Why storytelling is important in connecting with an audience

In recent years, “storytelling” has become a buzzword in marketing and the business world. Stories are an integral part of our society and culture.

You will find stories are everywhere — movies, books, news, media, music, religion.

But did you know that this isn’t a new concept, and is as old as humanity?

90% of our purchasing decisions are influenced by emotions. So, It’s very critical to engage with your audience in a compelling way.

You can best connect with your audience’s emotional sense with compelling visuals and an attractive but genuine story.

Philip Pullman put it best:

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”

We connect with stories emotionally.

According to Scientific American “Stories stimulating positive emotions are more widely shared than those eliciting negative feelings, and content that produces greater emotional arousal (making your heart race) is more likely to go viral. This means that content that makes readers or viewers feel a positive emotion like awe or wonder is more likely to take off online than content that makes people feel sad or angry.”

Do you want your content to go viral?

Make it emotional. Make it positive. And embrace storytelling. Storytelling is crucial to your video content marketing strategy.

How to create an engaging story

Elements of an engaging story:

Character
Drama
Resolution

First element, Character. Every good story has a compelling character. And you need to craft the whole story around this character.

The Character is a connection between you, and your target audience. You need to choose a character which your audience can relate to easily.

For this, you should always listen to and understand your audience’s needs and problems.   This character may be a presenter, actor, member of your team or a happy customer.

Second element, Drama. Set a drama which fits your prospect’s problems, needs, or audience’s journey. If it doesn’t fit, how will they connect?

If you want to have a better idea, spend some time understanding your audience’s journey and their problems.

What kind of needs and issues do they have – what will they relate to?

The last element is Resolution. Where there’s drama or conflict, your audience will naturally want some sort of resolution.

Good stories surprise us. They don’t always have to be a happy ending. The resolution should wrap up the story but should also clearly call your audience to action. It fulfils the purpose behind the story.

Resolution should make them think, make them feel.

Before creating your story, plan out the character, create some drama, create emotional appeal, be authentic, and reveal the resolution.

Keep your story clear and concise.  Our team here at 18 Degrees can help you bring that story to the life.  Get in contact.