Marketing is getting more difficult by the day; amidst the content marketing buzz, audiences are drowning in content as marketers and brands try to establish authority and credibility through frequent content publication. Consequently, people are beginning to ignore content that isn’t absolutely top-notch, just as they do with TV advertisements. It’s leading to lower ROI and increasing frustration for marketers.

Calgary, AB -- (ReleaseWire) -- 07/02/2014 --The problem is that too many marketers aren’t moving forward; they’re sticking to what they know. The fact is, marketing strategies must be continually refined in order to succeed, and a great way of doing this is by telling a story within marketing strategy.

What is Storytelling?

In marketing, storytelling is used to create an emotional investment. Commonly used in video marketing on television, the goal is to make the viewer pay attention to the story, rather than the product. As such, the product itself is passively sold to the viewer.

Let’s examine a couple examples.

In the US, the new Ford Focus was marketed by giving a camera to test drivers who would film themselves driving around the streets. The authenticity has been questioned, but the campaign successfully integrated multiple individual stories that delve into the lives of people using the product.

It happens across the world. In the UK, one of the most prominent examples is BT Broadband. BT invented a family; it started with a husband and wife, and over the years they had children, got divorced, were remarried, and then the story moved to the perspective of their (now) grown-up teenage son and his roommates at a university. This story lasted for about a decade, and it continues today.

In both of these examples, the product was present, but it was never marketed directly. This is exactly what the companies intended.

Storytelling is effective because it has existed throughout history; throughout time, people have enjoyed stories. In the article ‘The Psychological Power of Storytelling’, author Pamela Rutledge explains that stories are powerful because they tap into authentic human experience; something many corporate advertising videos don’t do.

Why Storytelling is Such an Effective Marketing Strategy

To understand why storytelling works so well, we have to look at why most forms of advertising fail to connect with readers. As the article ‘How to Use Storytelling to Cut through the B2B Content Clutter’ explains, there are 700,000 Google searches every 60 seconds, 5.3 trillion ads shown every year, and consumers process over 100,000 words every day.

It’s a matter of numbers; we can’t pay attention to absolutely everything. In fact, our brains just ignore most of it. We have, as a result, become accustomed to skimming rather than reading.

Here are some of the reasons why storytelling is such an effective strategy for marketing:

It cuts through the clutter by being different. Our minds only truly pay attention to advertisements when they offer something different. Stories are always different and they distance themselves from standard advertisements.

Stories connect with authentic human experiences. They’re capable of connecting with us on a level standard marketing campaigns can’t.

Stories don’t have to have a conclusive ending. Customers who enjoy the stories one tell will want to find out what happens next, building excitement, energy, and anticipation.

Show, don’t tell. Companies claim they understand the problems of customers, but saying so doesn’t accomplish anything. Through a story, you’re applying the claims to the real world. Masterful storytelling will show the viewer/reader that the company understands the problem and how their product solves it. This is why visual content is so effective in social media.

Storytelling enables companies to show how their products solve problems. They don’t scream about the benefits; they subtly illustrate them, allowing the viewer to draw their own conclusions.

We can do it through multimedia. There are no limits to how one can tell a story and where one can tell this story. It can appeal to any audience of any age, which makes it one of the few universally effective marketing tools.

The Importance of Telling a Story through Multimedia

To make the story work, one has to tell it through multiple forms of media. If we only tell it through a video or a book, we could be leaving out a significant portion of the audience.

Why is this the case?

Consider how people learn. Millions of research dollars have been spent on understanding educational habits. Some people learn best by reading, others by listening, and others by viewing. It’s the same with marketing; people respond to different forms of marketing, and different types of media.

This is why your story should come in multiple formats; audio content, images, and written content.

“Video creates a much more engaging customer experience, which improves conversions and retention,” West finishes.

About Calgary Promotional Videos
Video is the ability to tell a story, and when done, that story comes alive. We want to understand what is unique about the, and communicate it in such a way that the story engages the audience and draws them in to the world. Whether that be the beauty and emotion of a wedding, or telling the employees about the corporate culture; all can be done in such a way that allows what is unique about the to be communicated well. That is what we do for them. http://www.harderbrothersproductions.tv/