospects and customers to remember. They will know who you are, what you do and, most importantly, will understand why your brand is positioned to meet their emotional needs.

How to Tell Your Brand Story

A compelling brand doesn’t happen overnight, but with a carefully constructed story, you can increase customer engagement and ultimately boost sales. Here are some guidelines on how to tell your brand story.

• Know your customers — in order to engage with them, you need to understand their challenges. You are helping each customer, with the help of your brand, to live their best life. Don’t promote yourself as the brand that changes someone’s life, be the brand the helps them change it for themselves.
• Humanize your brand — People connect and engage with other people rather than with companies. Share staff stories on your blog, post staff pictures, and respond personally to customer inquiries. When sharing on social media such as Instagram, share photos featuring people’s faces. These perform up to 40% better than those without. 
• Keep it real — Remember this is your company’s brand story, not anyone else’s, so keep it authentic and honest. Customers can detect deception and spin from a mile away. When creating content, it’s important to tell your story consistently so that people can identify and trust your brand. Nothing is easier to remember than the truth, so sticking to your authentic story will help your brand remain trustworthy and respected.

Benefits of Brand Storytelling 

With brand storytelling, your company transforms from a faceless entity into an actual place. This authenticity will resonate with audiences and evoke an emotional response. By sharing what motivates you and what you aspire to, you are sharing new ways for prospects and customers to support and engage with your brand. 

Research suggests that thriving businesses provide more than customer satisfaction, they make an emotional connection with customers. With brand storytelling, you can make customers feel as if they are members of a special group, noting their universal desire to belong. Customers who are emotionally invested will buy more of your products, trust your brand, frequent your website, and pay greater attention to all of your content. These customers are very valuable indeed.

Have questions about brand storytelling or other content marketing related initiatives? We can help. Contact us at Alt Creative.