Why The Future of Branding is all About Your Storytelling Ability

This article was contributed by Sarah Jay.

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“Brand storytelling is a great way to get your point of across, differentiate your brand, and work out new ideas. Today, if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur or leader, you also have to be a storyteller.”
– Richard Branson

We have listened to countless stories ever since we were born. From those told in the crib to the ones we came up with ourselves at bedtime. Storytelling is not just a form of art, but it is an intrinsic skill that all of us possess. Tales, prose, anecdotes, and descriptions all cater to our vivid imaginations and thus allow us to give the appropriate responses.

We have been trained from our births to respond to stories, and this emotion-evoking device is what marketers are thriving off today. Tapping into people’s thoughts and feelings is a big part of any business, and as we venture into 2020 it will continue to leave an impact.

So, what exactly does storytelling mean for marketing trends in the new decade? And will this continue further on? It is hard to say when we are waking and sleeping in an online sphere.

Importance of Human Connections

In the digital world we live in, everything has been made easy. From ordering food to purchasing gifts and working remotely, there is nothing that cannot be done with the help of the internet. However, as things become more and more convenient, there is a distinct lack of human touch. Human contact is no longer at the center of branding or business, which is something to think highly of. Where in 2020 will humans find time to cater to personal touches and needs? Is this ability a necessity or is the internet all we need for future times to come? The following article will assess this first hand and then deliver a note regarding the vitality of human connections. And this is where brand storytelling comes in.

What is Brand Storytelling?

When we look at the way marketing and promoting works for brands in 2020, we notice that it is at a crossroads. Where everything we touch is driven by digital means and the online world, where can we find authenticity and clarity? Businesses have considered and pondered over this question greatly, and the solution is simple. There is no need for a faceless business that does not have a rising personality. Instead, their brand needs to have their own individual story which allows people to engage with them on a deeper level.

Brand storytelling is a clever and cohesive means of using narration to evoke emotions within your audience. This means that you can manipulate factoids and stats to let the public know of your business goals and values. This is an easy means of allowing new and old consumers to connect properly with the message you are giving and thus focusing on what makes you different.

Why Do We Need Storytelling?

There is a growing demand for authentic storytelling. When we consider events and trades that come with their specific backgrounds, we also have to see how they can be marketed effectively. Therefore, storytelling in marketing is needed for multiple reasons as the new year begins.

Imaginative Ignition

Stories are part of imaginative content that people weave from their minds. They can be prompted by a number of aspects, from explanations to descriptions and pointers. Their basic nature is the way a small idea can turn into a strategy or a book. This is why they are vital to our everyday needs as they ignite the imaginative spheres of our brains like no other tactic. The teller and the audience both partake in this experience which allows them to gain a new perspective and creative insight.

Essential to the Human Nature

Storytelling is essential to human nature. It is what makes us different from other life forms as we take our histories and evolve them into creative tales that ignite feelings. Ever since the existence of the earliest human, we have seen cave paintings and hieroglyphics that portray fantastic tales. After this, came radios and TVs and then the internet, all of whom had their own story to tell. Therefore, we will accept that it is essential to human nature for storytelling to exist.

Stories and Marketing: A Critical Outlook

There are many ways to look at the role of stories in marketing critically. They can be one of the most important aspects of your brand. When we take a look at brand storytelling, we will see the number of benefits a critical outlook can have. You have to make a certain emphasis on the examples and tools you have at your belt. For your entire business, you can understand how crucial the success factor is how powerful you can make your brand. From simple methodologies and important design and themes, there is no need for 2020 to be faced with bland marketing techniques.

The Power of Storytelling

All writers and other speakers have developed their storytelling abilities over time. This makes their skills into a powerful took that can be used for a number of means. From a narrative punch to a descriptive evolution, the power of being able to touch and inspire lives has never been so far-reaching. As stories surround us on a daily basis, we see that from the conversations we have to the movies we see, we are always lost in an anecdote. For something that is such an integral part of our existence, why do we not use it to our advantage? When marketers finally realize the importance of this power, there is no brand that will not strategize to implement it. A study by Jeremy Hsu found that personal stories and gossip on average make up 65% of our conversations. This linear narrative has had a global impact and will continue to leave its mark as we go into 2020. So, how can one use this amalgamation of tales to make an empire?

What to Include in Your Brand Story in 2020 & Beyond

There are some requirements for telling a good brand story today. We live in an age where everything has already been said and done, so to come up with an original idea you will have to adhere to the following:

1. Who you are and how your company came to life. This includes the vision you have for your future, your values and brand culture as a whole.
2. What you do and the kind of products and services which you are offering.
3. Who your target audience is and how your offerings can help them.
4. Why you are doing this, what is the main goal behind this venture and what drives you.
5. How you can provide such a product or service and a look into the overall procedure.

The Popularity of Brand Storytelling

When you are going to establish a completely new marketing strategy for your company, you will have to start from the base. It has been estimated that 92% of consumers want their favorite brands to make campaigns that feel like a story instead of a commercial. To incorporate these tactics into everyday branding and promotion, the popular notion of brand storytelling has been adopted. Coca-Cola is a great example of this, as for its 2020 updates, it took on storytelling as a form of content marketing. 2012 saw a noticeable rise in the popularity of the storytelling tactic, which is why it became this brand new avenue to engage more consumers. We saw a prime example of this in Chipotle’s two-minute video about farming and industrialism. They used an interesting tagline in their storytelling process which earned the chain a film award (unbelievable, right?) to their name.

