Storytelling is a marketing tool that allows you to build relationships with customers and increase brand interest. When used skillfully, it can help increase your recognition and sales. What is storytelling? How do brands use it?
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What is storytelling?
Storytelling (narrative marketing) is a business tool and a way of communicating a brand or product in which an original story is created that is linked to the world of the company.*
It attracts attention, arouses emotions and helps build bonds. Thanks to it, a brand can be better known and liked - not as a company operating under a specific banner, but as a certain idea, philosophy and mission ( preferably consistent with the target group to which specific products or services are directed ).
People have always known about the importance and significance of history. Even in ancient times, they were eager to listen to what artists and philosophers had to say. Their stories were intriguing when they moved. And this was the case when they appealed to emotions - often difficult and extreme. Love, empathy, joy, fear, determination, pride, a sense of belonging - these are among other things what effective narrative marketing should be based on. It cannot lack authenticity either. Otherwise, instead of appealing to the recipients and becoming an element of an effective strategy, it will gain the status of anti-advertising.
Storytelling is a powerful marketing tool that aims to simultaneously generate interest in a brand, build trust in it, and encourage people to buy products/services and recommend them to friends . The most important elements are appealing to emotions and the authenticity of the message.
Storytelling can be used in company blog articles. It's a good way to increase traffic to your site and build an expert image. See how to start a company blog and whether it's worth doing it yourself.
How important is storytelling in marketing?
Every company wants to stand out in some way. Characteristic elements can include:
Often, even the outstanding quality of services or products is not enough to achieve the intended marketing goals. Competition in the goods and services market is very high, which is why brands must seek solutions that allow them to stand out from the competition. One of the methods they are eager to use is storytelling. Thanks to it, they can reach their customers, build a bond with them and make sure that something much more than just a need or desire to acquire something encourages them to make purchases - these will be emotions and a sense of belonging to the target group.
What can be achieved with storytelling in marketing?
Storytelling allows you to:
work on improving sales results - loyal customers buy more and more often. They also choose a company they feel positively about over its competitors;
increase brand recognition and interest in it - this has a positive impact on attracting new customers, building trust and credibility, as well as increasing market competitiveness;
build good PR and lasting relationships with recipients - stories allow you to build positive correlations with your environment. Thanks to positive PR, customers are loyal and more willing to forgive, for example, mistakes or image problems;
stand out from the competition - the rhetoric of get to know me better, I care about reaching you and I appeal to your emotions is much more effective, and at the same time still less used than the standard click and buy .
The goal of storytelling should be tailored to specific expectations. It will not always be the same - after all, marketing is not always about exactly the same thing. To achieve success, you definitely need to define this goal. The nature of the stories served to recipients must be tailored to specific plans - preferably long-term. Marketing activities should be treated as a marathon, in which consistent pursuit of the goal allows you to enjoy the desired results, and not as a sprint.
,,Research shows that advertisements containing a story form are better remembered and evaluated by respondents. In the context of marketing, this means the need to maintain a balance between narrative and image. ( Storytelling, or the power of narrative – SWPS University )''
Examples of using narrative marketing in online sales
Storytelling has been doing well in marketing for a long time. It is used by brands offering food products, telecommunications services or running sales platforms. You probably know a few of the stories I will quote below. Many of them have had a wide resonance among recipients. This in turn confirms the power of storytelling and that it is worth implementing in planned strategies.
Hagi – cosmetics that were created based on a dream and a desire to do good
Screenshot from the pagehttps://hagi.com.pl/pl/o-nas-o-hagi/
"It all started with a dream - to do something good and share it with the world" - this is how the creators of the brand begin their story about themselves. And it shows that they build it on storytelling and emotions. Hagi uses storytelling to tell the story of its creation, which strengthens authenticity and builds an emotional bond with customers.
From the story, you can learn that it all started with the dream of Hania, a chemist and cosmetologist, who wanted to create natural cosmetics. When the market became more friendly, together with her daughters, Agata and Gabrysia, they began joint experiments in the laboratory. This is where the first products were created. The brand name, which is an acronym of the founders' names, additionally emphasizes the family nature of the company. Authentic marketing, based on a true story, builds trust in Hagi and the products offered.
Allegro Campaign - English for Beginners (part of the series What about you? What are you looking for? )
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This is a bookish example of storytelling at its best. In this case, the viewer learns the story of an elderly man who is learning English. This is a real challenge for him, but one that he bravely faces. The culminating moment in the whole story is the main character meeting his granddaughter and greeting her in English.
The whole thing is moving, because it turns out that the older man was learning the language so that he could talk to his son's daughter. The campaign aroused huge interest among recipients and became viral not only in Poland but also outside of it. At the end, it cleverly redirected recipients to a platform where they could make purchases, among other things, language courses.
Patagonia and the Stop! Don't buy this jacket
Screenshot from Patagonia's Instagram account –https://www.instagram.com/patagonia/
Patagonia, the outdoor clothing company, is known for telling stories that highlight its commitment to the environment. In its website and blog posts, the brand describes how its products are made with sustainability in mind. It also encourages people to make informed purchasing decisions, such as in an ad that featured the words “Don’t buy this jacket” in the background of a jacket.
The message of the entire campaign was as follows: before you buy something, think about whether you need it . The brand sees and notices the problem: fast fashion, disposable clothes, littering the planet. It also has a solution for its customers. In the content, it proposes implementing the 4xR principle (Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle) and helps in this. It produces useful and durable clothing. It also runs a repair service and provides advice on self-repairs.