Marketing is about providing a brand story that is memorable and encourages action. The most effective way of getting a consumer interested in a product, service or brand is by crafting a compelling story — and in order to achieve this, marketers need to identify the most suitable storytelling techniques.
Most experienced marketers already have nuggets of insight that fundamentally influence the way they tell their stories. To help younger marketing professionals understand their perspective, 13 members of Forbes Agency Council divulge the most valuable storytelling lessons they learned in their time in the industry.
Members share their best storytelling lessons for fellow marketers.
Photos courtesy of the individual members
1. Tap Into Emotions
Storytelling is about connecting with an audience. If you can touch people on an emotional level, that’s more impactful than an intellectual connection. There is a reason why so many commercials have animals, children or critical life moments, even when talking about technology or financial services. Often, it’s the emotional connection that brings us in and remains long after the story has ended. – Sandra Fathi, Affect, Inc.
2. Make It Memorable
A compelling story is one that we remember. To be remembered, it must be remarkable. There needs to be an element of “unbelievability” to it (i.e., how could that happen?). There must also be motive (i.e., why would they ever do that?). Finally, there must be a sense of urgency. When these elements come together, not only will your story be compelling, it will also be unforgettable. – Pete Canalichio, BrandAlive
3. Link Emotions To Tangible Benefits
Brands see the most traction when they create emotionally-compelling reasons linked to tangible benefits. Pampers, for example, links a good night’s sleep to the baby’s development (as well as to a peaceful evening for parents), pulling at the heartstrings and the primal desire of every parent for their children to have optimal development. – Elle Morris, SnapDragon
4. Understand Your Value
Know your value. This is a lesson I learned early on when it comes to storytelling in marketing. I once worked for a business whose marketing campaign really struggled at times and it wasn’t until they understood the value they added to people’s lives, that they really had more success. They told those stories and their established customers connected with it, but it also attracted a whole new wave. – Zachary Binder, Bell + Ivy
5. Stories Should Be Heard From The Source
Whenever possible, have your source tell their story firsthand. Earlier this year, we changed up the way we do client testimonials, adopting a Q&A interview style. We found that clients at the center of their own story are better able to provide a more powerful account — one that just can’t be duplicated by a script (99% of the time.) Give your clients the opportunity to tell their story. – Bernard May, National Positions
6. Shift The Conversation To Purpose
When I used to ask sales teams why they had won a particular project they would give me a list of product features. The selling proposition was normally limited to superior quality, availability, delivery and ultimately, price. By transitioning the conversation from product to purpose, they now talk about natural, resilient, sustainable, circular and safe. Interestingly, the product is the same. – Mirella Vitale, ROCKWOOL Group
7. Storytelling Requires An Arc
The term “storytelling” gets tossed around, but marketers often ignore the classic storytelling arc: introduction of protagonist, a series of small challenges by which the protagonist matures, a build of tension in a climax and finally a denouement or resolution. The protagonist can be a company, technology, product, entrepreneur or customer, but marketing stories should follow this pattern. – Erik Clausen, CG Life
8. Consistent And Aligned Storytelling Is Key
What we’ve learnt over the years is that consistent and aligned brand storytelling is the key. Through influencers, you amplify the story of the brand but they must also share the same image, culture and ideals. This allows people to identify the brand even without ever explicitly stating that it comes from the brand, becoming the ultimate power in getting your brand message across. – Emilie Tabor, IMA – Influencer Marketing Agency
9. A Compelling Story Is Stronger Than Any Pitch
The first storytelling lesson I ever learned was the most basic of all: a story is much more engaging than a pitch. So, rather than making good pitches, tell compelling and engaging stories. These are my four components of engaging stories: specific detail (not generalities); emotion; proximity (make it close and personal); having a point — a loss is as compelling as a win if there is a point to make. – Lon Otremba, Bidtellect
10. Let Customers Tell Their Own Stories
As brand creatives, we want to be innovative and reinvent how we convey a message. Sometimes it’s about letting a story be told in its simplest form. With one campaign, we decided to remove all brand markers and simply let the customers have the camera and share their story with images and words. The result was more powerful and engaging than anything we could have engineered at the time. – Jim Huffman, Growthhit
11. Establish And Maintain A Good Narrative
I love to tell the story about a client acquiring another company. In working with the executives of the acquired company, it became clear they’d taken their foot off the gas in telling their story and engaging with press. They had a great story to tell and were attractive enough to be acquired, but even the press in their market needed to be educated on what they did and what they stood for. – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications
12. Remember The Hero’s Journey
A relatable story is an effective way to make an impact. And when it comes to storytelling, the hero’s journey is a great format. The best narratives set up a cast of characters, communicate what’s at stake, outline key players and their roles, and are clear about who the hero is and what the obstacles are. The lesson I learned is to make sure the client or brand is the hero, not the storyteller. – Chris Cavanaugh, Freeman
13. Storytelling Needs To Be On Customers’ Terms
An important lesson is that buyer journeys are not as linear as they used to be. We can carefully craft a meticulous story, but we can’t always control when audiences will encounter the beginning, middle and end. It’s critical that brands live and breathe these narratives across every channel and interaction, so audiences can engage on their own terms. – Howard Breindel, DeSantis Breindel
