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November 4, 2020

How story-driven content marketing gives you a powerful advantage

How story-driven content marketing gives you a powerful advantage.

As the world becomes more and more reliant on all things digital, the number of companies investing in digital marketing has increased. This reality means it’s imperative for businesses to find the right strategies that can help them stand out from the rest.

Fortunately, there is an abundance of approaches out there that can do just the job and more.

A great example is personalization. As mentioned in the post How to Use Personalized Marketing to Boost E-Commerce Sales, personalization can help bring brands closer to their clients through personalized pages, retargeted ads, personalized emails and the like.

While personalized marketing is beneficial on its own, you can still take things a step further by investing in story-driven content marketing.

What is story-driven content marketing?

Before discussing what story-driven content marketing is, let us first go back to the basics and define content marketing.

In its simplest sense, content marketing is a technique that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content in order to attract clients.

Of course, like any other marketing strategy, the end goal with content marketing is to drive profitable customer action.

On the other hand, story-driven content marketing goes beyond just putting relatable and informative content out there, on a regular basis.

Story-driven content marketing rests on the assumption that the story of your own business is of interest and matters to people.

Why is story-driven content marketing crucial?

We are now living in a world where data and information is seen as a new currency. It only makes sense for content to be seen as the main actors in a knowledge-based economy. This is the reason why content marketing is crucial for businesses, regardless of the industry.

However, Ayima Kickstart explains that one of the biggest hurdles for most small businesses is the lack of optimized content – or any content at all. Unfortunately, great content is crucial when it comes to successful organic campaigns; therefore, this is where most businesses fail.

But creating content isn’t enough – content needs to be engaging, targeted, and optimized. This is where story-driven content marketing can come in handy.

1. First, story-driven content marketing can make you unique

The products and services you offer may have unique features, but due to the market being so vast, there will always be a brand that will offer something similar.

So how do you set yourself apart?  By sharing your very own story. Stories can help you present your products in such a way that makes it relatable, memorable, interesting and unique.

2. Second, it adds a human element to your content

Aside from being particular about the content that pops into their feed, consumers are also learning how to value experiences more than they do the products they buy.
It is for this reason that it is vital for content to be infused with human elements, through stories.

Customers are more likely buy products that can improve their experiences or are introduced through stories that reflect the same struggles they encounter.

3. Third, it helps build greater connections

Communicating these days may be easier than ever before, but the reality is that finding a genuine connection is still hard, if not harder.

This is the reason why today’s consumers are very fond of campaigns that they can relate to. When consumers feel a connection with a product, their tendency is to become what is referred to as “repeat purchasers” and this is not the only thing that increases.

The likelihood of these consumers phoning a friend or two about your product or sharing it on their social media accounts also spikes.

4. Lastly, it doesn’t sound ‘salesy’

Gone are the days where consumers would tolerate in-your-face marketing strategies that blatantly showed what brands want from their audiences: their money.

By incorporating stories into your content marketing strategies, you will not only be able to avoid cringe worthy ‘sales’ talks, but also prove to your clients that you are more focused on sharing an experience.

Through this, you are emphasizing the power of choice that consumers have, thereby making them happier and more likely to buy from you.

How to apply story-driven content marketing into your own marketing efforts?

In order to reap the benefits of story-driven content marketing, there are certain things you have to consider.

Here are some of them:

Be audience-centered

Although story-driven content marketing values a brand’s story, they should never overshadow the stories of the audience and customer base. After all, the ones in control here are the customers, not the brand.

With so much content out there vying for their attention, they can easily use ad blockers or skip past blog posts. To ensure that clients do spend time reading your content, lead with their needs.

Focus on releasing content that can serve value to your audiences first. This approach may require loads of patience, but once you’ve established yourself as a reliable source, the payoff will come in dividends and improve your branding in more ways than one.

Focus on memory building

Stories have been in existence for a very, very long time, and it’s easy to see why. They are effective media that can carry life lessons and values.

At the same time, they are capable of evoking feelings and keeping us entertained. We may not remember everything about a story, but we do retain the important bits. To ensure that your content is able to do the same, focus on building memories.

Search Engine Journal explains that the only way this can be done is by creating strategic stories that will subtly highlight the messages you want to give to your audience. Your story doesn’t have to be Oscar-worthy. You just have to make your audience see the story and help them imagine themselves in it.

Conclusion

Similar to how you would arrive at any marketing technique, story-driven content marketing has to be backed up by research.

To enjoy the extensive benefits this approach offers, make sure to focus on your clients, be as relatable as you can, and always remember that your client’s stories and experiences are more important than your own.

— Corrine Porter is a long-time business consultant and part-time writer. Armed with a passion for writing, her main interest is evaluating how new innovations in marketing and technology will impact society. On her free time, she enjoys reading and film photography.

• Posted 11.4.20 at 04:05 am by Roy Osing
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