Solidifying Concepts and Simplifying Messages

Understanding new ideas may lead to multiple levels of confusion. This entails that your story will give way around that. To help better understand a service or a business concept, stories take the help of real-life examples to elaborate and explain problems effectively. Conveying complex issues in a data-driven way is bringing new meaning to marketing in 2020. If you thrive in your ability to make this a reality, there is no holding you back.

Identifying the Right Story

Stories are personal in nature. This is the way you know they are real and impactful. The way your brand is born and the way it progresses is all linear to the stories that inspire it. The needs of an audience are central to the identification of a good story. The compelling nature of your story is what your consumers want and if you deliver right on the identification process, you will be able to devise a strong and capable marketing strategy.

Benefits of Using Storytelling in Your Branding

There are a number of advantages of storytelling in your branding schemes. You will be able to establish your company as a strong brand name and can stand out from your competitors more effectively. To convert new audiences, you have to be a memorable example in your relevant industry or field. This entails that you engage them in a better and simple way. Besides these, there are so many other benefits you can avail, such as:

• Easily capture the attention of new and old audiences in regards to your products and services
• Building new professional relationships and have a proper network with other similar brands
• Foster a new community of proper engagement between a brand and its audience and then delve into deeper connections
• Have your audiences become loyal to your company due to its honesty and integrity
• Make yourself a leading business in the market and go above and beyond any other competition
• Hit on the emotional quotient, where people are unable to resist your ads, no matter in what shape or form

How to Employ Your Storytelling Ability

Ever since the 1980s, humans have been processing images and videos more than 50,0000 times faster than just average text. We are slowly becoming digitally focused, however, which has led to shorter attention spans and more visual branding for better effect. Video content has centralized marketing and branding and storytelling is how this has been made possible. News providers and their mainstream content no longer entice consumers and they are itching to get something more. So, how can you cater to your niche and employ your storytelling ability the right way?

Having a Conversation

Here is how you can adapt to this trend in the new year: have conversational value. Your story should not all be facts and figures, but it should be an authentic and real-life tale for the trade. Being on guard is not the way to attract new consumers, so what you can do instead is give only directness and honesty. Being real and giving a human touch is what it is all about in the end.

Creating a Cohesive Narrative

The value of your brand needs to be conveyed in a proper way to the customer. This means that you have to highlight your potential and the benefits you offer in a smart and subtle manner. Your story should not read like a TV commercial, and instead, the focus needs to be on a proper content strategy. So, whether you use text or video you can leverage your ability to focus on cohesiveness and a proper narrative.

Immersive Context

By 2020, the number of VR headsets sold will go up to 200 million. As this becomes a viable means of using immersive tech in marketing, we can note that businesses are able to connect with consumers more directly. This entails that by using VR, you will have access to a tool that conveys messages in a better and simpler way. There have been numerous success stories, such as Pokémon Go which was downloaded by 65 million users the previous year. For fans of the Hollywood movie ‘Hidden Figures’ users will now be able to immerse themselves in a virtual museum, which is a brand new means of learning.

How Stories Drive Us and Our Decisions

We do not take action simply by using our brains and then coming up with an appropriate response. Instead, we look for the meaning behind everything we encounter, from ads to videos and social media posts. When this tries to drive our cognition, we make our decisions regarding a certain subject matter. Our behavior faces much impact and influence simply when we find meaning in everyday life. When we develop changed perceptions and new narratives, the considerations become a shared number of stories. And once these stories are understood properly by the masses, they drive change forward and conduct consumers on their buying habits.

How we assign categories and meaning to the world around us will differ and evolve. Some of the ways this happens are listed below:

Inspiring and Motivating

Where stories cater to our humanity, they also inspire and motivate us to be better and to make big decisions. Whether this is about our health or some other luxury in life, it allows brands to inspire and motivate customers in a new and fresh manner. Where brands are giving transparency in their messages and are allowing you to be authentic, you will note that their audiences are full of inspirational zeal and motivation.

The Most Effective Mediums

You can use whatever mediums you prefer to tell the story of your brand. Where most companies prefer blogs, videos, and social media platforms, you can see for yourself which one is the most impactful regarding your taste. All of these mediums give their own reactions and influences to the audiences you target, and when you take into account the kind of message you aim to delivers, you need to know what works best for the digital age we live in. Giving users a personal connection as a means for communication can be done easily by using the right medium and then delivering your story.

Strong Professional Relationships

To improve the sales you have and place more brand loyalty into the consumer, you have to focus on the professional relationships you have. This means that the individuals who you come in contact with will eventually become the customers who return to your brand again and again. Where you network the right way and then deliver on your promise, you will see how strong professional relationships are born. Thus, when they go on to recommend your brand to other people you will be able to expand and grow even more.

In Summary: Storytelling Works for Everyone

The art of storytelling is not for one kind of brand or one kind of industry. This new trend may be focused on content, but that does not mean that it is limited in the function it provides. So, essentially what we can take from brands and their storytelling abilities in 2020 is versatility and honesty. It is being used properly and adequately as a means of marketing and will hence lead to more creative outlooks, and more sales too.

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About the author: Sarah Jay is a content writer for Logonado Australia. She is interested in different topics such as logo design tools, SEO trends, and web development. In her free time, Sarah enjoys traveling and reading.