Storytelling That Makes Millions
So, it’s 2024. We know social media channels are always fluctuating, but there’s a big change that’s been brewing for the last few years and it’s about to hit its full fruition.
And it’s simply the fastest way to build trust and rapport in your paid marketing.
It’s the least sleazy, most “good vibes” approach to positioning your business.
It brings consistency to your organic social media, and the exact kind of predictability in your brand that every business unquestionably needs to scale.
And what’s this secret sauce I’m talking about?
Storytelling
Humans notice and remember stories FAR more than they remember facts or statistics. It’s been this way for hundreds of thousands of years, and it’s not changing any time soon.
Done is the age of hyper-curated content, perfectly aesthetically designed visuals, and video content shot and edited with expensive gear and software.
Authentic content screams over the noise in the newsfeed — it’s a refreshing alternative to endless “how-to” content and impersonal professional videos.
If you haven’t noticed it already, unedited, uncurated content is HOT these days. It works for organic social media and it works for ads, too.
My clients are often surprised by this.
So I wanted to take a moment here to explain just why storytelling is so powerful in marketing (and why I didn’t make this up).
1. Storytelling Is Human
Storytelling is as human as it gets. We’ve been telling stories for thousands of years, and it’s ingrained in our DNA to be drawn to them. It’s the same structure that keeps you reading a great book or binging a TV series.
Writing and sharing stories is one of the oldest human activities. We’ve been doing it for around 36,000 years (as far as we know), and it hasn’t gone anywhere in the modern world.
We cannot help but be drawn in by a great story.
Think about how stories are formed:
The opening/context/hook
Something goes terribly wrong
Resolution/happy ending
A bulk of what makes up good copywriting is to get the reader to read the first line, then the second, then the third, and so on.
A high-converting funnel will take viewers through a journey of discovery, trust building, and helping them to see that the solution you’re selling is the resolution to their story.
Good marketing and good stories share the exact same goal: to get you hooked and to stick around for the ending.
2. Ads That Don’t Feel Like Ads
The magic of storytelling in the context of paid ads, email marketing, and funnels is that taking a story-based approach immediately catapults your ads out of the realm of “ew, I’m being sold to,” to genuine, authentic curiosity.
Let’s put it this way. We’ve all seen a billion ads in the newsfeed at this point, and we’re much more aware that we’re being sold to — especially compared to, say, a decade ago.
Here’s the caveat: not just any old story will work.
Your brand story should be authentic and true, and also relate to what you're selling.
That’s where being customer-focused comes in.
The story you position your brand around has to be crafted with the deepest level of understanding of your target audience.
Many times, this really isn’t that difficult, as you yourself as the business owner have often been exactly where your target audience is currently at, and the solution you’re selling is the exact solution that helped you transform your life.
3. Storytelling Builds Relationships With Potential Customers
Possibly one of the biggest traps I see business owners fall into with their marketing is to focus too much on how awesome their stuff is, and totally forget about why a potential customer should even care.
You often have to step out of your own shoes and see your business through the lens of a total stranger.
Why should someone care about what you’re selling? What’s in it for them?
I always like to apply the “so” rule. For every statement you make about the stuff you’re selling, add “so” to the end and see if you can fill in the blank.
Example:
“Highest Quality Carpet Cleaning”
….soooooo, what?
“Highest Quality Carpet Cleaning So You Don’t Have To Feel Embarrassed About Your Nasty Carpet When Your Mom Comes Over”
Just being silly here. (:
Many businesses just state what they do without also speaking up about what makes them different, what makes them unique, and why should people even care.
Don’t just state what you do and call it a day. If you can’t articulate why someone should buy your stuff and what’s in it for the customer, you likely need to do some work on your offer.
4. Storytelling Requires You To Refine Your Offer
Allow me a quick detour from talking about storytelling to make a point.
Your offer itself is the most crucial part of having successful marketing. Not even the best copywriting, the best graphic design, the sleekest website, or the highest budget can fix a bad offer.
What do I mean by your offer? Your offer is essentially the transformation your very specific target avatar is buying from you.
Remember: people don’t buy stuff, they buy transformation. They buy a different life.
The slightly crude line my mentor has taught me is that “you can’t roll poop in glitter and expect it to sell.”
Now more than ever in the age of constantly being bombarded by content, your offer itself needs to be compelling.
For the purposes of putting together marketing assets for Facebook and Instagram ads, I like to think of the offer in two parts: the transformation the customer is buying, and the special hook to get them to act now.
Your offer is what you’re selling. The hook to get customers to act now might be a free download, a free training, 20% off, a bonus, a free consultation, etc.
Okay, back to storytelling…
The reason your offer is so crucial to have refined in order to have a high-converting brand story is that the final part of your story, the resolution, has to position your offer as the beginning of the resolution for your client.
I know that’s a lot, but chew on that for a bit and it all starts to come together!
5. Key Takeaways For Crafting Your Brand Story
Key takeaways:
Refine your offer
Know your target audience backwards and forwards
Always bring it back to, “why does this matter to the person I’m selling to?"
Be authentic and genuine — it speaks volumes online
If you’re looking to improve your marketing skills for social media ads, be a conscious consumer when you’re scrolling in the newsfeed and take notice of story-based ads that most definitely will catch your eye.
