Six Ways to Tell Better Storytelling in Your Content Marketing

Today, in the midst of increasing the amount of information available - both online as well as offline, the majority of people's attention spans are about the same length as a sleeping goldfish. With all the information that is helpful It can be a challenge to reach your people and keep them engaged. There's a silver lining for all this nonsense, since it has left people hungry for something specific: a human connection.

One of the most effective ways to build a relationship to other people is through stories. When we incorporate stories into our content, we transform the information shared into knowledge. This shows that what we do for not just the sake of profit. we care about solving this problem and helping our readers. Also, it helps create a sense of context among all the pieces of content we make as we weave them together in a greater overall picture.

"If you desire to draw people in then you must tell a genuine and interesting tale. Stories are an excellent way to express your views, impress people and make a human connection with them." - Jeff Bullas

  Here are six methods to tell better stories when it comes to content marketing  

1. Make your audience become the hero

The first and foremost rule to telling a story for your company. The hero is not you, your customer is. If you focus on yourself and what's interesting to you, then your stories will come off as "hype" and have the opposite effect. It's instead of building an emotional connection with your readers and attracting them, your stories will turn off them.

That's not to say you should not tell stories about yourself. Sharing your stories is essential. But remember that your listeners experience your stories like they are living the stories. So make sure that the story and the message convey relevant to the audience.

  2. Know who your target audience is within "The buyer's journey"

You've got hundreds of stories to share What will you select? It is important to tell stories which be a hit with your viewers and will be relevant to their needs today. It is important to tell a tale that makes people feel encouraged to make the next move together with you.

The buyer's journey is a useful framework to framework to help us understand the mental state of our customers as they're deciding whether or not to purchase from us. Buyer's Journey comprises three main stages: Know, Like and Trust. Let's look at each:

Be aware: At this stage the audience you are targeting just has to know you exist at all. It is possible that they are not aware that they have problems that you can resolve. The stories you tell here will need to convey the essence of the problem or opportunity that will draw their attention and encourage them to investigate immediately. They should be concise (your audience won't have much of a focus on your stories but) and should provide entertaining, emotionally charged or even actionable benefit.

  3. Do not reinvent the wheel. utilize frameworks

For many of us, storytelling isn't something that comes easily. Yes, we "tell stories" but there's a way to telling a story that connects you to your viewers. Not using frameworks is like having to create a new wheel every time you tell a story. Frames help us discover different perspectives and explore new avenues of thought that allow you to get out of the common mental ruts we find ourselves in.

There are dozens of different structures available, but my preferred to tell stories that engage your viewers and motivate them to take action is The Crossroads formula. It is the Crossroads Formula breaks up the steps of the Buyer's journey into questions, and matches these questions with the various levels that comprise the Hero's Journey.

  4. Use to tell stories using images

Don't limit yourself to just one medium in your storytelling. Whether you're writing or speaking your stories it's possible to incorporate visuals to further enhance the emotional experience or concept you're trying to convey.

Visuals are processed quicker by our brains and are retained longer than simple text or spoken word. Visual perception is one of our most powerful senses and visual messages cut straight through to our subconscious without us even realizing it. They are able to break up huge texts and keep people reading and engaged. They're able to communicate concepts and feelings in a way that other methods of communication cannot.

You don't need to have a Hollywood film budget to succeed visually-driven storytelling. Think about Wait, What's the Matter? A blog written by Tim Urban with millions of followers ... It would seem that the blog would have enough money to create stunning visuals. But this blog is filled with sketches that appear like the work of a 13-year-old using paint software from the year 1995...

Here are some easy ways to add visuals to your posts:

Screenshots with annotations: No need for expensive layout here. Taking a screen shot along with some quick notes could enhance the worth of the concepts you communicate to readers by displaying concrete examples to back up your writing.

Diagrams and charts -All you require to create a compelling story is an arrow. Charts and graphs help you make sense of information and tell visually a story through the rise and fall of the data. Look at the way Kurt Vonnegut (my favorite author) transforms classic stories into graphs that are simple.

