One of the most surreal aspects of recovering from a global pandemic is that everything feels somewhat the same, yet life has changed quite dramatically, when one looks deeper. From being honest about when one struggles to the seemingly-endless hand sanitizing, there are many ways in which society has adjusted to a new normal, and digital marketing in Tampa must follow suit.
Storytelling has acted as an integral tool in spreading information about meaningful information since antiquity. Its ability to harness and hold the reader is a strategy that not enough direct mail services in Tampa use. Stories are an effective way to learn from others’ experiences, teach, influence, inspire, and, most importantly, drive action.
Storytelling can be used everywhere and is not just exclusive to the pages of a brochure. The creative ways to include a storytelling element are infinite through social media platforms, websites, and traditional paper advertising collateral. Information can be shared at lightning speed, which means setting the stage properly with a thoughtfully prepared design that compliments the story’s spirit is essential.
Storytelling in Advertising: a Brief Guideline
Stories are the easiest way to connect with another person, and when stories are used in advertising, they capture the customer’s attention and keep them engaged. Most importantly, stories inspire people off the couch, drive action, and ultimately increase profit. What are the best ways to use storytelling in marketing?
● Not an average children’s book: The term storytelling doesn’t necessarily just mean telling a children’s story about a big bad wolf. Stories are everywhere, and customers want to hear them.
A story can include how a product is invented or produced. Stories can be about the team that makes the product or about the founder. People are always at the center of good narratives.
● Can’t forget the kernel: the idea is, any story needs to have a crux, a point, or a kernel. Perhaps an employee was significantly down and out, offered a job with a small business, and it became their passion. A story about a particular product that alleviated great suffering in a special-needs customer would also be suitable.
● Lean into love: using storytelling in direct mail remarketing in Tampa calls for uplifting tales that warm the heart and inspire hope. Sometimes a sad story is appropriate, but remember to keep the tone uplifting ultimately.
● Keep it short and concise: while there may be glorious, intricate details to weave a tale of wondrous enchantment, see what was done right there? Forget the five-dollar word and go for something short and clear. Keep digital marketing mailers in Tampa light and easy to understand.
The Characteristics of What Makes a Good Story for Advertising
Everybody’s definition of what makes a good story is different. However, when employed, there are a few key characteristics that help make a story sizzle, which ultimately is the purpose of storytelling in advertising. Stories must be:
● Easy to understand: complicated nuances and deeply seated symbolism don’t belong here.When using storytelling to make digital marketing mailers in Tampa engaging, language should be accessible to a child in grade three.
● Relatable: people share stories and information when it resonates with them. While all the elements may not necessarily be relatable, the core story should. The stories of everyday people will always resonate.
● Inclusive: ditch the cookie-cutter and look to tell people’s stories in a way that reaches beyond stereotypes. When a message resonates, it’s because it’s relatable, and when a reader can see themself in that message, the power it has in advertising is remarkable.
● Valid: whipping up extraordinary tales of heroic team members in a moment of crisis is an easy way to build distrust with customers. Should they ever find out, the resulting rejection of a brand can be brutal, if not impossible, to bounce back from. Storytelling must be honest.
● Inspiring: inspiration can drive action like few other emotions. Reading a sweet little feel-good story within digital marketing mailers in Tampa resonates with people. Sometimes, the stories are so good; people share them. Hello, viral status!
Storytelling to sell: why it works
We all love a story that’s equivalent to grandma’s chicken soup, warm, easy, and always pleasurable, stories are also used to sell. And it works, well.
Storytelling in advertising:
● Often doubles or even triples conversion rates: have double the people visit a website prompted by direct mail services in Tampa and purchase something from that website.
● Activates the brain: stories are integral to human life, and in response, the human brain always notices and reacts to storytelling over nearly every other mode of communication.
● Feels less like advertising: even when it’s done well, most people look upon advertising as a bit of a nuisance. Add a story into the mix, and it makes the advertising message resonate, making it the opposite of a problem and ultimately a driver of conversion rates.
● Provides the necessary human element: the pandemic stripped away a lot of the fluff and pretense, so the public aches for real stories driven by actual people.
● It’s tough to beat a good story: even if competitors try, a good story is hard to top. Especially stellar storytelling in advertising can stick in people’s minds forever.
● Gives consumers solutions: successful storytelling with advertising leads the viewers’ eyes from the content that solves the branding problem, linking the two in the most effective fashion.
Storytelling can be light, funny, engaging, captivating, intriguing, and even educational. When combined with the power of digital marketing in Tampa, the possibilities are endless. The most effective storytelling tactics in advertising will always be storytelling that is authentic, concise, easy to understand, and inspiring.