This article will help you to understand how Digital storytelling can optimize your brand’s sales. If you want to MAKE A SELL BY TELLING A STORY, keep reading !

What is Digital Storytelling ?

Digital Storytelling is the inclusion of specific narratives within online visuals and videos. The purpose of it is to get audiences’ attention and to turn them into loyal customers. In this digital era, the flood of information and ads has been making the reach of a target audience even more challenging. Finding an impactful way to get people’s attention online became prominent for marketers. In fact, retention of information is only 10% from data and statistics, but jumps to 70% through stories. Today, storytelling is the golden strategy in any marketing campaign.

How can Digital Storytelling drive long-term sales?

By connecting emotionally with customers

” The Human mind is a story processor, not a logic processor “

Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist

Storytelling increases the levels of Oxytocin, a hormone that promotes the feeling of love, bonding and well-being. Marketers can use storytelling to bond deeply and happily with their customers. How? By putting their customers’ interest at the center of their story.  

Indeed, brand storytelling – imitating the hero’s journey – starts with empathy towards the target customer, tackle the pain points, and shows the customer how the product can satisfy their need.

By recognizing himself within the narrative, the customer instantly connects emotionally with the story. This leads to building positive emotions towards the brand or product. And guess what? For the Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman, 95% of purchasing decisions are emotionally-driven.

By creating / maintaining a positive brand image

Brand image is the perception of the brand in the mind of the customer – appeal, ease of use, quality, self- actualization value etc. Brand image is shaped by the company’s values that are showcased in the digital stories.

When narratives are regularly exposed online, a consistent brand image is formed in the mind of the customer. If positive emotions are associated with it, loyalty and advocacy towards the brand are strengthened. And lately, brand advocates have been playing an important part in purchasing decisions! In fact, in 2020, 70% of U.S onsumers declared having made some purchasing decisions based on the positive words they had heard.

A positive and consistent brand image, built progressively through digital stories, help to attract new customers and retain the existing ones.

By being applicable to all digital tools

Digital stories can be incorporated into all digital tools: social media, digital ads, websites, video platforms, mobile, etc. In a world where the online environment is taking over, digital storytelling is becoming a non-negotiable process for a brand to create and maintain its identity.

And it surely makes the massive reach of audiences easier and more impactful.

Why does Digital Storytelling matter?

• The customer rely primarily on his subconscious mind – emotions, feelings, experiences – when making a purchase decision

• Traditional marketing content – facts-oriented – has become obsolete, especially in an dominant digital environment where facts catch little customer’s attention.

References

Digital storytelling: Capturing lives, creating community, J Lambert, B Hessler (2018)

Digital storytelling: A powerful technology tool for the 21st century classroom, BR Robin (2008)

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/future-of-marketing/creativity/marketing-business-storytelling/