I believe that, today, every business needs to have a soul, a personality. Obvious, right? Yes! Yet we will still find businesses (many) caught at the transactional relationship.
How can this table be turned? Well, I might be stating the evident, but it’s the reality of what had to be said and must be done.
Based on my expertise embedding this methodology of commerce into my projects, here are a few reflections and advice on achieving a better engagement with a storytelling methodology.
In order for a business to exist, this must have a purpose - founded on values, and therefore these linked to people.
Many businesses still believe that segmenting or identifying your audience is a marketing activity, whereas I believe it is at the core of your purpose as an organization. It shifts, it changes with time, but it is an important mark to address your strategy and structure as a business.
It doesn’t matter if you are a B2B or if you are a B2C - if you are selling something then this applies to you.
Start with who you are addressing; understand what makes them tick, and which are their needs; design your service teams and communication internally and externally accordingly; and you will always have an upper hand . Why? Because you took that extra time to know who you are adressing as a start and understanding their experience preferences.
This doesn’t only guide you in catering those experiences, it forces you to build a diversified approach which can open up your reach wider and with a more customized voice per segment.
The overarching purpose and brand stay as the guardians of all messages, but by identifying several clusters, the messages become more targeted and authentic. This also helps you have a wider variety of stories and experiences to tell, making the engagement much higher.
Your story is only as good as its impact on others.
A story told by only one person won’t have all the echo it would have as if it was widely diffused. You need to create connections and a following - or even better, a legion of fans experiencing a sense of belonging connected through a purpose and shared values.
As this community grows, they consequently form a part of your social currency.
Think of your storytelling as a travelling bus going from one community to another and engaging with each to keep the conversation growing. Without the endorsement of others, the story stays one sided.
Have you heard of the Push vs Pull Market? Well, this can be applied here.
Events, content series, panels, conferences, interviews, endorsements… all of these assets are not only important vehicles of collaborations but also a must to achieve continuity in messaging that is aiming to put back soul into a brand.
From corporate communication to personal branding, I believe that any company’s visual and editorial elements are a huge opportunity to connect with your internal and external audiences. A fresh visual identity shows that the effort to maintain your image is a priority.
Your digital assets must be up-to-date and in sync with the preferred tools used by your audience.
You can be selling the latest and most innovative solution to a company, but if your website isn’t even mobile responsive, then you are missing the point.
We have new options, a wide variety of mediums and tools, and creatives in abundance with the website’s world evolution to use. Use these to tell your story and show your capabilities in your home turf before you do somewhere else!
Focus inwards and you will win.
The first and last people that will tell your story are your people. It is not the sole responsibility of a marketing team to deliver. Yes, they will work with an agency to translate your story through PR & Communications, but there should be other departments that need to be part of the delivery:
and your leadership!
The people that work for the company must embody the storytelling of their organization to show authenticity and really bring the soul and eyes of the brand to life. Invest in hiring training personnel and incentivize with that in mind. The impact is much greater when you do.
You move from tactical storytelling to storytelling with purpose and impact – and therefore this allows you to create a sustainable and authentic relationship with your audiences.
Be creative, be simple, be unique! Content as a way of storytelling is an art.
Take the time to identify your army of artists and start the conversation with them at the basis, knowing who your audience is. If they get your target, they will get your message, and therefore will identify your USP.
The more we design from within, the more authentic and unique we become.
In every successful example of storytelling there is a holistic 360 approach defined by understanding your community and having a clear vision & purpose.
Although Inspiration can come from all parts of the globe and industries, your messages will become organic when they are designed with all the above in mind.