Once upon a time… Chances are, when you hear those four words, you know an epic story is coming. Storytelling is one of humankind’s favorite pastimes, but did you know that it also can increase customer loyalty to your business by helping to foster a deeper emotional bond between your brand and your customers?
When your brand tells a story in its marketing strategies, it can benefit your business in myriad ways. Here are just a few critical benefits of storytelling as a marketing strategy.
Emotional Ties
One of the main points of storytelling in your marketing is creating emotional engagement with your brand’s voice and personality. When customers feel an emotional connection to your brand or product, they are likelier to stay loyal to you.
Nintendo uses nostalgia to create an emotional tie to its games by reminding adults that they can still have fun with Nintendo products at any age.
Memorability
When your customers think of your product or service, what do they think of? Is your marketing memorable or just the standard run-of-the-mill facts, figures, or product features? Remember, when you make your brand story distinctive, your customers are likelier to remember why they chose your brand over your competitors.
Trustworthiness
If you don’t have your customers’ trust, what do you have? Confidence in you and your brand identity is essential for customers to return. You will build trust and appear authentic and sincere by showcasing your brand’s values, ethics, and dedication to customers.
Since 1959, Barbie has shown girls they can be anything they dream of. The brand has empowered women for generations, creating trust through its inclusive marketing and products.
Be Unique
Your brand is different from your competitors, so show your customers that with the power of storytelling. By telling a compelling story, you share how your products and services stand apart from the crowd.
Awe Inspired employs a unique spin on marketing by using zodiac signs to connect customers to their jewelry. This inspires their customers to unleash their inner goddess and purchase jewelry based on their astrological sign.
Relationship Building
Think of your favorite story. Maybe a parent read it to you as a child, or perhaps it was a treasured high school book or movie. No matter where you heard or saw it, it likely still resonates with you, and you have a connection to that story that evokes an emotional response.
When your customer feels that connection through brand storytelling, they are likelier to stay loyal to you, just like you are to your favorite story.
The Power Of Word of Mouth
When a customer connects to your brand’s identity on an emotional level, they are more likely to refer friends and family to your business and become advocates for your brand. In fact, 64 percent of marketers believe that word-of-mouth marketing is the most effective type of marketing. All the more reason to create a compelling story!
Consistency Is Key
Regarding marketing, having a consistent brand voice across all channels is essential. This is no more true than it is with your brand storytelling. Your brand’s story is part of your brand identity. By remaining consistent, you are cementing your brand identity in the minds of your customers.
Customer Satisfaction
You can create a more compelling brand story when you understand your brand’s benefits and customers’ pain points. Including how your product can meet your customers’ needs in your storytelling can increase customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Apple is a brand that understands customer satisfaction, continuously updating its products with innovative features to precisely cater to their wants and needs.
Customer Retention
When customers stay emotionally tied to your brand, they are more likely to continue doing business with it and be repeat customers. Thus, keeping customers engaged with compelling storytelling will keep your product or service on their minds when making another purchase.
Flexibility
Just like any good story, there are often twists and turns to keep you engaged. The same holds true for storytelling in your marketing. Storytelling allows you to adapt your messaging to different audiences or market conditions but continue along the same visual and textual journey about your brand identity.
Dove is a brand that demonstrated flexibility in its messaging during Covid. The brand updated its Real Beauty campaign during the pandemic to “Courage Is Beautiful,” which showcased the faces of healthcare workers marked by their protective gear.
The End
Storytelling is essential to your marketing strategy by creating emotional connections with your customers that build trust and further cement your brand’s identity.
Storytelling helps set your brand apart from your competitors and creates loyalty among your customers, helping your business achieve its happily ever after.
For more information about how you can tell your brand’s story, don’t hesitate to contact our team of storytellers at ELMNTL today.
