A story is defined as a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader.
"Stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone." - Jennifer Aaker
Why are stories powerful?
- Because they are meaningful! Stories are meaningful because they are memorable, impactful, and create personal connections. (See this: https://youtu.be/AL-PAzrpqUQ)
- Data + Story = Intellectual + Emotional Impact (Dykes, 2015)
How can storytelling benefit B2B marketing?
- Differentiation: Stand out, cut through the noise and clutter. (Aimé, 2023)
- Personal Connection: The payment comes from the buying organization, but the purchase decision-makers and users are people. Stories help build personal connections with these people (Anaza et al., 2020).
- Persuasion: Compelling stories influence behavior and persuade people to act (Martin, 2016).
- Simplification: Stories help simplify complex technologies and their hi-tech features by explaining how these tech products help solve their consumers’ problems and offer benefits to them.
- Trust and Advocacy: A great narrative transports the audience into the events occurring in the story. This transportation fosters trust and a stronger inclination to advocate or speak positively about the story, storyteller, and the B2B brand (Anaza et al., 2020).
Examples of good B2B storytelling…
- Salesforce (Customer Success Stories): https://www.salesforce.com/resources/customer-stories
- Square (Every Kind of Dream): https://squareup.com/us/en/dreams
- Google (Small Business): https://youtu.be/FUaIPodI838
How to narrate a meaningful story?
- Understand your audience's challenges and pain points: Narrate stories that address these pain points and demonstrate how your product can help overcome these challenges and pain points.
- Share Success Stories of Real People: Tell stories about your real business clients or users who have successfully achieved tangible and intangible results through your product. These narratives could be in the form of case studies, testimonials, and/or success stories illustrating the value and impact of using your product.
- Keep it Relevant and Genuine: Craft stories that your audience can relate to on a personal level. Use relatable characters, authentic experiences, and vivid imagery to make your narrative more captivating and memorable.
- Show and Tell: Use words to paint a picture in the minds of your audience; don’t just tell. For e.g., “Jane is tired.” Instead of saying this, you could say “Jane is yawning and stretching. Her shoulders are slumping, and her eyes look puffy.” Try to appeal to the audience’s senses through your words and/or imagery. Use active voice preferably.
- Use Multiple Media: Share your stories across various channels and formats, including blogs, videos, social media, podcasts, infographics, and/or presentations. Tailor your storytelling approach to suit the preferences and behaviors of your target audience.
Leveraging the power of storytelling will enable you to be more convincing, drive people to act, foster personal long lasting connections with your audience, and ultimately grow your career and business.
How are you using storytelling in your professional or B2B product marketing efforts? Share your stories in the comments.
References:
- Aimé, I. (2023). The dynamic construction of brand storytelling. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 31(7), 1243-1262.
- Anaza, N. A., Kemp, E., Briggs, E., & Borders, A. L. (2020). Tell me a story: The role of narrative transportation and the C-suite in B2B advertising. Industrial Marketing Management, 89, 605-618.
- Dykes, B. (2015). Data storytelling: What it is and how it can be used to effectively communicate analysis results. Applied Marketing Analytics, 1(4), 299-313.
- Martin, S. R. (2016). Stories about values and valuable stories: A field experiment of the power of narratives to shape newcomers’ actions. Academy of Management Journal, 59(5), 1707-1724.