How Important Is It To Master The Art Of Storytelling

  “Be specific enough to be believable and universal enough to be relevant."

Ann Handley The beauty of existence lies in the fables we carry over and humans have always been known for their love of stories. Time and again, we've been creating them, sharing them and passing them on for as long as our species have existed. While the truth is an important tool for progress, nothing holds the candle to the power of a good story. Stories have the ability to transport us to another world, they help us explain complex ideas and most importantly, they give us a way to emotionally connect with each other. Stories are an indefinite sign of human creativity, something that cannot be denied through the annals of time. Most importantly, stories help sell dreams, aspirations, and life as in general.   Today, the way brands convey their stories has changed to accommodate the changing needs of consumers. Ours connect to brand stories that reflect upon the growth of our intellect and the lineage we carry forward.   

Storytelling is no longer successful simply through advertising or journalists producing unending, mindless, mass-populated articles; a brand’s narrative can be told just as effectively through social media and crowd-sourced content, decreasing the need for long diatribes into the “brand-made” world. We hear and tell stories every day and it is solely through Public Relations (PR), effective brand storytelling leaves its mark.   It is an open secret that PR is different from advertising and so, PR stories call for different techniques. The material pitched needs to have its own voice; it must be interesting enough to merit inclusion in a publication and must come with a bite, fascinating readers and PR industry players alike. So instead of broadcasting information, the Importance of PR storytelling lies in its ability to engage and educate our audiences, while glibly completing an important task- generating awareness.  

PR storytelling provides a stellar way of packaging information, depending upon the need to put it into a context that is accessible. Questions such as how the need for something came about, problems it might solve, any new technology it uses, can be satisfied through a deliciously crafted tale. A story educates the reader about a gap in the market and how it can be filled or an industry problem, something that can fascinate audiences into an altered state of existence. It demonstrates what is relevant and unique and puts it into a narrative that is both, interesting and easily digestible.   The finest stories tap into people’s emotions, creating a genuine connection between the audience and brand value. The marketers who can paint such vivid pictures and create personal relationships are well on the way to establishing long-term brand loyalty. A marketer/brand is a spider- it keeps the audience (fly) hooked to the web through exquisitely crafted stories ( the sticky substance).

The consumer is convinced by the brand, aiding in selling the required product/services through recognition and mutual connect. Ultimately a brand’s story is the foundation on which a future growth strategy is built. The key to a growth strategy masterstroke can only be realized if the heart remains in the right place- to enthrall through an exquisitely drawn-out tale. After all, every story has a happy ending.  

TAGS:  PR Trends, PR Inbound Marketing