Effective digital marketing isn’t about how active you are on social or how many followers, likes or tweets you have. Being findable on digital platforms is important, but findability doesn’t create lovability. Great brands build emotional connections with people by creating powerful digital narratives.
When businesses create digital narratives, they go beyond simply being present on digital spaces. They create stories — about their customers, their products, their people, and sometimes about topical issues such as the empowerment of women. They create campaigns that establish a connective thread across all touch points.
Creating narratives — also known as storytelling — are hard. Just managing digital channels alone is enormously difficult, let alone publishing content that tells a great story. As I discussed in a recent article, a survey we recently conducted with Forrester Consulting shows that only 25% of businesses rate themselves as very effective at consistently managing their brand values across digital channels.
But building narratives is rewarding. According to research, stories are remembered 22 times more than facts alone. That’s because stories engage our brains more deeply and fully. Now think about how hard it is for a business to capture anyone’s interest at a time when our attention spans are split among multiple screens and devices. What’s going to really make someone stop and notice you: a random fact or an engaging narrative?
Let’s take a look at four ways to build a narrative that resonates:
Create A Moment
It’s incredibly difficult to make audiences stop and pay attention in the digital age. But relying on the power of a big moment can do just that. One way to create a moment is to “newsjack” current events, but that’s a risky thing to do because you’re relying on someone else’s news that may or may not have legs. A better way is to engineer your own moment with your own news or event, especially by connecting to a culturally relevant event.
For example, a few years ago, REI announced it would close its stores on Black Friday, the biggest retail day of the year, to encourage people to go outside and do something active. REI also shared information on things to do and places to go in order to be outdoors in different locations, and asked people to share examples of how they were spending their Black Friday outside. REI has reclaimed Black Friday as a moment for building a narrative about the power of outdoor living.
Tell Visual Stories
You know the old saying “Every picture tells a story.” This is especially true in the digital age, when 1.8 billion digital images are uploaded daily. Images tell stories in and of themselves, but they build narratives when you share images on multiple digital touch points with a connective theme.
For example, Major League Baseball (MLB) is renowned for sharing videos, photos and GIFs that capture the excitement of America’s pastime. MLB has also used visuals to tell the story of how the organization is going global. In 2019, MLB’s opening day occurred in Japan. MLB and its teams used images on social media along with the hashtag #MLB開幕戦 to build its narrative, such as publishing photos of players arriving in Japan for opening day and images from the Tokyo Dome. This creates a story about MLB’s growth overseas in a more powerful way than simply sharing statistics.
Involve Your Customers
Who doesn’t like having their customers speak well of them? Customer advocacy is like gold to any brand. But building a narrative is a little different. Your customers don’t necessarily talk about you at all. Rather, they associate themselves with your brand by sharing their lives, hopes, dreams and passions, with your products and services being part of the narrative.
Let’s take a look at an example to illustrate the point. YETI makes coolers. Sounds like a consumer utility, right? Well, the brand doesn’t want to come across like any other maker of coolers. So, they’ve built a tribe around a concept known as YETI Nation. If you’re a member, you live a life of adventure. YETI builds this narrative in many ways, among them interviewing customers about their lives, which are typically full of outdoor activity such as fishing and hiking. In doing this, the brand takes a classic approach to marketing by associating its product with a desirable lifestyle. YETI hopes that when you see one of its coolers at a sporting goods store, you won’t just think of keeping your water cold. You’ll picture yourself joining a member of a nation of adventurous bull riders, fly fishing guides and downhill skiers, even if your idea of outdoor living is sleeping in an RV at a campsite.
Take A Stand
Purpose-driven branding is a popular topic as businesses take a stand around topical issues. But it can come across as disingenuous if the brand is perceived as doing a one-off advertisement. When businesses tell a consistent story across multiple channels about how they live their values, they build credibility.
For example, one of our clients, commercial REIT company British Land, believes in building for the future. One of the ways the organization articulates this brand value is by telling the story of its commitment to sustainability. On its blog, the company shares examples of how it invests in environmentally friendly initiatives. It does an exceptional job telling a story about its actions and how they connect to the company’s brand values.
How To Get Started
The key to getting started with narrative-building is to understand your brand values. Knowing your brand values is like understanding all the crucial elements of a great story. You can always find talented people to help you master the different techniques for creating narratives across digital. But your brand values must guide your narrative or else your narrative will look phony. So, your first stop is to take stock of your values. And then start brainstorming on the stories that will leave a memorable impression.
