“Stories? We all spend our lives telling them, about this, about that, about people … But some? Some stories are so good we wish they’d never end. They’re so gripping that we’ll go without sleep just to see a little bit more. Some stories bring us laughter and sometimes they bring us tears … but isn’t that what a great story does? Makes you feel? Stories that are so powerful … they really are with us forever.”
Storytelling in the business world isn’t just for the big players such as Google, Virgin, and Coca-Cola but there is a reason as to why these large companies explain their stories to their audiences. When stories are told correctly, it stirs up different emotions within people and believe it or not, it’s emotion that ultimately sells. Brand storytelling isn’t just for the giants of the commercial world, every business has a story to tell and it could be yours that helps you convince your next client.
Let’s suppose you’re the owner of a small restaurant in Bedford. What initially made you decide to open your doors in the first place? Is it a family concern? How did one of your most popular dishes or family recipes end up on your menu? The answer to all of these questions forms the basis of an interesting story that could help you expose your business online and offline. Every business owner has a story to tell and whether they decide to do it through word of mouth, blog, newsletters or social media all they need to do is tell it well!
-Know your story
Stories normally follow one of several themes and business stories are no exception, for example, rags to riches tales are always inspiring as people love aspirational stories where the hero faces adversity and reaches success in the end. So if you think back to the early stages of your business, was it tough? Were you struggling to make ends meet? People will want to know about the struggle you went through. Within the journey of the business, you want to highlight the transformation, that’s what tends to keep people interested.
-The emotion of it all
Stories that evoke a certain amount of emotion whether done positively or negatively are more likely to be remembered by your audience, who will, in turn, remember you and what your company represents. It isn’t simply about telling people about what happened but how you felt about what happened. If you are telling a story about a product you spent lots of time on but it didn’t perform to how you thought it would, describe how that affected you personally, what lessons you took from the experience and how you used this experience to make sure your next product was a massive hit.
What stories could you tell that would help your potential customers remember you and what you are all about? Have a real think and share it in the comments below!!
