Importance of Storytelling in Digital Marketing

Listening or reading stories is something that we grew up with and our penchant for interesting stories continues throughout our lives. Marketers are aware of this human inclination, which is why storytelling has often been the launchpad for many successful brands. Even in today’s age of digital marketing, storytelling remains to be a prominent tool to woo customers. Let’s take a look at how storytelling has become an integral component of digital marketing initiatives.

Strong emotional bonds: Why do some people buy iPhone and others Samsung, even though there’s not much difference in the level of features and functionalities? Well, it’s simply because humans are often emotionally connected to a particular brand. It’s not just about the cost or the value-add, but a customer’s preference is also based on the emotions they share in relation to a particular brand. Storytelling fits perfectly in this space, as it helps forge strong emotional bonds between brands and customers.

Directly impacts sales: In a recent study, it has been revealed that storytelling has the maximum impact on sales. Storytelling scored higher in comparison to all other digital marketing initiatives. The researchers found that storytelling helped build trust, which was substantially more than other promotional strategies such as hiring a top celebrity to endorse a brand. Even huge discounts and freebies failed to build the level of trust that was achieved through storytelling. The high level of trust naturally translated into increased sales.

Make data attractive: It’s an important objective for marketers to communicate data and information about a brand to the target audience. However, data in itself may fail to excite customers, even when it may be interesting. Storytelling can help, as it can easily make data more palatable for the target audience.For example, just mentioning a 65-inch wide-screen television may not have as much impact as a short, crisp description about how a 65-inch screen would be a great opportunity to invite friends for a grand night of IPL matches.

Customer’s attention: Storytelling is an easy way to get the attention of the target audience. Scientific studies have revealed that humans are completely engrossed when they are listening to or reading an interesting story. Brands can capture this moment to form new perceptions or to fortify existing ones. This approach is very useful, especially in today’s digital age that has also been humorouslyreferred to as the age of distraction.

When embedding stories in digital marketing initiatives, it is important to be realistic and honest. Storytelling should aim at building trust among the target audience, so that they would find it easier to choose in favor of a particular brand.