6 Tips to Tell More Effective Storytelling in Your Content Marketing

Today, in the midst of increasing volume of noise, both on and off-line - the average person's attention spans are about the same length as a sleeping goldfish. Even with and helpful information, it can be difficult to find your customers and get them to engage. There's a silver lining in all the noise as it's made people thirsty for something very specific: a human connection.

One of the best method to establish a rapport to others is through telling stories. By incorporating stories in our posts, we transform the information we share into wisdom. It shows that we're doing what we do for more than profit. we care about solving this problem and helping our viewers. Also, it helps create a sense of context among the different pieces of content we create as we weave them together in a greater overall picture.

"If you truly desire to draw people in, you need to tell a genuine and interesting story. Stories are an excellent way to share your thoughts, impress people and make a human connection with them." - Jeff Bullas

  Here are six methods to create better narratives for your content marketing  

1. Your audience should be the hero.

This is the first and foremost rule to telling a story for your company. The hero is not you, your customer is. If you are focused on your own interests and your interests and your writing, it will come off as "hype" and have an opposite impact. Instead of creating connections with your viewers, they will repel them.

That's not to say you shouldn't share stories about you. Sharing your stories is essential. However, remember that the audience experiences your stories like they are living the events. So make sure that the content and experience are exactly the ones they want to hear.

  2. Understand where your audience is in "The The Buyer's Journey"

There are a lot of stories you can tell Which one will you pick? It is important to tell stories that will be a hit with your viewers and resonate with them right now. It is important to tell a tale that makes your audience feel energized to move forward together with your help.

The buyer's journey provides a useful framework to guide us in understanding the state of mind of our audience in deciding whether or not to purchase from us. The buyer's journey has three basic steps: Knowing, Like and Trust. Let's look at each of them:

Learn: At this stage the audience you are targeting just has to know you exist at all. It is possible that they are not aware of the problem you resolve. Stories you share here will need to convey the essence of the issue or potential which will entice them and interest immediately. They should be concise (your viewers won't have a lot of a time to pay attention to them yet) and offer either entertainment, emotional or actionable benefit.

  3. Don't reinvent the wheel - make use of frameworks

In many cases, telling stories is not something we do from the inside. Sure, we "tell stories" but there's a way to telling a story that connects you to your viewers. Not using frameworks is like trying to reinvent the wheel every time you tell a story. Frame help us take new perspectives and new paths of thought that allow you to get out of the common mental ruts we find ourselves in.

There are numerous models available. My favorite method of telling stories that connect with your audience and motivate them to take action is the Crossroads Formula. It is the Crossroads Formula breaks up the phases of the Buyer's Journey into relevant questions. It then ties those questions to the different levels that comprise the Hero's Journey.

  4. Use the power of visual storytelling

Don't limit yourself to just one form of storytelling. Whether you're writing or speaking your tales, it's possible to incorporate visuals to further enhance the emotional experience or message you want to convey.

Visuals are processed faster by the brain, and they are stored longer than textual information or spoken words. Vision is our strongest sense and messages from visuals cut through to our subconscious and we don't even realize it. They are able to break up huge texts to keep the reader interested. They can subtly communicate ideas as well as emotions in ways other forms of communication cant.

There is no need for to have a Hollywood film budget to make it in visual storytelling. Consider Wait, What's the Matter? A blog of Tim Urban with millions of followers ... You'd think the blog would be able to afford some amazing visuals, but the blog is brimming with sketches that appear like the work of a teenager using paint programs dating back to 1995...

Here are some easy ways to incorporate images into your website content:

Screenshots that include annotations No need for expensive layout here. Taking a screen shot with a few quick annotations could enhance the worth of your ideas to your visitors by showing concrete examples to back up the content you write.

Charts and graphsAll you require to tell a good story is a line. Charts and graphs help you make sense of data and create a visual story with the shifting and falling of it. Take a look at how Kurt Vonnegut (my favorite author) turns classic tales into simple graphs.

