Content Marketing Made Simple

Storytelling Makes Content Marketing Even Better

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Marketing with content is great. We talk about providing “useful content”, “answering questions” and “providing solutions”. Content does these things for consumers. These things are, in fact, the magical way that content generates leads and increases sales.

When you picture the kind of content that is “useful”, what comes to mind? A technical manual? An article about how something works, or tips for how to use that thing you need? Does this kind of content sound boring? Sure it does!

The only thing worse than boring content is useless content. Producing dry, boring material is probably the biggest newbie mistake that CM enthusiasts make. They are afraid to inject personality for fear of sounding unprofessional. They stick to the facts because they figure that’s what people want. In a sense, it’s the safe way to go.

If you’ve decided to go with content marketing as a long-term marketing strategy, here’s some advice: Go out on a limb. Give people what they really want. Be a storyteller.

A 2007 Vanderbilt University study found that people reacted more positively to content that is presented in the form of a story than to straightforward factual content. This makes sense. Since our days spent huddled around the campfire, telling (scary) stories or just relating our experiences with each other, we humans have been attracted to a good story. Information in story form is just plain more interesting.

Here’s the beginning of the storytelling version:

“Hey you wouldn’t believe what happened to me today! I was getting the paper off the driveway, and this crazy raccoon foaming at the mouth came at me, grabbed the paper and ran off with it!”

And the factual version:

“When retrieving a paper from your yard, be aware of your surroundings to avoid danger from wildlife. If you live near a wooded area and a source of water, raccoons and other disease-carrying small mammals may pose a threat to your personal safety.”

I don’t know about you, but the story kind of grabs me. I don’t even care how crazy it sounds! I still like it better!

Blogging is probably the best content vehicle for storytelling, and since you are undoubtedly either already blogging or planning on doing it, here are some starting points that will help get your storytelling juices flowing:

• A personal experience with the topic
• A case study that illustrates other people’s experiences
• Examples from history or even mythology
• Lessons learned, failures
• Success stories—either your own or those of others

There’s enough compelling evidence to suggest that storytelling makes anything you present to people more palatable. Even Seth Godin concludes in his book Meatball Sundae, “People just aren’t that good at remembering facts. When people do remember facts, it’s almost always in context.” Stories provide a context that makes your facts more believable and acceptable.

When you put your content into the context of stories, you are tapping into a primitive need for the campfire, where everyone gathers and shares experiences. Stories are as compelling to buyers as they were to cavemen who undoubtedly relied on them for survival.

So maybe you should be thinking about storytelling in terms of your survival. Are you engaging with customers, or just giving them the facts?