Memes  Memes Memes are awesome since they can take ideas as well as characters and then apply them in the context of our information. According to the "simple-exposure" effect, people prefer concepts or pictures that are familiar to them over those that are unfamiliar.

Quotes imagesThis is a quick and effective way to include some visuals to your content. If you are adding an influential person's quote to back your thoughts, make it into an image of a quote. The person who you quoted look like a rockstar as well (which implies they're more likely to promote the content)

  5. Set big goals

Don't rely on the past for stories, you can create your own stories by setting high-level goals for your company.

Story-driven goals, often known as the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) are the kind of impact you wish to have on the world with your efforts. The future you create day by day with the work you're doing.

There are several major advantages of using an BHAG

• It allows you to discuss your company -A big goal is a powerful tool to spark conversations and interest when talking about your business.
• The HTML0 code creates something greater than your own ego The result is something greater than yourself. with a major goal you demonstrate that you're doing the work you do to do more than earn a making money, you're fulfilling a greater purpose. This allows you to enroll the people who are interested in your mission and contribute to improving the world by cooperating with you.
• The creates greater meaning for both you and your team - A BHAG isn't just about the customers you serve, but also your team. Your team will get inspired by your mission that increases motivation and loyalty.

For a BHAG to be created, it is necessary to have a concrete goal that's connected to your story. If the goal is measurable, you'll be able to show the progress you've made and also make it concrete. It needs to force the person to go beyond their comfortable space. The thought of your goals should create a little worry and you'll be wondering "how will I achieve this?" This pushes your limits and inspires action.

For further information on how you can develop the BHAG look up: Storytelling Secret Weapons - How to Make A BHAG

  6. Create your own "secret recipe"

When you were young and your mother, grandma or any other important person in your life would cook this special meal that you enjoyed. It was "grandma's lasagna". You loved grandma's lasagna such that you found it impossible to enjoy anyone else's lasagna. We'll be honest, your grandmother didn't do anything distinctive to her lasagna but because of that emotion-based connection you shared to her, all different lasagnas seemed boring...

You can create that "grandma's lasagna" result for your company by establishing an "proprietary method". It can be used to create an account of the process that helped you achieve a specific result.

Take a look at Brian Dean's Skyscraper Technique - There's nothing too distinctive about the components of this strategy However, the word "Skyscraper" is now common use by SEO marketing professionals.

Here are a few key aspects of a process that is proprietary:

1. It should be 3-5 steps:3 steps is the most effective because it's easier to keep in mind and conceptualize.
2. Let people know that you're not atypical:It should point to your humanity as well and share the frustrations and challenges of your viewers.
3. You're different:Though you can relate to your customers, you've also done the job or discovered a secret that allows you to be uniquely qualified to tackle the issue.
4. Show you care toonnect your process with your own personal story or a symbol that illustrates the reason you are interested in finding a solution for this specific problem.

Another example: I walk my clients through the "The Scalable Storytelling Method":

• Discover - We find some of the most intriguing elements of your life.
• Define - We get crystal clear about how we would like the story to be told.
• Delegate - We create a creative team you can get help in to tell your story.

For additional examples and details about proprietary methods, check out: Storytelling Secret Weapons - - A Private Process.

  Engage your audience with better content  

The art of storytelling can have an enormous influence on impact and efficiency of your content marketing strategy. It can inspire new ideas of what to create and generate new meaning in goals that inspire you to create even more. Do not be afraid to be transparent and vulnerable, it helps create the emotional relationship that people are searching for.

Begin with a small amount of storytelling and pay close attention at how the audience reacts to the information you provide. Also, practice and test your story in normal conversations, and if they pique the listener's curiosity, try it in your content.

     Do you have a way to create stories through your writing? Tell me via the comment section!  

Kyle Gray helps entrepreneurs create compelling stories for their business that boost sales, growth, and engagement. He has worked in a variety of startup companies and small-sized businesses to develop effective and sustainable strategies for content marketing. The publication The Story Engine outlines his methods for making marketing through content and brand storytelling easy and successful.