Win it comes to building a brand; the stories are one of the most important parts. In this section, we are going to highlight two ways feelings and emotions are tied into this brand growth.
Quick Links
- The importance of good storytelling
- Winning the hearts and minds of your audience
How Critical is Storytelling to Online Growth?
If we go back to the pizzeria example, storytelling helps connect us to businesses. We could always get a pie from Papa Johns, Pizza Hut or Little Caesars, but were going to remember Joe’s pizza. Joe has to promote and share content in a way to where it feels organic and stimulate the senses, to give readers something to feast on.
Another example is if someone owners a burger joint, instead of saying “we got burgers and beer,” on their post, they should say something about “Warm burgers made in house, and cold craft beers on tap.” There is something about the second sentence that speaks to people and what people want.
If you pair descriptive narratives with relevant pictures and upload it as a story or as a post, you’ll be able to attract new people to your business.
Your existing audience does this because they’ll share the status or tag people in the comment section, which helps grow not only your online presence but also your business.
Another reason why good storytelling is important was best said by Maya Angelou, “People won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”
When you’re telling your stories, whether you are appealing to their senses, sharing something sad, or celebrating a success, how you say something is as important as the content itself. By making your post relatable, you’ll have a greater impact on others, and give them something to think about.
Winning the Hearts and Minds of the People
When it comes to things like public speaking or making advertisements gaining the attention of the public is something you have to do within the first 30 seconds of the presentation, or else you’ll lose them altogether.
This same concept also applies to telling stories about your brand. By creating posts that relate to your brand and use a mix of facts, figures, and the stories you’ve learned along the way, you have the greatest chance of reaching your audience.
This is because facts and figures speak to people’s minds, whereas stories speak to their hearts. However, both should work in tandem while storytelling, whether it be on or offline.
By using statistics in a post, it forces your audience to use the language processing portion of the brain. Areas such as the Broca’s area, the insular cortex, and the Wernicke area are all triggered, which causes you to remember things better when compared to general information.
Although numbers are important, your target audience is people, and as a result of this, you can’t forget the human side of things. When you read or hear a story, your visual cortex is stimulated; this allows us to understand a story better.
This is partially due to the previously mentioned point, adjectives. When telling stories about your business online, be sure to create the scene by talking about the sights, smells, and anything you heard. This will cause people to use different parts of their brain, which in turn makes your stories more memorable.
Between facts and stories, both are important; however, stories are more impactful because of the visual and emotional component attached to them. With facts, you’re only appealing to the logical side of things.
“We live in a society where when we see a touching movie or show, we laugh, and we cry, and we remember those scenes and how we felt. If you can do this with stories related to your brand on social media, you’ll increase your following and the interaction you have with the general public.” — Diana Adjadj, a writer and editor at WriteScout and Studyker.
Build Your Brand Through Interweaving Narratives
Although the brand should be front and center on your social media accounts, the real star is the relationship between you and the general public. We’ve talked a lot about your story, but your story is the sum of so many others.
Joe’s story is built on first dates and family outings; retailers’ built their story on people not only buying their products, but also writing reviews about the product, and recommending it. A perfect example of this is rather than try a new restaurant; we always ask friends and family members about what their experience was like.
The experiences of others help shape our decisions, brand building is no different. Encourage people to talk about their experiences; if they’re great stories, you’re doing something right. However, if you hear consistent negative feedback, you’ll know what needs to change.
Through this sharing experience that was created with your brand as the vehicle, you allow people to have real conversations with one another about your product or service that your company offers. In today’s day and age, being able to not only build a brand but also a sense of community is a powerful tool!
Final Thoughts
When it comes to telling stories about your brand on social media, treat it the way you would tell any other story. Make them fun and engaging and use plenty of details. Describe things in a way that appeals to the senses, and tell stories without them being over the top.
If you feel like you’re overdoing it, you aren’t the only one, and this makes the story seem less believable. If possible, also try to involve the public in these tales that your telling, social media was designed to build a sense of community, and you should try to weave your audience into your narrative because they’re a part of it!
About the Author: Kristin Savage nourishes, sparks and empowers using the magic of a word. Along with pursuing her degree in Creative Writing, Kristin was gaining experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in marketing strategy for publishers and authors. Now she works as a freelance writer at WritingJudge. Kristin runs her own FlyWriting blog.