3 benefits of using storytelling in your marketing

There are certain books we like to reread or movies that we like to rewatch — and it could be for a variety of reasons, but what your favourite novels and films have in common is a great story.

A great story is memorable and engaging, and it can inspire its audiences to act in certain ways. Like sharing that story with other people in the hopes that they’re inspired by it too.

Storytelling has been around for ages, and it’s an essential tool you need for your marketing.

Like your favourite books and movies, storytelling in marketing ensures that your content is memorable and that it engages your target audience.

Incorporating storytelling into your marketing strategy for your branded content enables you to effectively relay your vision, mission, and values to your target audience.

Creating story-driven brand content also enables you to differentiate yourself from your competitors, which increases the likelihood of brand recall and recognition from your audience. also allows brands to differentiate themselves from their competitors when used well.

What does brand storytelling mean?

Knowing how brand storytelling works can enable you to effectively create content that contains every element of a great story while still ensuring that its key message is relevant to your brand.

Brand storytelling goes beyond basic marketing tactics and campaigns. This allows you to be creative with reaching out to your target audience.

Brand storytelling involves creating impactful narratives that captivate your audience’s emotions and make a lasting impression on them. Brand storytelling aims to humanise your brand, build connections with your audiences and foster trust and loyalty. This enables you to showcase your brand identity and increase brand memorability.

What are the 3 benefits of using brand storytelling in marketing?

The benefits of using brand storytelling are numerous, but we’ve shortlisted three that you can expect from creating impactful branded stories for your business.

1. Brand recognition

When we find good stories, we remember the details that make them so memorable.

For example, fans will know that we’re talking about Rocky when we mention that there’s an iconic movie wherein an underdog gets the chance to fight against a heavyweight boxing world champion. Even its theme song Gonna Fly Now is still closely associated with the movie.

Good stories inspire people to remember the little details. When this is translated into content marketing, branded storytelling can encourage brand recognition as your audience remembers key details about your content that they associate with your brand.

Dove is one of the most well-known brands that promotes real beauty by celebrating and empowering women. Dove has created numerous story-driven campaigns where women are the heroes of the narrative.

The Dove Self-Esteem Project is just one of the many impactful campaigns the brand has released. “Toxic Influence” shows how teens are constantly bombarded by toxic beauty advice every day, and what parents can do to create a positive space for their children.

By incorporating storytelling into marketing strategies, businesses can share key themes and messages about your brand, your products and services or even your thoughts on industry-related topics. At its core, storytelling enables you to create a connection with your audience, allowing you to engage your target customers on a personal level.

2. Audience engagement

You know you have an impactful brand story on your hands when it elicits a reaction (and a corresponding action) from your audience. An effective brand story should garner comments, questions or even disagreements from your audience. Creating compelling narratives will drive your target audience to be more engaged and involved with your brand.

Creating relatable brand stories motivates your audience to do more than consume the content. This can mean following, liking, and sharing your content, resulting in increased reach and engagement on your social media platforms.

Here are some ways you can use storytelling to increase social media engagement:

Long-form posts on LinkedIn – As a professional social media networking site, LinkedIn is a great platform to demonstrate your expertise and thought leadership in your industry. You can create long-form posts about your personal experiences and the lessons you learned from working in the industry. These types of posts invite discussions in the comment section, which can be a good avenue to engage with your audience.
Instagram Reels and Stories – You can maximise your visual brand stories through Reels and Stories, allowing you to combine images, videos and text in one piece of content. This allows your audience to quickly see and interact with your brand story.
Engaging cold email sequences – Cold emails don’t have to be annoying. You can create themed email sequences about topics or solutions that showcase your industry authority, encouraging your audience to trust you and keep reading your emails.

Incorporating social media platforms in creating and distributing your brand stories will enable you to diversify your content for different audiences.

3. Authentic connections

At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, IKEA released a video advertisement that resonated with the world.

The “I Stay Home” IKEA advertisement tells a relatable narrative about how our home is a sanctuary filled with countless milestones. Amid global lockdowns, IKEA showed a positive side to staying at home, reminding people that it’s a place of refuge and good memories.

Storytelling shows your brand’s human side, allowing you to form an emotional connection and build trust with your target audience.

Telling stories that captivate and move audiences can strengthen customer relationships and foster loyalty.

Brand storytelling is an effective way to help brands elevate their marketing strategies. Sharing captivating and relatable stories can enhance brand recognition, increase engagement, and strengthen the relationship between a brand and its audience.

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