Today, I see that companies and brands are using various modes to communicate with their audience. One thing common in all messages communicated by brands to grab the attention of their audience is creativity. Here’s where the art of storytelling in business becomes imperative for brands to stand out from their competitors.
I think that creating compelling stories is a highly creative skill required for effective business/brand storytelling. It is a skill that cannot be mastered overnight; you need to get insights, plan, strategise, and then execute your way of communication.
Business storytelling consists of a story structure used for effective communication, marketing, and collaboration in businesses. And, as a business owner, it is not just important to sell the products, but also to build a brand image, persuade peers, pitch to other stakeholders, and compete in the market. Again, here’s where business storytelling can help you communicate with different audiences and yet maintain a consistent brand position and identity.
Business Storytelling and Corporate Communication
You may be familiar with the word ‘Story Arc’. I have often come across a question asked by many marketers and business owners, asking how they can stand out from their competitors. I suggest they make their content relatable for their target audience and storytelling is an excellent tool for it.
Every story typically has a narrative that starts with a beginning (hook), followed by a dramatic evolution, and then the story reaches an ending. I believe that this story arc can also help businesses to communicate and engage with their audience. Every stage allows them to convey a message to the viewer and finally bring their ideas to a close ending.
Storytelling for business communication is an effective way to engage the audience. It aims to drive their action towards making a purchase, downloading an application, subscribing to content, or calling the salesperson that eventually helps the business.
When it comes to corporate communication, storytelling is a useful tool for sales materials, conferences, conventions, training materials, presentations, etc. Storytelling in corporate communication helps to make any content relatable and memorable for the viewer. It can drive their motives or it can be a start for any conversation about the brand/business.
How is Business Storytelling Impactful?
I believe storytelling is a powerful tool for businesses because of the greater impact it leaves on the audience. You may have an amazing idea. But, to deliver it to your viewers in a way that they understand exactly what you want to communicate, you need to creatively present it to them. When you use the power of storytelling for your business, you can potentially break boundaries with strong narratives and make an imprint on people’s minds.
I suggest you consider storytelling to be one of the best ways to communicate your brand’s message. With the help of good storytelling, your ideas can be moulded into a structure that is relatable to the audience both emotionally and rationally. When they can relate to the story, it compels them to be inclined towards your brand.
Storytelling was once the only form of entertainment. Today, advertisements, movies, digital promotions, etc. all include storytelling. Even the simplest form of social media content now has storytelling as its main element.
Is Storytelling Relevant to Marketing?
Well, I find storytelling in all aspects of marketing. Today, brands creatively present their products, services, and ideas all structured in a story. This helps brands to position themselves and their product in the context of their audience/customers. Brands can emphasise how their product makes life experiences easy for people. In this way, people can relate to the use of any product or service offered by a brand. Overall, business storytelling is a great marketing tool used by most brands today.
How to Learn Business Storytelling and What to Expect While Learning?
You can learn storytelling through a course or with the help of a coach. Even organisations conduct corporate training programs which can include seminars on business storytelling. Companies can ask professional coaches or trainers who are experienced in business storytelling, to train their employees. I have conducted corporate training for many employees from different organisations. I believe that today, storytelling is the core of most of the content we come across.
When learning in-depth about storytelling for businesses, and understanding how you can do it, there are a few things you can expect. While you will learn about the story arc in detail, you will also be trained in other aspects of internal and external communication. You can learn how to incorporate impactful storytelling in presentations, ad designs, emails, etc. Understand how to de-construct a story, learn in detail about the story arc, and know how to construct relatable stories.
If you are a business owner wanting to learn and know more about the art of business storytelling, I can assist you with my expertise in the same.
