Storytelling is an age-old concept, but the concept is relatively new in marketing. This can be attributable to the fact that marketers did not see its scalability worthiness. However, the growth of the internet has changed everything – it has become easy for your target audience to follow up any story that you share, and second, it is not a must for marketers to tell a whole story in one go.
In spite of this, people have mastered the art of ignoring anything that does not excite them. As such, it is necessary for marketers to avoid certain mistakes that might cost their effort in marketing through storytelling. This article highlights some of the common mistakes that you should be aware of when adopting storytelling as a marketing approach.
- Too Much Focus On The Features
A great brand story does not focus on the bells and whistles related to the features of an offer. The best brand stories are based on benefits, interests, values, wants, and needs of the customer, which enhance their life in some way. App.net emphasizes offering clients a solution to some problems they were experiencing such as mistreatment, inadequate or lack of privacy, and challenge the status quo.
Therefore, avoid focusing too much on your brand’s feature, what it can do and instead share a story that is relatable to the target audience.
- Tell A Story That Does Not Interest Your Customers
Have you ever told a child a bedtime story then over all a sudden he jumped in to control it to direct the story? The same case is similar to businesses and customers. The audience you are targeting has a story that they would love to hear. The implication is that should you deviate from the story; you are likely to experience reduced engagement and low response or none to the call to action. Avoid persuading people to believe a story that they do not connect with; it will not work.
- Telling A Story That Does Not Evoke Emotions
How emotional your story is determines its possibility of going viral. Several types of emotions such as anger, excitement, happiness, or sadness trigger your audience to share your content. The best story should be more than just an explanation piece and evoke the emotions that align with the current situation and the message you are passing.
- Letting Facts Ruin A Good Story
It sounds controversial. We are not implying that your story should be about lies. The gist is that you need to select what information goes in your story as well as how to present it. For example, sharing a press release on Saturday because you just hit a million users may not draw the attention you need so wouldn’t it be better if you did it on Monday and let the excitement flow during the entire week?
- Inconsistency
Most start-ups and even big corporates make the mistake of inconsistency. Do not promise anything in a story if you are sure you will not honor it. It is advisable to stop the whole idea of storytelling if what you say in a story is extremely different from what you are doing. Your words and actions should align in passing the intended message.
Having a clear concept about your brand’s story makes your marketing quite easy and achievable. Any company focusing on leveraging brand storytelling should plan to overcome the listed mistakes. Do you have a start-up story to share?
