When you hear a good story, you listen. The same elements of powerful storytelling that captivate us in our everyday lives benefit businesses and their brands.
In this white paper, NCM Fathom explores how business stories engage audiences, build loyalty and drive bottom line results. Learn how bold business brands like Kleenex and Siemens have shared their brand's story with clients, customers, employees and other key players using the optimum environment for storytelling, the cinema. These stories take a variety of forms, from mini-documentaries and dramatizations to variety shows and can be told live or pre-recorded to cinemas across the country. Storytelling is an effective tool for business in that it compels audiences to feel, change and take action.
The combination of a good story and the powerful cinema setting is proven to encourage higher attendance, command better audience attention, and in turn, increase message retention. The bottom line? Storytelling delivers results and today's businesses are looking for just that.
BOLD BRANDS DRIVE REVENUE WITH STORYTELLING
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS:Brian Schrack, Product ManagerNCM Fathom
Greg FlessingPresident, Fresh Air MediaINTRODUCTION
Business-to-business marketers are redefining the idea that "content is king." Yes, content is still critical. But today, successful brands are finding that the most powerful content tells a story.
All our lives we have learned from stories. As children, stories were read to us. As adolescents, we read stories to learn and imagine. As adults, we experience stories in a variety of media to escape and relax, be entertained, enhance our knowledge and better ourselves.
Marketers know that good stories can help build loyalty, solidify culture and solve problems, but the degree of success comes down to execution: telling the right stories, in the right way, in the right context.
"Brands are built around stories. And stories of identity - who we are, where we've come from - are the most effective stories of all. This [storytelling] is a powerful way to bring [brands] to life."
- Bill Dauphinais, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Source: Fast Company Magazine
2TELLING A GOOD STORY
The same elements that go into that novel you can't put down or the favorite movies you want to watch over and over again are also what make up an effective business or brand story. A good story is authentic and creative. It makes an emotional and personal connection with its audience. It inspires interaction. Consequently, good storytelling in business communications takes a different Good stories compel tone than the traditional "sell." It takes the audience on a journey with the brand. people to change . The way we feel. Stories demand an emotional investment. STORYTELLING, REVENUE & DRAMA: WHY IT WORKS . The way we think. Stories pique and Most companies are already using storytelling in the form of testimonials and hold interest. public relations outreach. Refocusing those stories to generate revenue is often . The way we act. simply a matter of repurposing and crafting existing content. Stories bring energy to the message. Storytelling works because it allows companies to dramatize their message, . The way we behave. creating an experience that resonates with target audiences, much like in a play Stories cause us to take action.or a movie. It puts audiences at ease and engages them with the human side of a brand, creating an emotional connection. It leads the audience to a desired action, whether that's altering behavior, changing lives, or spending money.
In short, good storytelling is effective because of what it is not - a dry data dump or intrusive "sell." Rather, it allows audiences to become immersed in the story and, ultimately, the brand.
3DRIVE THE AUDIENCE TO ACTION
The objective of any marketing communications message is to drive the audience to some sort of behavior change or action. The key to changing behavior is fourfold:
. Clarify your message. What do you want the consumer or audience to do? Are the message and the resulting targeted action crystal clear?
. Confirm why action is important. Why does your audience need to act? What benefit does it provide?
. Explain how you want the consumer to take this action. What steps does your audience need to take to complete this action?
. Confirm how the audience will know when they are acting out the changed behavior correctly and what is in it for them. What will be the audience's reward?
Crafting a message to include these fundamental elements, both creatively and subtly, is the key to ensuring that the audience does not feel sold, but instead is lead down a storyline path that arrives at the destination, or desired action. Using a dramatic curve will help translate an effective marketing message into a business story that resonates with its audience.
Source: Adapted from The International Society for Performance Improvement HPT model, Fundamentals of Performance Technology, Second Edition
4START CRAFTING YOUR STORY AT THE END
Traditional stories include a beginning, middle and end. Compelling business stories are also constructed linearly. But, unlike purely entertaining or informative stories, these stories add one more element to the structure - a call to action. This is what is unique to st... [download for more]
