Columbus Internet Marketing Association Blog – Dave Zehala

Marketing = Storytelling

I was doing some end of year housecleaning last week on my computer, and I came across some old notes regarding the importance of using stories in both your offline and online marketing campaigns.

Very important stuff so I thought I would share it with you.

Studies have shown that using well thought out stories in your marketing campiagns will not only increase sales conversions but will also have big impacts on customer retention.   Psychologically, I think we were all trained at an early age to tune in when mom/dad/teacher read a story.  It kind of let’s your own imagination take over.

Check out the list below.  When I’m putting together a talk or online video, etc., my general rule of thumb is to add a minimum of at  least 3 “stories” per 90 minutes of content.  Works for me.  Enjoy.

• Personal Discovery Stories – tell how you discovered a lesson. These stories show your readers how similar you are to them.
• Stories as Analogies and Illustrations – tell a story that on the surface has nothing to do with your topic but which illustrates a principle that is very relevant
• Success Stories – tell how you achieved something. These stories can be inspirational and motivating for your readers.
• Failure Stories – I find that these stories are incredibly powerful – particularly if you are able to show some lessons learned through a failure
• Tell Someone Else’s Story – sharing the journey of someone else and how/what they learned can be effective
• How I did it Stories – these practical stories can be effective because they talk your readers through a process in a relatable way
• Biographies – pick a key person in your niche and tell your readers that person’s story – pulling out useful parts that can be applied and used to enhance your readers lives.
• Picture Stories – using images or video can be another great way of communicating a story because it engages the senses in a way that text can’t (similarly – audio posts/podcasts can do this too).
• Case Studies – quite often pulling apart someone else’s experience in a case study can be a powerful way to connect with readers.
• Fiction – if well written a made up and imaginative story can be a good way to lead into a post. You’ll probably want to come clean about the fact that it’s not true though
• Reader Stories – ask your readers to tell you their stories/experiences on a topic. You might kick things off with a short one of your own but then quickly hand it over to others to share.
• Imagine If Stories – another type of story that I’ve seen used well on occasion is one where you get your reader to imagine a hypothetical scenario that they are in. Here’s an example of this where I told a story in the 2nd person (with YOU the reader as the main character). These posts can be particularly useful for getting readers to FEEL something or to help them to understand that the problem that you’re writing about is one that is personal for them.