Companies are beginning to understand that they need to form deeper connections with people if they are to foster lasting brand loyalty. Mass market advertising doesn’t cut it in our hyper-competitive markets.
One of the best ways to form those deep and meaningful connections is to tell stories that resonate with your audience. Not the “we care about quality and service” marketing hype, but real stories about what your company stands for in a way that is authentic and simple enough that they spread.
Azita Ardakani of LoveSocial shared three tips for telling good stories with Shawn Parr on PSFK:
Expand your idea of value.
“When you’re telling your story, people don’t want to hear about how much money you’re making or even how great your product is – they want to hear what you truly care about and the problem you’re solving for the world.”
Establish common language.
“When sharing your story online, consistency is key, and if people—even your own employees—are left to create their own explanations, the output is likely to have a wide array of confusion-causing variance.”
Give your brand a human voice.
“What type of person will best deliver the message of your brand? Think about what they would sound like, what their tone would be like and what type of personality they have. Write down all of their unique attributes and always communicate from the perspective of that person.”
What story is your company telling?
You are definitely communicating some story, whether you are conscious of the fact or not. Rather than leaving your reputation to chance, proactively choose the story you want to convey and make sure everyone in your company has the ability to communicate that message.