Six Ways to Tell Better Stories In Your Content Marketing

These days, with the increase of the amount of information available - both online and offline - most people's attention spans are about the same length as a sleeping goldfish. Even when you have a wealth of information however, it's not easy to connect with your target people and keep them engaged. But there's a silver lining for all this nonsense, since it has left people hungry for something specific: a human connection.

One of the greatest methods for building a connection to other people is through stories. By incorporating stories into our content we transform the information we share into wisdom. We show we're doing the things we do to earn more than just profit, we're committed to finding solutions to this issue and assisting our viewers. This also helps to establish a context for all the pieces of content that we produce when we combine them to form a larger overall picture.

"If you want to attract people, you need to tell a genuine and interesting tale. Stories are a great medium to express your views, impress people and make a human connection with them." - Jeff Bullas

  Here are 6 ways to tell better stories when it comes to content marketing  

1. Make your audience become the hero.

This is the very first and most important secret to the art of storytelling in your company. You are not the hero, your customer is. If you focus on yourself and what's interesting to you the stories you tell will come off as "hype" and create the opposite effect. Instead of creating connections with your viewers, they will repel them.

That's not to say you should not tell stories about you. Sharing your stories is essential. But remember that your viewers will experience your tales as if they lived the stories. Make sure the content and experience are exactly what they need to hear.

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

You've got hundreds of stories to share What will you select? It is important to tell stories which be a hit with your viewers and are relevant to them right now. It is important to tell a story that will help people feel encouraged to move forward by working with them.

The buyer's experience is a useful framework to guide us in understanding the mental state of our customers as they're deciding whether or not to purchase from us. Buyer's Journey includes three fundamental steps: Knowing that, like and trust. Let's take a look at each:

Be aware: At this stage the audience you are targeting just has to know you exist even. They might not be aware of an issue that you are able to have to solve. The stories you tell here will need to convey the essence of the opportunity or problem which will entice them and encourage them to investigate quickly. They should be concise (your audience won't have much of a time to pay attention to your stories but) and offer either an emotional, or a practical benefit.

  3. Don't reinvent the wheel - utilize frameworks

For many of us, telling stories is not something we do naturally. We "tell stories" however there is a method for telling stories that really connects to your viewers. Without frameworks, you're having to create a new wheel each when you tell a story. Frame help us take fresh perspectives and take new routes of thought which help our minds to break free from the mental traps that we find ourselves in.

There are numerous models available. My favorite to tell stories that connect with your audience and spur action is the Crossroads Formula. It is the Crossroads Formula breaks up the phases of the Buyer's Journey into questions and then matches these questions with the various phases that comprise the Hero's Journey.

  4. Use to tell stories using images

Don't limit yourself to just one medium in your storytelling. When you're telling or writing your tales, it's possible to incorporate visuals to further enhance the emotional experience or message you want to convey.

Visuals are processed quicker by the brain, and they are stored longer than textual information or spoken words. Vision is the strongest sense we have and visual messages cut straight into our brains without us even realizing it. They are able to break up huge blocks of text and keep people reading and engaged. They're able to communicate concepts and feelings in a way that other forms of communication cant.

It doesn't require to have a Hollywood film budget to make it with visual storytelling. Consider Wait But Why? A blog written by Tim Urban with millions of fans ... It would seem that with that many followers they'd have enough money to create some amazing visuals, but this blog is filled with sketches that appear like the work of a teenager using paint programs dating back to 1996...

Here are a few simple methods to include images to your posts:

Screenshots accompanied by annotations: There is no need to spend a lot of money on layout here. Taking a screen shot along with some quick notes can increase the value of the concepts you communicate to visitors through the use of concrete examples to back up the content you write.

Charts and graphs -All you require for telling a great story is the line. Charts and graphs help you create visual representations of the data and create a visual story with the rise and fall of the information. Take a look at how Kurt Vonnegut (my favorite author) converts old stories into graphs that are simple.

