Everybody loves a good story. In fact, storytelling is probably as ancient as mankind. Before there were movies, there were books and plays, and before that, there were some ancient dudes in Togas sitting around a fire and reciting epic poetry. But did you know that storytelling has more than just entertainment value? Storytelling can also be a crucial component of your business.
Advertising
From website design platforms to packaged sandwich meats, businesses are engaging potential clients and customers through the power of storytelling ranging from the comically whimsical to the serious and emotive.
With YouTube, companies are no longer confined by the thirty second boundary of a television commercial, and can create lengthier films that both entertain and portray the value of their product or service.
When potential customers or clients watch these stories unfold, they are hit with an emotional impact that lingers beyond the moment, creating a strong personal bond with the idea of that product or service, which could later translate into a sale, or even brand loyalty.
Presentations
Presentations are a great opportunity for fellow board members to be…well, bored. Employees and potential clients will also inevitably zone out of your presentation from time to time, because we all have a lot of things to think about on a daily basis. If you’re not such a great presenter, than unfortunately people will probably be checking out more often than usual.
How about spicing up your presentation with a story or two? Storytelling is a great way to open a presentation because it gets the audience hooked on what you’re saying. Furthermore, a story that illustrates your product or idea can often hit home with the precision of an arrow, because while people may resist new ideas or sales pitches, they can’t resist a story.
Business Analysis
The last area we’ll discuss where the power of storytelling comes to the fore is in your business analysis. Have you ever opened one of the financial reports that major companies hand out to stockholders? While there are loads of pages breaking down the numbers, the first section of a well crafted year-end report contains a lot of pictures and narratives about what the company is doing and plans to do. This corporate storytelling makes shareholders feel secure in their investment, and creates a definitive trajectory for the company.
As you see, storytelling is a useful craft that is applicable to advertising, presentations, and business analysis, just to name a few categories. What stories does your company have to share with the world?
