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How to use creative storytelling as a tool for your content management strategy
So, have you ever wondered how to go about creating a story for your brand or business? Do you want to know how to use creative storytelling as a tool for your business content management strategy?
I discovered storytelling as a power tool quite by accident. I was to launch a product in the Middle East that was targeted for the European Market. In Europe, this product was positioned as a warm drink to fight cold and flu during winter. In the Middle East, temperatures rise to over 500c in the summer and a comfortable 250c in winter (it’s a hot place). How do you sell such a product?
Get to know your ideal customer so well, you know their fears and needs more than them
The beauty of working for a blue-chip company is that they invest their resources in consumer research. So, I dug deep into all the qualitative research on the habits and attitudes of Middle East consumers. It was here that I found my link, the thread that I could use to weave a beautiful tapestry. I found out that it was cultural for people in the Middle East to have hot drinks made of lemon, ginger and honey when they have a cold or flu. Hurrah! Eureka! I was able to launch my hot drink in a hot climate, and it was perfectly natural. I had an authentic story to sell my product.
Creative storytelling is a powerful tool to use in your business
Creative storytelling for business is a powerful tool to use in your business, personal brand, and sales pitch. In a previous blog, I wrote how stories could peel back the layers for both the business owner and the ideal customer avatar.
Creative storytelling is about being able vulnerable.
Creative storytelling is about being able vulnerable. If you take a risk and share your vulnerability, your story will resonate with a fear or a need of your tribe. Something magical happens because you are authentic. Your ideal customer lets down their guard, and they allow your brand /business to become an extension of their identity.
The acronym ACRE is a framework to guide in your creative storytelling for your brands
Creative storytelling for business has the power to win you customers for life. I would like to share a framework by Glo Atanmo. Glo uses the acronym ACRE as a framework to guide her in her creative storytelling.
Let’s break down the A.C.R.E creative storytelling framework
A is for Authenticity
Let’s break down the A.C.R.E creative storytelling framework. A is for Authenticity. The story you tell about your brand or business must be genuine. It has to be your story and in your voice. Authentically share your story and hint at the transformation that you experienced. You can also share someone else’s story, but in the context that their story helped you create your brand /Business. I honestly think that if you are talking about your business story, it has to be about you.
Think of a story that is authentic to your struggle, your life and in your voice. Be genuine and original, be unique and most importantly, be you!
C stands for Confrontation
The next part of the acronym is C which stands for confrontation. As you develop your story, you have to come to the part where you address the proverbial elephant in the room. The problem that you faced, the mountain you climbed, the rain in your parade, the self-doubt … you get the picture.
Confrontation builds up tension in your story. It is like the crescendo in a symphony. At this point in the story, you introduce the problem that led to the transformation.
The R stands for the Revelation
Now that there is tension, everyone is holding their breath. You need to set your audience free. The R stands for the reveal. Here you give your solution to the struggle. If you were once overweight and authentically wanted to lose weight because you did not want to get sick or even better, you wanted to get healthy to live your best life. You had to confront the person who looked back at you in the mirror. It was as a result of the choices you had made, good or bad.
The revelation came when you realized that you could change today for a better tomorrow. You could make small but intentional changes that would compound significant changes.
E, which stands for Evolution
The final letter in the acronym is E, which stands for evolution. Evolution is the point in your creative storytelling that you share your new way of living. If you are selling a product, you highlight the benefits if you are now a personal trainer due to losing weight and keeping it off. You can sell your evolution as a product.
Show your acceptance of vulnerability, your progress, your transformation and evolution
You show your audience the results of confronting your problem and the revelation that change is possible, and the evolution to a life free from fear. Do you see how the ‘evolution’ is a powerful sales pitch?
The framework A.C.R.E, i.e., Authentic, Confrontation, revelation and evolution, is a potent way of crafting your business story, brand story or even a presentation for your mastermind’s webinars.
Stories are sticky
People remember stories because stories paint a mental picture. Mental pictures are sticky and hard to forget.
It’s time for you to create your brand story!
Take some time to develop your brand story. Think about the reason you started your business or brand. Did you go through an experience, and now you want to share with others how to overcome it? Have you researched a topic, like I did with the Habits and attitude of the Middle East consumers, and now you have seen a pattern to teach with confidence?
You have many stories that you can share. Remember to keep them relevant to what you want to sell or to your brand essence.