Memes  Memes Memes are great as they use familiar concepts and characters and apply them to a new setting of our information. According to the mere-exposure result the majority of people choose ideas or images that are familiar to them rather than those that they haven't yet encountered.

Quote images -This is a quick and efficient way of adding some visuals to your content. Any time you add a quote from an influencer to support your ideas create an image of a quote. The person who you quoted look like a rockstar as well (which makes them more likely to spread the content)

  5. Set big goals

Don't rely on your past to find tales, but you can also create your own stories through setting high-level goals for your company.

Stories-driven goals, commonly referred to as the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) represent the impact that you'd like to create in the world through your work. The future you build day-to-day through the work you're doing.

There are several key benefits to using a BHAG:

• It is a great way to talk about your business -A large goal can be a powerful tool to spark conversation and curiosity when discussing your company.
• The HTML0 code creates something greater than yourself The result is something greater than yourself. By pursuing a bigger goal, you demonstrate that you're doing the work you do in a way that is more than profit, you're serving more than just profit. This allows you to enroll your followers in your goals and contribute to making the world better through collaboration together.
• The creates greater meaning for both you and your team - A BHAG isn't just about your customers, but your entire team. The team will get inspired by your mission that increases motivation and loyalty.

To create a BHAG, you need a measurable goal that's connected to your story. If you're able to measure it, communicate your accomplishments and also make it concrete. The goal should push you outside your familiar space. The thought of your goals can cause some anxiety and leave you wondering "how will I accomplish this?" This pushes your limits and spurs you to act.

For further information on how you can make the BHAG, check out: Storytelling Secret Weapons: How to Create A BHAG

  6. Develop your own "secret recipe"

Remember when you were young and your mom, grandmother or a significant other in your life would cook this special meal that you enjoyed. We'll call it "grandma's lasagna". It was a dish you loved so much that it made it impossible to enjoy anyone who else's lasagna. Let's be real, grandma didn't add anything too distinctive to her lasagna however, because of the emotional connection you had with her, the others' lasagnas were bland...

The ability to achieve the "grandma's lasagna" effect with your business by creating the concept of a "proprietary method". A proprietary process can be used to create an account of the process that helped you achieve a specific result.

Take a look at Brian Dean's Skyscraper Technique - There's nothing too distinctive about the aspects of this technique However, the word "Skyscraper" has become a standard language among SEO marketers.

Here are the most important aspects of a process that is proprietary:

1. It should be 3 steps3 steps are the best as it's easier to keep in mind and understand.
2. Show you're ordinary:It should point to your humanity as well and share the struggles and frustrations of the people you are promoting to.
3. Make yourself stand out:Though you can relate to your customers but you've also completed the work or discovered a trick that allows you to be uniquely qualified to solve the problem.
4. Let your heart shine toonnect your work with your own personal story or a an analogy that demonstrates how much you value finding a solution for this specific problem.

Another example: I take my clients through "The Scalable Storytelling Method":

• Discover - We look for fascinating aspects of your life.
• Definition - We are certain of how we wish for the story to be told.
• Delegate - As a creative team you can get help in with telling your story.

For additional examples and details about proprietary methods, check out: Storytelling Secret Weapons - - A Private Process.

  Engage your audience by telling better stories  

Stories can have a significant impact on the impact and efficiency of your strategy for marketing through content. It can inspire new ideas of what to create and give new meaning to your purpose that will motivate you to create even more. Be confident and open about being transparent and vulnerable, it helps create the emotional connections that your customers are looking for.

Beginning with the basics of your story and keep a careful watch at how the audience reacts to what you share. Make sure to practice and evaluate your story in normal conversations If it piques the listener's curiosity, try using it in your writing.

     What do you use to use storytelling in your writing? Tell me in the comments!  

Kyle Gray helps entrepreneurs create compelling stories for their business which drive growth, sales, and engagement. He has collaborated with hundreds of startups and small businesses to create effective and sustainable strategies for content marketing. His Book The Story Engine outlines his method of making the process of creating content marketing and brand storytelling easy and efficient.