Memes  Memes Memes are great because they take familiar ideas and characters and adapt them to a new setting of our information. According to the "simple-exposure" effect the majority of people choose ideas or images that are familiar to them over those that are unfamiliar.

Quote images -This is an easy and efficient way of adding images to your posts. If you are adding an opinion from an influencer in support of your idea, make it into an image of a quote. The person who you quoted look like a rockstar too (which implies they're more likely to share your content)

  5. Set big goals

It's not enough to look back at your history to discover stories, you can create your own stories through setting large goals for your business.

Goals based on stories, also known as the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) are the kind of impact you want to make in the world through your work. This is the world you build day-to-day by the things you do.

There are some major advantages of using an BHAG

• It is a great way to talk about your business -A major goal can be an excellent tool for sparking conversations and interest when discussing your company.
• The HTML0 code creates something greater than yourself The result is something greater than yourself. with a major goal you demonstrate that you're doing your job in a way that is more than profit, you're serving a greater purpose. You can then engage your audience in your vision and take part in improving the world by working together.
• It creates more meaning for you and your team (team) A BHAG doesn't only impact your customers, but your entire team. Your employees will be inspired by your vision that increases motivation and loyalty.

To create a BHAG, you must have a goal that is measurable which is connected to the story you're telling. If the goal is measurable, you'll be able to share your accomplishments and also make it concrete. This should force you outside your familiar area. Your goal-setting process should create a little stress and make you think "how do I pull this off?" This pushes your boundaries and prompts you to take action.

To learn more about how to create the BHAG look up: Storytelling Secret Weapons - How To Create A BHAG

  6. Make a "secret recipe"

When you were young and your mother, grandma or any other important person who was in your life cooked the most delicious dish you adored. It was "grandma's lasagna". You loved grandma's lasagna enough that it made it impossible to enjoy anyone who else's lasagna. It's true, grandmother didn't do anything special to her lasagna due to the emotional connection you had with her, all the other lasagnas just seemed bland...

The ability to achieve the "grandma's lasagna" impression with your enterprise by establishing the concept of a "proprietary procedure". The term "proprietary process" can be used to create the story of how you get a certain result.

Imagine Brian Dean's Skyscraper Technique It's not anything distinctive about the aspects of this technique however the phrase "Skyscraper" is now a common usage among SEO marketing professionals.

Here are some of the key components of a custom process:

1. Make it 3-5 steps:3 steps are the best as it's simple to recall and conceptualize.
2. Let people know that you're not atypical:It should point to your humanity too and have shared the challenges and struggles of your audience.
3. You're different:Though you can relate with your client but you've also completed your homework or discovered a trick that allows you to be uniquely qualified to address the issue.
4. Make it clear that you are interested: Connect your efforts to an individual story or even a symbol that illustrates the reason you are interested in the solution to this specific issue.

This is another way I guide my clients through the "The Scalable Storytelling Method":

• Discover - We look for fascinating aspects of your tale.
• Get clear on how we want this story to be communicated.
• Delegate - We create a creative team you can receive assistance in to tell your story.

For additional examples and details regarding proprietary processes, refer to: Storytelling Secret Weapons - - A Private Process.

  Engage your audience with better content  

Stories can have a significant influence on quality and engagement of your content marketing plan. It can inspire new ideas about what you can create, and generate new meaning in goals that inspire you to create more. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable and honest, it will help create the human relationship that people are searching for.

Begin with a small amount of storytelling and keep a careful watch on how your audience responds to what you share. Make sure to practice and evaluate your storytelling in daily conversations, if it engages the listener's curiosity, try it in your content.

     What do you use to tell stories in your writing? Let me know in the comments!  

Kyle Gray helps entrepreneurs create compelling stories for their business which drive growth, sales as well as engagement. He has worked with hundreds of startups and small businesses to create efficient strategies for marketing through content. His Book The Story Engine outlines his methods for making marketing through content and brand storytelling easy and successful.