You’ll probably know, unless you’ve been living under a rock that is, that brilliant content (not just any old content), is now critical for every brand that is seriously trying to engage its audience and ultimately grow its business. That’s why you hear so much about that term “content marketing”.

So given that there is now a broad acceptance that content is vitally important for every brand no matter what space it happens to be in, why is it that brand owners are still somewhat sceptical whenever they hear the word “storytelling”?

Perhaps it’s that the word ‘storytelling’ just sounds a little too playful and fun? Or it could it just be that many ‘grown ups’ still associate storytelling with fictional childhood fairy tales, and fail to recognise that stories are actually as old as the human race itself?

Seriously, think about it…

Neanderthals were telling stories through art over 40,000 years ago for the very purpose of communicating and connecting with their fellow beings. In addition, stories are something that we all grow up with from the time we’re born. And for what reason? To educate us, to move us, to make us laugh, to help us understand emotions, and simply to prepare us for the harsh world of being a grown up.

So don’t think of storytelling as some fancy new phenomenon that has suddenly emerged with the dawning of the content marketing era, because it’s anything but. It has been a part of the DNA of humans right back since the beginning of time.

Storytelling and your brand

Every single brand has a completely different story to tell. In fact, to stand out from the crowd, every brand simply must find its own unique story and then go and tell it beautifully.

And yes, I really do mean every brand, yours included.

So, if you’ve never actually sat down to really think about what your brand’s back-story is then now is the time. Because you know what? Not only do we as humans love great stories, we actively respond positively towards them simply because we love being made to feel good, we love things that put a smile on our faces, and we want positive forces in our lives.

The best brands often have inferior products

Funny isn’t it? Very often the best brands actually have inferior products to their competitors.
But that’s the whole point. The product is always secondary, despite what the consumer is led to believe:

What really sells a product is a brand’s ability to tug at the heartstrings of the consumer’s emotions, its ability to understand intimately the psychology of the human mind, and its ability to convey a unique personality (through great copywriting and tone of voice), making it impossible for them to resist its advances.

So don’t underestimate the power of storytelling: it is the essence of every great brand.

And just remember: nobody ever buys the product they think they are buying, all they are really buying is the story that surrounds it!