Stories are how we learn and connect with others, which means they're great for building trust and getting people excited about your ideas.
We all know that stories are the best way to connect with an audience. It’s why we tell our kids stories at bedtime, why great leaders use stories to inspire their teams, and why salespeople try to convince customers by using a similar strategy. While writing isn't my strongest suit, I've learned through trial and error that storytelling can be a powerful tool in business. Here are my top tips on how you can use storytelling in your next project:
Storytelling is the art of persuasion.
Storytelling is the new black.
What Is Storytelling?
Storytelling is a form of communication that can be used to connect with people and get them interested in your business. It’s also an art, which means you have to practice if you want your stories to sound good. You may have heard the phrase before: “Practice makes perfect”, but that’s only partially true when it comes to storytelling. Instead of just practicing telling stories over and over again until they become boring (which will make a lot of people want nothing more than for you to stop talking), there are certain techniques that can help you become better at telling entertaining tales without losing their authenticity or value as a source of information.
Tell Stories To Ignite Emotions
Emotional storytelling is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience. A story that resonates emotionally can be transformative, creating an experience that lingers in the mind and heart long after the event itself is over.
The five words you need to remember: Emotion is the key to a good story. If you want to captivate your audience, it's time to put some emotion into your stories!
Emotions are what make us human—and they're also the most powerful tool you have as a communicator. They're why we connect so strongly with great movie characters or television shows; why people laugh at comedians; why we cry during heartbreaking scenes in books and on stage; and even why we get angry at politicians for being dishonest about their policies (or "fake news," as Trump calls it).
Relate Your Brand Story to Your Customers
The biggest mistake a brand can make is to tell a story that doesn't relate to their audience. This is because as human beings, we all want to be understood. We want someone who sees us for who we are and what makes us unique. If you can make your customers feel like they're important, then they'll pay attention and take action when you ask them to do so.
If you want your customers to be invested in the story of your business or product (and who doesn't?), then it's crucial that the narrative appeals not only to their emotions but also their intellects. In other words, if they don't understand what makes your company special—if there isn't some key piece of information that sets it apart from its competitors—they won't feel comfortable buying from it.
Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience is one of the most important aspects of storytelling. You need to understand their pain points, interests and what they want to hear from you. This goes beyond demographic data and into a more intimate understanding of who they are as people.
For example, if you're speaking at an event full of executives from leading companies in your industry, it's likely many will be interested in hearing about how you've achieved success with similar challenges that face their own organizations. You could tailor a story around this topic by using real-life examples from your own experience as well as other companies' stories that highlight innovative solutions to common problems.
On the other hand, if you were speaking at a community college graduation ceremony then perhaps it might be best for you not only for them but also for yourself (and maybe even some members of your own team) if instead of telling stories about how other companies have overcome certain challenges—for example "how we increased sales by 20% over last year"—you told personal stories about what makes work important or meaningful enough so that employees look forward coming each day."
Give Your Audience a Call To Action
Give your audience a call to action. The most common mistake people make when telling stories is forgetting to connect the story back to their business or brand. End with a call-to-action that's relevant and useful to your audience, but not something that will distract from your story.
Make it easy: It’s tempting to create a complicated storyline that includes lots of twists and turns because you want people to hang on every word (and remember them). But guess what? People have short attention spans! If you want them engaged in your story, keep things simple and straightforward.
Make it clear: Don't waste time beating around the bush about what you want from your customers or clients; get straight into the good stuff by laying out exactly what they can expect from working with you at the beginning of each story. This way they won't be left wondering whether they should invest their money with you or go somewhere else instead—they'll know right away if this is worth their time or not!
You don't need to be a great writer or storyteller to create content that connects with your audience.
First, you don't need to be a great writer or storyteller to create content that connects with your audience.
Let me explain how this can work for you: You can use stories as the backbone of your brand’s storytelling strategy. In other words, when people think of your company, they should be able to tell you what kind of story it tells and how it fits into the larger context of their lives or business needs.
A good example is Apple's marketing campaign for its health app called HealthKit. When Steve Jobs introduced it at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in 2014, he told a story about an app developer who wanted software that would help him manage his diabetes without having to carry around multiple devices or log into different apps every time he wanted information about his blood sugar levels or heart rate.
Conclusion
I’ve been working with psychology and content creation as a young entrepreneur for over a decade now, and I can tell you that it isn’t as hard as you might think. In fact, anyone can use these tips to create more compelling content that engages their audience. The most important thing is to keep in mind what your goal is when telling this story—what do you want people to feel? How can they relate to your brand? What action do they need to take at the end of it all? Once those things are clear in your head, then it’s just a matter of putting them into words or images and sharing them with the world!