Involving storytelling for B2B
Every day, b2b business employees receive many emails, 90% of which are sent to the Deleted Items folder. The key to maintaining communication with the audience in marketing noise is storytelling.
Many mistake b2b marketers as robots that make decisions and are only set to achieve their business goals. This is the wrong approach. It is necessary to use the “Man to Man” method, because it is the person who makes the final choice for the company, very often guided by his emotions. Based on this, storytelling is an effective assistant for decision making. Benefits of storytelling for B2B
1. Personalize
People do not like to read abstract texts. Tell the story on behalf of the person, indicating his name and surname. Such stories always cause empathy, that is, empathy.
Make the storyteller as close as possible to your customers, with the same problems and worries. This approach is ideal for an advertising company, where the protagonist will talk about a product or service by answering customer questions. Below is a striking example of a newsletter where the story is kept on behalf of a cat that was saved by Vokra. He encourages animal lovers to donate money to develop the organization.
2. Make a scenario for solving the problem.
Take the fears, doubts and insecurities of your customers as a basis, and show them how your product can solve these problems.
For example, a dermatologist in his video appeal shared with users the causes of acne and methods to eliminate it.
3. Use the data.
The highlight of your story can be clear data. They are aimed at customers with rational thinking and will be an additional argument to purchase your product.
Which of these examples sounds more convincing to you: "Security breaches are a serious problem for enterprises today." Or “Do you know that 60% of security breaches occur in enterprises?”
In the second example, there is the so-called “logical attractiveness”, there is a fact that will affect the decision to purchase.
4. Organize an exciting journey for readers
Tell the story of your brand so that the reader has the impression that he has come this way with you. If your company is developing new technologies, then add an excursion into history and short stories about the evolution of technology in this “trip”. Train them!
Vivid examples of stories of companies for sewing women's clothing “Nasty Gal” and the production of energy bars “Clif”:
5. Gamification
After reading each story, ask readers easy questions on the content and give points for answers. When the client collects a certain number of points, give comic medals, for example, “Experienced reader” and talk about his achievements on the site. This will encourage you to read more stories and increase your metrics.
Create interactive videos or games, develop the gaming thinking of subscribers that will help them in solving problems.
Range Rover has developed a story-based game. And at Mercedes-Benz you can see the interior of the car with a detailed story about the characteristics that accompanies the video.
6. Break the rules.
As the famous writer and playwright Bernard Shaw said, “The Golden Rule is that there are no rules.” Of course, there are certain recommendations on how and what to write, but experiments are always welcome. Do not be afraid to do something of your own, unlike anything and to deviate from the rules. Perhaps it is with this approach that your brand will become known all over the world!
For example, the pharmaceutical and cosmetic company “Splat” has gone beyond the scope of its specialization and has made a newsletter about relaxation. These are good advice for modern readers, since we are often in a rather fussy environment and stress.
Take advantage of our storytelling tips and create your own exciting story now. Hurry up, while this method has not been used by competitors!
Many mistake b2b marketers as robots that make decisions and are only set to achieve their business goals. This is the wrong approach. It is necessary to use the “Man to Man” method, because it is the person who makes the final choice for the company, very often guided by his emotions. Based on this, storytelling is an effective assistant for decision making. Benefits of storytelling for B2B
- Causes chemical reactions in the body. Despite the huge number of diverse stories, they have one thing in common - they all cause us emotions. And human emotions arise as a result of chemical reactions in the body. Neuroeconomist Paul Zack conducted a study which revealed that dramatic stories activate cartisol due to stress, and oxytocin due to empathy.
- A new customer engagement tool that helps build strong relationships.
- It arouses interest in discarding facts and technical details, of which there are so many in B2B. A vivid story will catch the reader’s perception without requiring facts.
- Improves reading statistics for emails . The mere mention of history in the subject line of a letter will immediately increase openness. Subscribers have already formed certain psychological filters that protect them from the huge flow of emails. Storytelling will easily bypass existing filters, as it is a novelty of email marketing.
How to write an engaging story?
Storytelling formula: Idea + Hero + Projection + Structure + Connectivity + Style
- At the heart of every story is an idea .
- The hero is the driving force of history.
- The projection should be close to the real world. It should identify problems and show various ways to solve them.
- History should evolve according to a predetermined structure . Readers and viewers expect events to develop according to a certain pattern, and you must lead them through your story in accordance with their expectations.
- Structure alone is not enough to create an exciting story. You need to be able to correctly connect all the elements into a single product.
- The style of your presentation affects the perception of the story. It creates a general mood, and in the course of history it can change.
Our recommendations for writing an engaging story
1. Personalize
People do not like to read abstract texts. Tell the story on behalf of the person, indicating his name and surname. Such stories always cause empathy, that is, empathy.
Make the storyteller as close as possible to your customers, with the same problems and worries. This approach is ideal for an advertising company, where the protagonist will talk about a product or service by answering customer questions. Below is a striking example of a newsletter where the story is kept on behalf of a cat that was saved by Vokra. He encourages animal lovers to donate money to develop the organization.
2. Make a scenario for solving the problem.
Take the fears, doubts and insecurities of your customers as a basis, and show them how your product can solve these problems.
For example, a dermatologist in his video appeal shared with users the causes of acne and methods to eliminate it.
3. Use the data.
The highlight of your story can be clear data. They are aimed at customers with rational thinking and will be an additional argument to purchase your product.
Which of these examples sounds more convincing to you: "Security breaches are a serious problem for enterprises today." Or “Do you know that 60% of security breaches occur in enterprises?”
In the second example, there is the so-called “logical attractiveness”, there is a fact that will affect the decision to purchase.
4. Organize an exciting journey for readers
Tell the story of your brand so that the reader has the impression that he has come this way with you. If your company is developing new technologies, then add an excursion into history and short stories about the evolution of technology in this “trip”. Train them!
Vivid examples of stories of companies for sewing women's clothing “Nasty Gal” and the production of energy bars “Clif”:
5. Gamification
After reading each story, ask readers easy questions on the content and give points for answers. When the client collects a certain number of points, give comic medals, for example, “Experienced reader” and talk about his achievements on the site. This will encourage you to read more stories and increase your metrics.
Create interactive videos or games, develop the gaming thinking of subscribers that will help them in solving problems.
Range Rover has developed a story-based game. And at Mercedes-Benz you can see the interior of the car with a detailed story about the characteristics that accompanies the video.
6. Break the rules.
As the famous writer and playwright Bernard Shaw said, “The Golden Rule is that there are no rules.” Of course, there are certain recommendations on how and what to write, but experiments are always welcome. Do not be afraid to do something of your own, unlike anything and to deviate from the rules. Perhaps it is with this approach that your brand will become known all over the world!
For example, the pharmaceutical and cosmetic company “Splat” has gone beyond the scope of its specialization and has made a newsletter about relaxation. These are good advice for modern readers, since we are often in a rather fussy environment and stress.
Take advantage of our storytelling tips and create your own exciting story now. Hurry up, while this method has not been used by competitors!