Digital Storytelling: 7 Tips For Better Stories

Successful content marketing means anchoring marketing messages in the minds of the target group. The best way to do this is with the digital storytelling method, because it combines facts with emotions.

The word content is very broad and can therefore take many different forms. So what makes successful content ? Appearance Storytelling: If you want to inspire your target audience with content, you should be good at telling stories. Storytelling in content marketing not only creates curiosity to discover a brand, but also offers the incentive to understand it in its entirety. Instead of spreading clumsy marketing messages and running monotonous promotions, storytelling involves the company and the target group entering into a dialogue. What’s more, storytelling creates an emotional connection between the storyteller and the listener.

This allows clever content creators to reach their desired audience. These are people who genuinely identify with a brand and enjoy engaging with it. Once the emotion has been created via storytelling , marketing messages are much easier to remember than dry facts. In order to pursue a stringent online marketing strategy, storytelling should therefore occur in all channels where content is produced: in blog posts, videos, Instagram stories, Facebook and Twitter postings, etc. In short, in all networks that are relevant to your company and your target group. Regardless of the channel, the following storytelling tips provide guidance. Follow our tips in order so that your message stays in the memory of your desired audience.

1. Know and understand the brand story

Only those who understand their own story can credibly convey it to others. Good storytelling therefore requires entrepreneurs to know their own brand story and what their brand stands for. Although this step seems obvious, in practice it is often underused. It is best to start with the founding story of your brand. Then move on to their purpose and values. The “why” in particular should be communicated as clearly as possible. Other questions to ask (and answer) are:

• What milestones and changes shape your brand?
• What mission and vision does your brand represent?
• Who are the people behind it?
• Which key messages should be conveyed?

You should work out the answers to all these questions thoroughly. In this way, you form a solid base on which to build your future stories.

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2. Focus on the needs of the target group

Storytelling also means telling stories in such a way that the desired audience feels addressed. To do this, you need to know the needs of your target group. Here it is advisable to use so-called personas to work. In marketing, this means the ideal representatives of your target group. The more precisely you name their wishes, needs and concerns, the more likely you are to create a language that your desired audience wants to hear. Always focus on the added value for the persona and not just your products and services. Note that the range of needs also includes pain points. You create emotions by specifically addressing problems and offering solutions with your product or service. As an example: Assuming your product is organic tea: Your storytelling ideally revolves around the topics of environmental protection (need) or responsible consumption (desire).

3. Turn the target group into “heroes”

Focusing not on your own product but on the needs of the desired audience has great potential. Thus, your listeners automatically become the heroes of the story, while the product or service plays a supporting role. Storytelling is successful when the audience can identify with it. The story itself should say something about them and improve their lives. In the best case, this creates a relationship of trust and your desired audience feels understood and enriched by your brand.

4. Skillfully triggering emotions

Emotions also trigger interaction. And when good storytelling in content marketing leads to likes, comments, and shares, social media algorithms will reward you with more reach. It has been proven that the posts that trigger strong feelings are the ones that are shared the most. Content creators should therefore seize the opportunity to touch, surprise and inspire with their stories. Because the focus is on the person themselves, the story automatically becomes personal and thus also gives your brand this personality. Use the full spectrum of emotions to stay memorable. This includes pride, happiness and courage as well as fears, worries and overcoming.

5. Call-To-Action

It is not only important to trigger emotions, but also to anticipate reactions and deal with them accordingly. The aim is to enter into a dialogue with your desired audience via storytelling. To keep it going, ask questions that are relevant to your audience and relate to your post. By encouraging listeners to share their perspective on a topic, you keep the conversation going and gain additional insights about your audience along the way. Respond to comments and show interest, build a community built on authentic relationships.

6. KISS in digital Storytelling

Keep it short and simple – is a common guiding principle in marketing, which also applies to storytelling. Therefore, do without complex stories and rely on the emotion that your story should trigger. As a guide, stick to the 8-second rule: that’s how long (or short) the human attention span is. A good start should arouse attention, then comes the emotion – pictures or videos prolong this, as they themselves create further visual worlds in the mind.

7. Creating added value

Added value is the quintessence of good storytelling. Follow these practical tips to ensure that you succeed: Your content should always be consistent in terms of text and image in order to create recognition value. Tell authentic stories, never made-up stories. The needs of your audience should always be the focus. Last but not least, don’t forget to stylistically adapt your content to the respective platform.

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