Why Brand Storytelling Is Like Love
Who knows how to make love stay?
A question many have pondered, but only Tom Robbins, a storytelling master of our time, has answered convincingly in his novel Still Life with Woodpecker. He even goes all the way to say that this question is the only serious one in the world, thus overriding Albert Camus’s one about whether to kill yourself or not.
And if you’re wondering why I’m asking it and how it concerns your small business, it’s because for Edgar storytelling is like love — all-consuming, unpredictable and a tiny bit sentimental. That’s the only way brand storytelling works.
To share the love of love, of storytelling and of Tom Robbins, I give you a few of his tricks how to make love stay. Hint: they also tell you how to make people stay in love with your brand.
1. Seduction
Seduction and passion are steaming hot terms that we immediately associate with love. With temptation, people give a subtle promise to their object of desire that they can not only fulfill, but even surpass their sexual and emotional needs. With passion, they put this promise in action.
Applying this to your efforts to attract customers for your business, it’s quite apparent what the key to success is: a healthy mix of seduction and passion. By sharing your brand story with people, you give them an innuendo what they can expect from your product or service. When they buy it, you deliver the promise by making them a part of the story and a part of the steady-burning passion that a genuine relationship holds.
2. Mystery
Needless to say, a spoon of magic and mystery is a must for a passionate affair and a sound basis for a heartfelt relationship. This does not mean honesty should be put under the carpet. It only shows that every one of us likes to solve riddles and to be pleasantly challenged by the object of affection.
This, naturally, is quite relevant for a sound brand story. Yes, it should be authentic and clear, but also a bit mysterious and not revealing the whole plot at once. Subtlety is the way, as well as a strong dose of curious twists plus the spoon of magic mentioned earlier. But don’t be alarmed: those ingredients are readily available when you’ve explored your business’s history, motivation and beliefs and laid them out in a coherent story.
3. Spontaneity
The unexpected can be scary. But when it comes to love, spontaneity and surprises rekindle the fire. And being silly is simply charming. Because love operates in all the irrational ways that our rational brains want to grasp but fail to.
And your customers — as they love to be loved and cared for — will be charmed if you’re just a bit silly and surprise them with a quirky or funny gift or message. Warm their hearts and they’ll stay true. And they will share their feelings for you with the world.
4. Perseverance
When you fall in love, you can’t see why being in a relationship means hard work and requires perseverance. But when a commitment is made between two people, it means both of them promise to make an effort. And then another one. So that the magic is renewed, again and again.
This holds ever truer for the relationship between your brand and your customers. By making people a part of your passion for your trade through your story, you promise them a level of togetherness. And If you don’t deliver it — and constantly rekindle the fire of the connection — the feelings will cool down. So a constant engagement and thoughtful approach is the key to holding people’s hearts for long.
Edgar spreads the love
And since Edgar is in the mood for love, if you share your favorite quote on love or love story, he’ll make it into a pretty picture.
Tell us your favourite quote on #storytelling and we’ll illustrate it for you! Yours truly, Edgar pic.twitter.com/gKINUvAimG
— Edgar (@edgartells) February 6, 2015
Originally published at paperboy.edgartells.me on February 6, 2015.
