The secrets of Storytelling that every Industrial Brand must know

The importance of storytelling

We all know how important storytelling is in any business, especially for marketing, sales, and branding. Stories can engage, improve understanding, make new offerings relevant, and make us all feel something that compels us to act.

Storytelling can also help us introduce future innovations and plans. Great stories can help guide employees, customers, partners, and key stakeholders through long-term changes.

Many industrial brands still focus on who they are, what they do, and how they do it. They lack the key ingredient in their storytelling. Their guiding purpose is missing. Their “why” is not mentioned. Big mistake!

Here are four secrets to help you employ storytelling for your brand:

1. Structure

With every story, there’s always a beginning, when an idea is formed and gains support; a middle, when a team must persevere to make their vision come alive; and an end, when the idea either fails or succeeds. Structuring your story is critical to ensure the key message resonates and the connection is made with your audience.

Explore your uniqueness as an industrial brand and create a story that will be remembered.

2. Know Your Audience

Your audience is human. They have their own set of challenges, ambitions, and feelings. Take a close look at your audience and listen to understand where they are coming from. Ask questions and learn more about them to better connect with your storytelling. Linking your story to theirs will make for a super-powerful connection.

3. Use Powerful Visuals

Great visual design, photography, and videography, coupled with a compelling message will definitely appeal to your audience. This will accelerate the relevance of your key message in the hearts and minds of your people, customers, and key stakeholders.

4. Make It Personal

Make it about them, not you. Similar to any form of marketing, the more you involve your audience the deeper your connection will be. So take a step back and assess where you are in your own story and marketing efforts. Listen to your audience to better understand their experiences and craft stories (and marketing content) that will be meaningful to them.

The Final Word

These four essential secrets of storytelling will help you differentiate your industrial brand with real purpose, not puffery. Always remember with your storytelling and marketing efforts – your audience is the “hero” – that way, it will become their story, not yours.

Related: Communicate your Brand Promise

Download: Brand Activation Guide

INDUSTRIAL BRAND ACTIVATION GUIDE

Learn how to activate your brand, increase brand awareness and engagement levels. You’ll need to consider 5 key questions to be customer driven, enhance customer experience and set your brand up to win for the long-term. It’s the brands that challenge, create change and have the ability to inspire the people around them who will win with their Brand Activation Strategy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Peter Zafiris is an industrial marketer and founder of Industrial Ideas. Having built his experience in B2B marketing from the ground up, Peter understands what it takes to succeed with your marketing strategy. All client projects are personally managed by Peter to help industrials like you get the return on investment you deserve. Peter and team, work hard to become an extension of your business, to help you get the most out of your marketing efforts. Get your free 30 minute marketing consultation to learn more.