Storytelling is the art of using words to create an image in the audience’s mind. Its purpose is to narrate a story in such a way that engages the audience’s imagination. It is mainly done for entertainment and to provide information.
Business storytelling is the ability to narrate your business journey, backing up with experiences, problems, and success behind your business. It is a means to connect with your customer emotionally, so your brand becomes more personal. This factor plays a role when customers make a purchase decision where alternatives from the competition are present. In this way, storytelling gives a business a competitive advantage.
Here are five tips for interactive storytelling stated by Jim DePalma:
Jim DePalma’s 5 Storytelling Tips
1. Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience is the first and the most crucial step in telling your brand story. Determining your audience helps you develop your content. When you have defined your product’s target audience, you can employ the style and delivery that suits it.
Defining your target audience will also help you identify your customers’ issues. You can highlight how your product solves those issues via storytelling to keep them interested and narrate a good story.
2. Know Your Business and Set Boundaries
The first step in storytelling is to know your business. A person who is deeply rooted in the business and has witnessed the ups and downs of the business will be able to engage the audience and keep them interested more naturally.
Your story should have a clear focal point. If the story drifts away to irrelevant details, it will result in the audience losing attention. Get to the point right away.
Jim DePalma suggests answering specific questions before presenting your brand story. What is the story about? Who are the characters of this story? Where did the story take place?
Setting boundaries will help you deliver an engaging story that will guide the audience from the beginning to the end.
3. Strategize Accordingly
Strategizing beforehand is critical. Determine your core message, objective, call to action, and the mediums you will use to tell your tale. Storytelling mediums include social media, websites, online videos, or live chats with the audience.
Having specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives can improve your narrative.
4. Get Personal
When communicating with the audience, you should pique their interest. Episodic content can help keep your audience curious and wanting more.
Your audience is made of real people. Adding a personal element to your storytelling can help customers relate and set the foundation for a bond built on trust and loyalty.
According to Jim DePalma, being too “salesy” can stifle interest but being authentic in your story ensures the customer that your customer relates to you and that their needs and emotions are respected
5. Have Clear Outcome
A good story speaks to the audience. It leaves them with a message or a thought-provoking question. Telling your story with some outcome is essential. Your audience should be able to receive your desired message from your story and better connect with it.
Jim DePalma suggests never to end your story in a rush. The way you close your story significantly impacts the audience; the conclusion is the perfect time to stress your story’s main message.
Final Thoughts from Jim DePalma
Making storytelling an essential part of your business will help engage external stakeholders, create your business’s image and spread awareness about it. Your business keeps growing daily, and you face new problems at work. However, success follows every hardship.
With your growing business experience, storytelling makes connecting with new and potential clients on a deeper, more personal level and finally generates revenue.