The power of storytelling in content marketing

Photo: Free-Photos, Pixabay

Everything has a story. From small to big, everything has a meaning, including marketing strategy. Even big brands out there have had their own struggles, sob stories, activity stories and that is the reality of their business.

Surprisingly, those stories actually have power in content marketing strategy. If you have a business, telling stories about how you get started with your business is a good start. I’m not saying you should make up a fake story of your own business. In fact, I’m sure everyone has their own starting stories, including you.

When you have inspiring stories to share, it is no longer about a business hoping to get returns, but it is about sharing and hoping to encourage other people to hold their value and keep their head high.

So, why should you share stories?

Humans are not only curious in nature, but they are also secretly hoping to find inspiration to encourage them to move forward in life. Have you ever been inspired by stories told in commercial videos you may have found when scrolling down on social media feeds?

I admit, oftentimes I get absorbed a lot in watching story-telling commercial videos. Take an example from SK-II, a beauty brand which always encourages women to be confident with their bare face (no make-up) with their global campaign using hashtag #BareSkinProject while actually trying to persuade people to use their products to get that perfect bare skin and natural look.

Regardless of their true intention, the story of the bare skin project itself has reached many people’s hearts, including me, as the message conveyed has positive effects for many people out there who are not confident with their skin.

Aside from that, the brand itself has shared many stories in their many positive and inspiring global campaigns previously. From that alone, we can know that in their content, there are two things that they were trying to attract:

  • People’s curiosity
  • Their need to be inspired

With that important note in mind, I can tell you why sharing a valuable story has the power and the influence in the marketing world:

Stories engage your audience. Photo: Kasto, Bigstock

Stories are interesting

People will get curious every time they see a story in a video even when it is just a glimpse. They will eventually find themselves watching the video till the end just to see how it ends. I’m sure this has happened to anyone of us at least once.

Stories can build trust

When you tell the real stories behind the struggles you have faced in order to grow your business to people out there, you put your trust that others will finally understand the meaning of your business. Sharing valuable stories is also what makes you reliable because it takes a strong business owner to share such difficult times to others.

Stories contain powerful messages instead of just statistics

It’s true. Ever heard people say “eyes are stronger than words”? Or maybe you know the term “eyes tell a lot more than words can”? Oh, maybe we all heard that a lot when it is used in terms of romance, right?

The same thing applies to story-telling marketing strategy as well. While statistics are important to show data relevance, stories have more powerful impacts to attract people’s interest, because, while data shows the truth, stories show the recitation behind that truth.

In short, it is more like saying “Yes, you can see that I’m successful (from the data of my achievements) but you will know how I achieved them (from my stories).” From that alone, you are already closer to your target audience’s heart.

Take the audience on your “journey”

One thing for sure that you should note is that in telling stories, it is not about persuading people to buy your products. It is about taking your target audience on your “journey” to know your business better. Why is this important?

Helping them know you better is also helping them trust your business. Once they put their trust in your business, they find themselves only wanting to buy from you, and when things go wrong (we are not perfect, problems will inevitably come someday), they will understand you and trust that you will fix it because they just know you are reliable.

Final thoughts

The power of storytelling for content marketing is undeniably strong. You should remember that people are curious by nature and they are looking to be inspired and encouraged by inspiring stories no matter from where the stories come (individual person, celebrities, non-profit organisations, or even business brands).

However, if you want to inspire them, inspire with your originality and real stories behind your business or maybe self-experiences. Put your focus on encouraging people rather than gaining returns. That way, your business will give more value to others than you can imagine.

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