SBT Ask the Expert

Storytelling, who cares?

As both a parent and a marketer, stories are part of every day life. Although I’d also argue that they’re part of everyone’s every day. But why should we care?

There are so many layers to this question but I want to focus on why stories work and how you can use them in your business communication. One of the best things about the time we live in is that people are far more open to emotion. Less “stiff upper lip and get on with it”, more “how do you feel about that?” Which is a healthy place to be. Whether you’re a B2B company or a B2C one, you’re still communicating with a person and so drawing on this emotion is more likely to illicit a change in behaviour, an enquiry or indeed a direct sale. Stories make us feel these emotions. From a neurological perspective emotions heighten the ability to memorise, forcing a signal to the brain that whatever we’re feeling should be remembered. So, if a brand can make us feel something we’re far more likely to recall that brand later on. From a historical point of view we’re hard wired to react to a narrative. Think about neolithic times; a group of people have come back from a successful hunt and avoided being eaten by prey. They sit round a campfire and discuss why they were successful. Everyone listens because no one wants to be the one that’s gets eaten. Stories made us what we are.

So, what can I do today?

Aristotle was a pretty smart person and a lot of his thoughts still hold true today. For an argument to be compelling we need a triangle of output. Pathos – the emotional hook that has been discussed above. Does your message have personality? Does it have an emotive angle? Logos – is there a compelling stat that you can back up a claim with. Both of these can be used in every aspect of your marketing but let’s explore how we can use this practically. Consider the copy below:

Before

We’re offering 15% off all beds for one week only Uninspired and dull

After

Ask the With a Trustpilot score of 4.8 take one of Expert our beds for a test run and give yourself the sleep that you deserve. There’s emotion, there’s a compelling stat and a much higher chance of an open. The final thing you need to think about is Ethos. Are you being authentic? Don’t shoehorn Net Neutral into your communications if it’s not something your brand intrinsically stands for. What do you stand for? What are you an expert in? Who are you talking to? Think about this, emotion and a compelling stat and you’ll get more people to care. And buy.

James Dempster Managing Director

01273 208913 james@foxbear.co.uk www.foxbear.co.uk