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7 Storytelling Strategies That Can Really

Move People Into Action

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/blog/7-

storytelling-tips-to-get-people-take-to-

action/)
Posted by Cameron Francis

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/author/admin/) on June 22, 2016

in Content Marketing

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/categories/content-

marketing/)


Shares Privacy - Terms
(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/7-

storytelling-strategies-that-can-really-move-people-into-action.jpg)

The internet is brimming with information, and people are too busy to read. So, how

can you keep your content strategy effective and make your marketing message rise

above the sea of content?

’
Information overload is one of the marketing problems faced by today s marketers

’
and entrepreneurs. If you re one of them, then you know how difficult it is to have

your content get noticed, read and digested by your target audience.

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/once-

upon-a-time.jpg)

However, by incorporating an effective storytelling strategy, you can convey a

message that is going to appeal to your consumers.

In fact, Ann Handley, chief content officer of MarketingProfs

(http://www.marketingprofs.com/authors/692/ann-handley), expressed in the book

Content Rules, the importance of having a bolder, braver and bigger content

marketing campaign with an emphasis on storytelling.

Why Storytelling Matters in Business?

You like to tell and share stories to your friends and family, right?

In business, stories are just as important. Through them, you can convey messages to

your customers and prospects.

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/friends-

sharing-stories.jpg)

Good and compelling stories surprise people.

They paint a mental picture.

’
If you don t have good stories to tell about your business, then how can you make

your brand appealing and memorable to your consumers?

’
Keep in mind that today s business marketing landscape has shifted, from being

brand-centric to being customer-centric

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/blog/need-know-audience-

fragmentation-part-2-segmentation-personalisation/).

Therefore, businesses should have to pay attention to their consumers. They must

address their needs and wants not only with the products they offer but also through

relevant high-quality content.

Businesses can only achieve this by telling a compelling story about their brand and

products.
(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/buy-

button.jpg)

Once you inject effective storytelling into your marketing strategy, your readers will

be coming back for more.

Why?

“Because ”
our brains value stories over anything else, said John Bates

(http://executivespeakingsuccess.com/about/), CEO of Executive Speaking Success

and Business Coaching in his Ted talk session.

Storytelling is, therefore, the best way to make an emotional connection with your

audience and get them reeled in.

Fundamental Structure of Storytelling

If a certain story hits you with something very interesting right from the start and

encourages you to ponder on it or take action, then that is a good story.

Storytelling is crucial in building sales relationship. It has 3 invaluable key purposes

which are:

To deliver information;
To persuade customers; and
To create a personal connection

To make your storytelling effective, you need to learn the fundamental structure for

crafting a perfect story. This fundamental narrative structure is called Freytag s’

pyramid (http://www.ohio.edu/people/hartleyg/ref/fiction/freytag.html), named

after Gustav Freytag, a German novelist.

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Freytags-

pyramid.jpg)

’
Freytag s concept follows a structure that is similar to a pyramid where the important

elements of storytelling are structured. This storytelling formula consists of

exposition as the first part of the narrative.

It is this part where the problem or conflict of the story is presented.

This is then followed by the rising action, the climax, and the falling action. The story

will then end with denouement where the solution to the problem is presented.

As a marketer, it is essential for you to learn the basics of storytelling and apply it to

your marketing campaign.

However, learning the basics is not enough. You also need to know how to make your

storytelling effective. That way, your marketing messages can cut through the noise

of information overload.

How Can You Make Storytelling Effective?

By now, you know why storytelling means so much for your business.

But what if you are not a good storyteller?

’
What if your stories don t get noticed by people?

Just relax and take it easy!

We have here a compilation of proven tips on how you can get your marketing

’
message appreciated and acted upon by people in today s saturated market.

1. Leverage the power of multimedia

You must embrace the reality that everybody loves multimedia.

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/power-of-

multimedia.jpg)

’
In fact, based on LookBookHQ s survey, press releases that contain multimedia

garnered a 77% higher response rate compared to those that are purely in text form.

Moreover, blog posts that include relevant videos got linked to 3 times more than

those containing pure text only.

This simply means that people are more visual these days.
Conveying your message through videos that stir up emotions is an effective way of

telling your product or brand story.

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/like-

share-and-download.jpg)

An old storytelling advice that says “Show, ’ ”

don t tell proves it truer than ever in

’
today s era of information overload.

This means that in addition to your uniquely written posts, you have to mix it with

other forms of high-quality content such as videos with compelling stories.

2. Make your story simple yet interesting

In the sea of information, it could be possible that your content can get lost in the

scene.

According to a survey, 79% of internet users just scan the content instead of reading

it word by word.

So, you have to keep in mind that people have a short attention span.

