Getting and keeping your potential customers interested means telling them a great story. For businesses, storytelling doesn’t revolve just around what you say but also what you do. And you need to be telling your story across many different platforms, both online and off, to audiences with very different interests. In short, small businesses, especially, must learn the art of telling a compelling story
Some say that the framework for effective business storytelling consists of two activities: (1) Deciding on your message; and (2) continually testing, tweaking, building on it and adapting it to changing circumstances.
Figuring out your story depends on a clear and in-depth understanding of your business: Where it’s been, where it is today and where it’s going, but also all the values, beliefs and philosophical nuances that are part of it. The real trick: Making it interesting, relevant and “captivating” to people who have nothing to do with your business!
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of having to construct your business story and make it interesting, don’t be. Start by reviewing what you already know about your customers and finding points of connection—in other words, things that resonate with them. And remember, great stories always elicit emotion—even (or maybe especially) in business.
Creating emotional connection means showing, not just telling. Fill your story with imagery and colorful adjectives to stimulate your audience and get their imaginations working. At the same time, you must keep it real and keep it short.
Storytelling is a combination of art and science. There are tools that can help with the more technical side, including sites like Mashable and Copyblogger, which have more information than you’ll ever need. The art side is a bit more difficult and nuanced, experts say, because it means becoming a connoisseur of compelling narratives. Do you regularly listen to NPR or TED talks (just two examples)? Books, TV, movies, podcasts? If not, start now. And pay attention to how the stories unfold to draw you in.
Your storytelling must be backed up with the very real actions of your business. This is the “what you do” part that goes hand in hand with “what you say.” If your story is one of imagination and tapping into far-off cultures, the products you offer should tie in and reflect these characteristics somehow.
Testing your story means sharing it with everyone you can think of, getting honest feedback and incorporating that feedback to make it better, more engaging and resonant. You need to do this pretty much on an ongoing basis, through every touch point of your business, so that it is actually woven into your customer/user experience. This process takes you closer and closer to achieving lasting connections with your customers. And don’t forget employees. They need to internalize the business story, so that it becomes their mantra, the underpinning for the way they approach every part of their jobs.
In these ways, your story becomes your brand. It becomes the heart of your business, the reasons behind—and for—everything you do.
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