Welcome to my brand-new series of articles about storytelling in marketing. I wanted to dive deeper into the concepts of and behind storytelling. I will confess there is a personal motive as well. I plan to publish these short articles monthly. So stay tuned!
Storytelling has become a buzzword. As a follow-up to authentic, you have probably heard the term storytelling thrown around for the past few years. Pop in a few references to Simon Sinek´s Golden Circle and Seth Godin´s Tribes, you’ve got a strategic storyteller on your hands.
According to the Product Marketing Alliance: Storytelling is a process used by product marketers to communicate a message to their audience via the combination of fact and narrative. While many organizations use stories based on fact, others combine fiction and improvisation to drive home the key components of their brand’s core message.
In other words, it’s similar to describing your product to those you would like to purchase/use it. But it’s not that simple, as internally, we think everyone understands our company own shorthand. Or even that our target audience has done deep research into the product/service and wants details.
Stories are a journey. The storyteller’s role is to take the listener on that journey. Not just leading the way by saying ‘follow the yellow brick road’ but narrating the path–walking alongside.
Although we may use fiction, hyperbole, similes, and exaggeration in the story, it must be based on at least one solid fact. However, we must also take the person to the finale —the end of the story. Just driving down the road and back isn´t storytelling.
Storytelling is more than just making things up.
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