Brand storytelling affects customer purchasing decisions because a well-told story builds relationships with customers.
Storytelling has become a buzzword in B2C marketing. We’ve all seen advertisements that draw your attention and pull at your emotions—and they often work. Such ads shape your opinion of a brand, build brand loyalty and affect purchase decisions.
This type of marketing is proven to be equally as important in B2B marketing campaigns; 50% of B2B buyers are more likely to make a purchase if they connect to a brand on an emotional level, and B2B customers are significantly more emotionally connected to their vendors and service providers than B2C consumers.
Your Brand’s Story is Your Differentiator
Your brand story is what differentiates you from competitors offering the same products or services.
For example, say one of your clients is choosing between two food ingredient providers. If the two providers have similar solutions and similar marketing and sales tactics, the decision will be made based on the story associated with each company:
Provider A is a previous partner. They feel like an extension of the team and have proven to be able to communicate effectively. Plus, their brand is committed to sustainable practices that resonate with the client.
Provider B is a new, innovative contact. The sales team has been pushy in-person and over the phone, and hard to reach by email. They may be a sustainable option, but the client has yet to see the research and statistics to back it up.
In this scenario, Provider A has a leg up simply because the client likes them, and the company has a sustainability story they agree with. Both providers have the same product; it’s the context their story provides that makes the decision.
Make Your Story Compelling
As stated above, a brand story is what makes you different from competitors—so make it compelling.
Businesses can connect with their audience emotionally by sharing relatable, human stories and stats and research to support them. Make sure to deliver these stories in an engaging, memorable format. Brand storytelling can take many forms: blog posts, video content, infographics, case studies and more. Which format you choose should depend on what resonates best with your audience.
Your story needs to be compelling, but storytelling can be taken too far if brands aren’t careful. Be sure to keep your advertising:
- Relatable
- Transparent
- Believable
- Authentic to your products, employees and customers
Sharing the most outlandish, one-in-a-million customer success story may sound fun, but you need to consider the relatability and believability of the stories you share. In the B2B world, understandable, achievable facts and figures are key.
Customer Success Stories and Testimonials
One way to effectively build a relationship with potential customers is to share the successes of existing or past customers. Customer success stories paint a picture of success that makes prospective clients feel like they can reach the same success if they use your products or services.
You are not the only author of your brand’s story. Public perception and customer experience greatly influence your successes. In a survey by Medallia, 64% of people said they have avoided a brand because of a bad experience they had within the last year. Negative customer experience can ruin a brand, especially when shared publicly.
Embrace any positive testimonials, reviews and success stories you have in your marketing campaigns. Using their words to describe your team, products and services builds credibility, evokes positive emotion and strengthens brand loyalty.
If you’re yet to have success stories to share, that’s okay. There are plenty of other aspects of your brand’s story that you can control including your product itself, pricing, quality, advertisements, purpose, values and more.
Connect Employees to Customers
The last thing you want is for your brand to be a faceless corporation. Brand storytelling campaigns are often about creative narratives, showcasing a brand in more relatable, human contexts.
Embrace the literal faces of your company—your employees. Your people and the value they bring to your customers are one of your brand’s best assets. Interviews with your star employees, Q&As with your customer support team or simply using photos of your real team as opposed to stock images can go a long way. These added elements of humanity help your audience see your company as more than just a corporate entity—your brand is real people solving real problems.
If you’re looking to take your brand storytelling to the next level, the experts at ColinKurtis Advertising can craft strategic, emotion-evoking campaigns for your brand. View examples of our emotion-provoking work in the food and beverage, food ingredient and health and wellness industries here.
Contact Mitch Robinson at Mitch@colinkurtis.com or call 815-965-6657 EXT. 1 to learn how your brand can use storytelling to your advantage.
Blog post from:
Valette Piper-Bledsoe
Vice President, Client Services
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