The Real Reason Digital Storytelling Works
There’s one thing that businesses have been using in marketing for generations; storytelling. As consumers, we love it. When marketing materials simple state facts or talk at us, it’s hard to get interested. As soon as the information is presented in the form of a story, we can’t help but pay attention…but why is this the case?
Today, we want to answer this very question. Why should you look towards storytelling when creating your own marketing materials? We’re going to investigate what happens to the brain when we read stories, on a biological level. Furthermore, we’ll look into the importance of human to human (H2H) connections within marketing, and how you can create an air of mystique around your brand and products!
1. Storytelling and the Brain
First things first, we should note that storytelling has been a part of human society since early man. Many thousands of years ago, humans would leave cave paintings to depict a tale of hunting or gathering. These days, the fruits of our storytelling efforts come in the form of binge-watching the latest crime documentary on Netflix. However, the human connection to a simple story is exactly the same.
Thanks to lots of research in this field, we know that one of the reasons we connect so well is because we become participants in stories rather than just spectators. Ever been angry or sad when a favorite character died in a TV series? Ever been happy when the underdog finally finds love and gets married? We don’t watch, listen, or read stories without emotion. We get involved and go through the rollercoaster of emotions along with the characters themselves.
On a very basic level, the very best brands are able to create feelings that resonate with their audience. Rather than stating facts alone, they tell stories of common problems and how their brand is the best solution to put an end to these problems.
The Science Behind Storytelling
If you aren’t interested in the science behind brain chemistry, feel free to skip ahead to the next section. For the rest who are intrigued just as much like us, people who engage in emotional stories experience a release of oxytocin in the brain. In turn, the blood receives this oxytocin, it spreads around the brain and body, and we feel empathy, trust, care, and other emotions.
Have you ever donated to charity after watching a video or TV ad? Well, this could have been a result of the oxytocin released by the brain. In one study, people were more likely to donate to charity the more oxytocin they had in the blood. As the individuals felt more emotion, they were affected by the material and felt inclined to donate their own money. Even after the story was over, it remained in the mind.
Emotional Connections
Whether digital storytelling or traditional storytelling, emotional connections are created. As we follow along, the brain chemistry changes and this can impact our actions. We used charity as an example, but the aim for businesses is to get people to buy a product or service. When distress causes a change in dopamine or cortisol levels, we experience different emotions again.
It’s also worth mentioning that a full story arc is important too. When generating content, we need to start with a struggle and show how our offering can help people like them to climb free from the difficulty and find a rewarding solution.
2. H2H Connection
When thinking about an engagement strategy, it has been normal to think about B2B and B2C marketing. These days, there’s another trend taking over and it’s human-to-human (H2H) marketing.
In the past, it has been said that businesses don’t have emotions, but people do. Over the years, we’ve grown accustomed to almost sounding robotic in our approach. Now, we need to take a step back and really think about how we communicate with consumers. Whether it’s on social media, in emails, or through another medium, we need to speak in the same language as the people who read our content. If we don’t, they will click away and find a service that does.
Many experts will agree that there are some key principles that underpin the idea of H2H connections. For example, they include the following;
- Engagement
- Empowering individuals to join the brand
- Empathy
With this in mind, businesses are starting to realize the value of inbound marketing. We’ve said it before — it’s not enough to shout loudly about your service. The best way to get people excited is to inform, educate, and have others talking about the company. It’s time to draw customers towards the business rather than going out there and pushing the brand.
Here are some tips to master H2H connections with your digital storytelling;
- Know Your Audience — Before generating content, you need to understand your audience. In fact, this has been true for a long time (even with B2B and B2C marketing!).
- Learn Their Needs — To really connect on a human level, it’s important to learn what the customer needs. If they have a particular problem, appeal to this problem and suggest how you will be the magical resolution they need (and have been looking for!).
- Utilize Social Media — When learning audience problems, social media really is a brilliant tool these days. Don’t be scared of it, learn from it.
- Speak Their Language — Finally, using what you’ve learned in the previous tips, speak your customer’s language. The more you can connect, the more you change their brain chemistry and get something in return.
3. Creating an Air of Mystique
How do we pique the interest of customers? In the business world, there are plenty of examples of companies who find success even without the best product in the market. Often, we see Jagermeister used as an example. Although there are so many delicious drinks on the market, we still drink one that makes us scrunch up our face and shiver uncontrollably. Why?
There are four main tips;
Generate Intrigue and Curiosity
Firstly, there’s nothing more exciting in digital storytelling than curiosity. Why give everything away when you can hold something back? Suddenly, we’re clicking on all sorts of links trying to find out more. In life, this is something conversational and dating experts use perfectly. When asked about their job, some people say ‘I’m in international business’. On the face of it, the statement is about as useless as saying ‘I work while sitting on a chair’. However, we’re intrigued and feel a need to learn more.
When thinking about your engagement strategy, this has to be the starting point. Get people intrigued and curious about what you do.
Keep Something Behind
As we just mentioned, one of the best ways to create curiosity is to always keep something behind. When we’re out at dinner with two friends and one says to the other ‘remember the last time we were here…what a night!’, we can’t help but want to learn more. It might be that they had a boring evening, someone might have thrown up in a bin, there may have been a huge fight outside; whatever it is, we want to know because the information is withheld.
In fact, we feel intrigued by just listening to the conversation of strangers. We aren’t saying you need to tell the audience nothing at all, but you don’t have to reveal everything. Make them want to learn more and click on your website.
Build Mythology
Next up, we need to build mythology with our marketing. This is where the storytelling comes in about the brand and everything to do with your products. Again, don’t go too far the other way and start lying to your customers. But you can certainly tell the story of your brand and introduce characters around your name.
When generating content, appeal to the emotions and remember everything we’ve said about the chemicals in the brain. Release that oxytocin, get people feeling something towards your brand, and build a loyal following.
Reduce or Limit Access
Finally, try to keep a sense of mystery around your brand. One of the biggest mistakes that marketers make is overbearing consumers with marketing materials. You don’t want prospective customers to feel sick and tired of seeing your brand name on their devices. Make coming across your brand pleasure and privilege, not a pain.
Summary
In short, digital storytelling works because it literally alters the chemicals released by the brain. On a biological level, we can be moved by powerful marketing and it’s up to you to appeal to these emotions. If you can do it correctly, you’re more likely to turn strangers into customers. In fact, you’re more likely to turn strangers into loyal customers (and these keep businesses going even when times get tough!).
Remember, it’s all about H2H connections and creating an air of mystique around the business. The business is mysterious and glamorous, customers want to learn more, and you keep growing as they tell friends and families about the superb experience (as long as you back it up, of course)!
Bonus! Marketing Tools:
2. Bilbi AI: Daily Marketing Campaign Insights
