Storytelling has a rich and varied history. Its tools changed dramatically over time: just think about the first cave paintings presenting the stories of successful hunts. After paintings, stories first got told by elders around the fire, then played in theatres, written down in books, turned into movies, and now, we are sharing them online.
Today, we mostly share stories through videos, blogs and social media channels. Although technology changes, the need for a good story and the essential elements of storytelling remained.
What makes a story exceptional, even if its topic is not the most interesting? We’ve gathered 8 effective storytelling techniques that you should use to boost your content marketing!
Make sure that your story has a proper frame. It doesn’t matter if you have a super-interesting story full of excitement, if people don’t get what the message is, they will leave unsatisfied and confused.
Study the great storytellers of the past! Whether they wrote short or long stories, fantasy or historical books, for children or to adults, it doesn’t matter: what is important to learn what made them want to tell their stories. Explore their works in depth to understand what techniques, processes and methods they use to capture their audience, and have the inspiration to create your own works!
Stories are told in varied forms – articles, novels, movies, blogs, videos, and many others. Step out of your comfort zone, don’t be afraid to explore new genres to spread your ideas! Learn what your audience likes and responds to, and take note what would be the best fit for your story.
Take a detailed look into your favorite stories! There is a reason they are so close to your heart. Try to understand why, and incorporate these elements in your own brand building to get similar results!
Impressing your audience is not an easy task, and can be even harder in certain industries. But if you manage to do so, they will definitely remember your story and your brand.
Whether you are talking about your brand or the story of your industry itself, it is important to be honest. If it turns out you spread falsehoods, people will know about it, and they’ll remember it. Avoid being dishonest, as once branded by it, it’ll stick with you.
Even though shining the best light on yourself is somewhat reasonable in business life, it is not a good idea to twist the story just to make it sound more interesting. It will be short-lived, and won’t be sustainable.
Think about what your audience might find interesting! Tell your story how your audience would like it to be told! Always keep it in mind what resonates with them, and what would be a value for them.
Brands are sometimes afraid, that if they let their personality shine, audiences will put them in a box. But, if your story doesn’t contain any personal elements at all, it can turn to be boring quickly. People don’t spend time with boring stories, they just move on to more interesting and appealing ones. Don’t let your story to be the one they skip! Share why your brand stands out, why is it appealing!
Today, we can choose from various options if we’d like to tell our story. The most important thing is to stay true to our brand, and tell a story that we’d be proud to tell- and audiences would be happy to listen to- year after year.
Even though storytelling is constantly evolving, there is one thing for certain: everyone loves a simple but compelling story, like it was in the case of Samu the llama looking for a wife! Read our winner campaign story!