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Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to humanize your brand and often called one of the main components of a content marketing approach. As a marketer, you can breathe life into your brand by sharing stories and giving an identity to the products or services. This allows consumers to form a personal connection with your brand and helps the perception of the company to be more authentic, inspirational, and creative.
One aspect of story-telling that can be used to persuade consumers is customer-led storytelling. Customer-led storytelling is a creative strategy that’s buzzing in industry blogs as a top trend. The infomercials of the ’80s, before-and-after photo sets used by dentists and doctors (and all B2B customer case studies), are examples of customer-led storytelling.
This particular method of storytelling is prevalent in my industry, skincare. “I don’t think that we’ve ever seen consumers, certainly in the beauty industry, at such a high level of education and sophistication,” according to Stephan Kanlian, head of a think tank at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology that studies the future of the beauty industry. Our world is increasingly well-connected and so consumers now have a variety of platforms in which they are free to share their opinions on your company’s product/service. Social media platforms have increased the popularity of this strategy because of the ease of connection between consumer and brand. Consumers are now able to readily and easily share their experience online within their community and with brands. Brands now have the opportunity to weave this interaction into their marketing. For example, a popular influencer such as Patricia Bright posts on social media about her skincare routine which includes your brand, ELEMIS. Followers of that influencer would now develop an awareness of the brand and helps the brand feel more authentic as someone who is perceived as a regular person utilizes it. Similarly, regular customers / non-influencers who share their experience with brands through testimonials or reviews help to persuade potential customers by verifying the authenticity of the brand and forming a personal connection.
Storytelling sells. “A good story makes you feel something and is universal. They want to grasp your values and your commitment to excellence; be inspired and intrigued. Storytelling is the most powerful way to convey these ideas.” — Mark Truby, Vice President of Communications, Ford Motor Company.
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