3 Reasons Why Storytelling Is Important for Your Brand

When it comes to your favorite brand, what is the first thing you notice that makes them stand out? Is it their logo, taglines, or another visual element? Is it the way they engage with you or provide solutions to your problems? Whatever the case may be, there’s one key element that allows your favorite brand to make an impact: storytelling.

Through powerful storytelling efforts, a brand is able to sway and influence its consumer’s behavior in a way that makes a mark. In a world where 69% of younger generations believe ads and other marketing efforts are disruptive, storytelling can be the key factor that can make or break your business. This doesn’t mean spewing out numbers, facts, and data to tell a specific target audience about why your brand’s product or service is better. Instead, it’s more about creating a cohesive story and integrating it into your marketing efforts to fully connect with your target audience. Doing so helps them remember and make decisions about your brand, especially since it appeals to their needs and helps them overcome challenges.

If you aren’t convinced that storytelling is important for your brand’s marketing efforts, here are 3 other reasons why storytelling should be a part of your marketing efforts:

It enhances your target consumer’s buying experience.

Through strong storytelling, your target audience is able to derive value from your brand’s products or services. According to Harvard Business Review, the best part about utilizing brand storytelling is taking your customers on a journey. This is completely different from listing out how your products or services will help them. Instead, what would work is framing your brand’s story from one touchpoint to another, taking your target audience on a journey that makes their purchasing experience less stressful. One point to remember is that in your brand’s story, the “hero” is never the brand itself; it’s the customer. The brand serves merely as a guide to help your customer overcome barriers. As soon as you provide a purchasing experience that’s seamless and engaging, you’ll experience a higher conversion and retention rate as well as lifetime value.

It generates brand credibility.

If you want to earn your target audience’s trust, storytelling is the best route to go. By combining your story with effective content marketing efforts, you allow your brand to strengthen as a credible thought leader within its respective industry. This is especially effective if you creatively interweave your brand’s authority and expertise with its engaging storyline. That way your target consumers will learn to trust your brand as a credible source of information or provider of solutions to their needs.

It allows your brand to sound authentic.

If you’ve been in marketing long enough, you likely already know that hard selling or overly salesy copy doesn’t sit well with many target consumers. Sounding too salesy or aggressive in your marketing tactics can cause your brand to sound inauthentic and even desperate. Rather than force overly salesy messages down your target audience’s throats, use storytelling to communicate and build trust with your consumers. Storytelling allows your brand to appeal to your consumer’s emotions and make informed decisions.

If your current storytelling tactics aren’t working, there’s likely a chance that it needs some tweaks. You need to capture your target audience’s attention and so, you’ll need to rework your storytelling to be able to engage with them. Don’t forget to spend time evaluating, editing, and assessing your brand’s storytelling efforts even after you’ve implemented them in your marketing. This will help you decide when to stop and avoid dragging out a story for too long!