Be sure to create content that do not get skimmed. Create a title that has a strong

impact, and frame a story with information that you want your audience to know.

Additionally, make your brand or product story easy to understand and memorable.

Add value to your stories by understanding the reasons why people should buy your

products.

You have to be truthful about your products, brand or industry.

Keep the story short but consistent. Remember, no one wants to read long boring

stories.

3. Add a personal touch to your stories

’
You must be aware that people don t care about your marketing goal. Consumers

only want to know about your brand or product. To appeal to them and create an

emotional bond, use good stories that relate to their needs.

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/how-

storytelling-affects-the-brain.jpg)

People want personal stories of real people.

To market effectively to your audience, you must tell them beautiful stories that

make your offerings appealing to them.

This explains why adding a personal touch to your story is highly effective. The

library is the best place to find beautiful stories. There are many different kinds of

good stories that can give you the inspiration you need ‑ from fairy tales to heroic

tales.

Content with a personal touch can appeal to even the busiest person in the world. It

can move and entice people to read the whole story.

Hundreds of thousands of marketing messages are being hurled at online users on a

daily basis. And only those personal stories of real people can stand out in a

saturated market.

4. Attention-grabbing headlines can make a difference

’
If your target audience are busy professionals, don t expect them to click on your

long and boring headlines.

’
No matter how great your content is, they re likely to abandon your site the minute

they see your awful headline.

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/attention-

grabbing-headlines.jpg)

’
Busy people don t have time to find out whether you have valuable content. You

need to have catchy headlines that would drive them to do so.

Always make it a point to think of a head-turning headline for your marketing

message (https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/blog/harness-the-power-of-

micro-content-to-drive-traffic-and-

leads/https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/blog/key-hacks-for-increasing-

website-conversions/). This is one of the best ways you can do to avoid people

simply skimming over your content.

5. Keep your content intact

Along with the fact that millions of emails are being sent and 700,000 searches are

’
performed, as well as more than 60 hours of video are uploaded, it s possible that

your content could get lost in various places.

You can keep your content intact by packaging together the relevant aspects of your

marketing messages into a consistent narrative.

Remember, if your images, text, videos and other marketing materials got distributed

separately online, your content will have the tendency to get lost in cyberspace.

6. Create enticing characters

In brand or product storytelling, you will need to craft admirable characters that your

’
audience will like. You don t need to create brand mascots or formulate fictional

characters to tell good stories.

’
Although a brand mascot can be a great character to include in your story, it s not

’
necessary. You can either tell stories from your customers perspective or from your

’
employees point of view.

You can always effectively present your marketing messages and create stories in a

variety of ways.
Remember, what matters most is creating characters your audience can emotionally

’ ’
relate to as they ll follow your characters story arc or take part in the story you are

telling.

7. Consider using perpetual marketing tactics

You can make your content an ultimate page turner by incorporating the perpetual

marketing strategy.

In this style of marketing, your message feeds off the next.

For example, you can make use of “Watch This Space” in getting your audience

hooked on your Facebook page or website. Also, consider using teasers with

effective storytelling in marketing through email and social media sites such as

Facebook and Pinterest.

This style of marketing technique offers a huge opportunity to combine mobile and

offline marketing in your campaign. It leaves your audience coming back again and

again for more.

Final Thoughts

Compelling and effective storytelling can have a powerful effect on people s ’

attention and can stir up their thoughts and emotions.

(https://www.etrafficwebmarketing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/puzzle-

piece.jpg)

If your marketing narrative is well-told, it can resonate well with the right audience

including the busy people who only have a limited time to read.

There are many things you can do to deliver engaging stories that cut through the

’
noise in today s saturated market.

’
Remember, good stories will captivate your audience s attention. They can create

mental pictures that your audience will remember.

You may know of other useful tips for effective storytelling.

Or perhaps you want to share your experience on how effective storytelling has

helped you in your marketing effort.

You are welcome to tell your story below.

Cameron Francis

Co-Founder

Cameron Francis is the CoFounder & Managing Director of ETRAFFIC,

Melbourne's #1 Creative & Digital Marketing Agency. For over a decade

Cameron has been providing growth marketing and digital strategies for over

2,000 small businesses, start-ups & entrepreneurs around the country.

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 About Cameron Francis

Cameron Francis is the co-

founder of The eTraffic Group

which started as a 2 man start-

up from his lounge room, to a

50 person+, multi million dollar

company.

For over 10 years Cameron has

been providing growth hacking

and digital marketing strategies

for small businesses, start ups &

entrepreneurs. He helps

companies like Retreat

Caravans, Melbourne Real

Estate, and Roth Newton grow

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 "Cam has increased

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MegaSaw

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