10-Tools And Tactics You Can Use To Leverage Storytelling
Storytelling is as old as human history. It’s also the main way we make sense of the world and learn from the moment we are old enough to start understanding words. There’s really nothing quite like the joy of a child who discovers a new book for the first time that instantly becomes their favorite. Just look at the Dr. Seuss books. They are interesting, fun, educational, and totally unique. They are a great example of how to leverage storytelling to make the most of the business opportunities it can provide when you used it in all of your marketing content.
TACTICS
1-Make it easy to scan
Write short lines, using keywords related to your niche, and use powerful verbs to attract attention.
2-Speak to their emotions
Rags to riches, failure to triumph, struggle to success, miserable to marvelous, before and after, these are all the kinds of stories that resonate with readers. They are interesting, often educational, and contain a feel-good factor.
3-Use repetition and patterns
You don’t have to be completely unique. The most effective and popular stories are why most have a happily ever after ending. Dr. Seuss books also work well because of patterns and rhythm. Your marketing should also have a pattern, that is, some regularity to it so you don’t do a lot of it in one month and nothing for weeks after that. As with the tale of the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race.
4-Use vivid images
These used to be vivid word images, such as similes, metaphors and alliteration, amongst other creative writing techniques. Now it is literal images:
Photos
PowerPoints
Infographics
Videos
Memes
Screenshots
And so on. Let each image tell a story, and don’t forget to put your URL on it. Create all of this content with a view to it being shared all around the Internet.
So, for example, when you write, you’d use relevant images that pique people’s interest. Or, if you’re recording a podcast, you could use emotion-triggering music and sounds. And for video creation, of course, you can use words, images, and sounds at the same time.
TOOLS
5-Your Website
Your website should be the hub of all of your marketing activities and storytelling.
6-Your Blog
Your blog might be your website. Or, you might wish to add a blog to your website. Blogging, that is, weB logging, is like a never-ending story about your business, which will constantly grow and change as your company does. Having a blog is a great way to position your brand or yourself as an expert worth paying attention to. It should be a combination of evergreen and up to date content.
7-Social networks
Use the top social networks to tell your story and encourage others to share it.
8-Press Releases and distribution services
Press releases enable you to share your story with journalists looking for newsworthy items to report to their target audience.
9-YouTube
YouTube is the #1 video sharing site in the world. It is also a search engine in its own right and a social network, too, if you enable comments on your videos and/or comment on other videos yourself. It connects with your G+ account. Create a channel to tell your stories. Update it regularly with the kind of content your target audience is eager for.
10-Slideshare
This is the #1 PowerPoint presentation sharing site in the world. Create decks that tell the story of your brand and business to position yourself as an expert in your niche. It also connects easily with your LinkedIn account.
Use these tools and tactics to leverage storytelling and see what a difference they make to your brand’s reach.
Call us today to speak to one of our PR specialists: 1-800-713-7278
