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The Power of Storytelling

June 20, 2017

We all remember the stories we’ve heard as children, right?  Hansel and Gretel or Jack and the Beanstalk perhaps.  The reason for remembering stories, so many moons after you’ve heard them, is because storytelling is powerful – stories stick with us because they make us feel something, they evoke emotion.

There are numerous TED Talks dedicated to the art and power of storytelling.  Some creative businesses these days even help corporates, organisations and individuals be more enticing to their customers and audiences by teaching them how to craft what they want to say into a story.  They actually teach ‘how to tell a story’.

Make your business unforgettable

Stories are memorable, so why not use storytelling as a tool to make your business memorable too?  Your customers and potential clients, won’t forget you if you’ve made them feel or think something.  Sales and marketing should not just be departments in your business, they are opportunities for you to craft creative stories that potential customers won’t soon forget.

Three things every good story needs:

Hook

Think of a fish being caught on a hook – the fish went in for the bait; the juicy, tantalising, exciting bait and got hooked. How are you hooking your clients and customers?  What are you saying to get them to bite the bait?

Create suspense

Think of Cinderalla losing her slipper, or Beauty leaving the Beast. There is always a worrying turn of events, or a significant obstacle to be overcome that creates suspense for the listener.  This allows the storyteller to present a solution to the listener later, but keeps them engaged for now.  How are you creating anticipation in your audience or customers?  Are you keeping them in suspense for them to, most importantly, be able to turn to you and ask how can you help me fix this?

Resolution

The end.  Whether it be good, bad, or ugly; there is always an end.  Ideally, for business, you want to try and leave your audience with as good a feeling as possible, or one that lets them know that a solution was found and that they can sleep soundly that night. How are you presenting your solutions to potential customers?

In selling or presenting, its often thought that solutions should be presented to potential customers first.  The brilliant minds at SalesGuru call it “We-ing all over the client” as in we do this, and we do that.  But have you ever thought about telling them a story first, hooking them in, and then giving them a solution?

Learn more about how to craft your story, give Beyond Copywriting a call on 081 039 4952

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