Five power tips to help you sell your business through great storytelling
Date published:
James Higgins, director at PR and creative Agency 32West, shares his top tips on embracing the power of storytelling for business growth.
I guarantee that right now – at this very moment – you are sitting on stories about your business that need to be told.
There’s an audience out there – and they’re waiting. Waiting to read or watch or listen and learn. Pitch the story right, and there’s a good chance they will take action.
You perhaps think that reaching this audience is almost impossible. You don’t feel you are a skilled storyteller, perhaps. And even if you were, how do you begin to package your amazing content together and share it with the world?
I believe in the power of collaboration; of sharing learning, skills and experience. So today, I’m going to run through a simple five-point guide that will set you on the right track when it comes to sharing your story.
Before I get to that, I want to set the scene. The reality is that you are already an amazing storyteller. You just don’t know it.
Let me explain.
Since humankind first roamed the earth, life has revolved around stories – and the transfer of information.
Cave drawings thought to be more than 64,000 years old are one of the earliest examples; stories told through vivid etchings and passed down from generation to generation.
People have been depicted on countless occasions, sitting around the campfire, telling stories.
Neighbours over the fence have shared stories for generations.
The list goes on…
If I bring things sharply back to the 21st Century, nothing has changed. The stories that have underpinned societies for so many years still do.
If I asked for a virtual show of hands from readers who, in the last few weeks, had spent time with colleagues over lunch, or family at a gathering, or friends in the pub, or a cafe, or on a good old dog walk, I’d bet on an almost full house.
And among that full house, I’d further wager on every single person spending some of the time telling the story of their day, or week, or recent holiday, shopping trip or similar.
Did you hear…
You’ll never guess what…
Have I told you about…
Classic openers to a story. We’ve all uttered them!
As a PR, marketing and creative agency, we specialise in telling the stories of our clients. The companies in our portfolio come from a diverse range of industries; luxury travel, robotics, nuclear, legal, financial, public and third sector.
We’re of the view that amazing storytelling – whatever the medium – is not sector specific. It’s a skill that can be applied to any and all areas of business.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into my top five tips to help you tell your story.
1 – The splurge
I would like to imagine you are running into an office full of colleagues and within the first 30 seconds, you’re going to rattle through the most recent developments in your business. Think contract wins, new tech, new people, promotions, revenue growth, acquisitions, product development, or a major national story or policy that you could give engaging insight into. You now have your story list. If it’s empty, frankly, something’s not quite right.
2 – The league table
Take the stories from your splurge and start to rank them. Think about how they align with the core messages of your business or brand and how they will help you to build a narrative that will engage with your target clients. At this point, it would be advantageous to get the input of a colleague or a friend. Which of your stories do they consider to be the most exciting and potentially engaging? Different people bring new perspectives to the table, so a collaborative approach can work well for this stage.
3 – The plan of attack
Once you have selected your top story, you need to think about how you are going to package it. A piece of written PR (ie a press release) is often a good starting point. From here you can build a bank of assets to ensure you are relevant across multiple platforms. We would typically look at photographs, video, infographics and audio clips as potential additional assets. This means you are hitting all potential outlets including digital and broadcast.
4 – The add-ons
Depending on the nature of your story, you may wish to take a broader campaign-style approach. So, consider what else you can do to help reach as many people as possible in your target audience.
As a minimum, I would suggest carrying the story/content on your own website and using social media to share the news and drive people to whatever landing page is most appropriate.
But there’s so much more to consider. Would a digital marketing campaign benefit this particular campaign? Or maybe some influencer engagement? Do you need to line up team members for potential media interviews? Should you be podcasting or live streaming? Consider all the options before you go live.
5 – Press the button
Before you distribute the content package for your story or execute your campaign, you need to decide who you are going to send it to. That means spending time researching key influencers, journalists and broadcasters and tracking down their contact details. At 32West we have clever tech that allows us to do this with a few clicks of the mouse. But it’s expensive to invest in and therefore doesn’t make financial sense if you aren’t using it every day. Once you have your list, make sure your email title is enticing; it’s important to whet the appetite of your recipients. Ensure there are clear contact details should anyone want to get in touch with you. And make sure any assets you include are clearly described.
Finally, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. News media outlets are always on the lookout for good content.
After all, we all love a good story!
32West is a PR, Communications and creative agency with offices in Newcastle, Cumbria and Liverpool.
It offers a suite of services to help businesses and organisations tell their stories through engaging content that leads to strategic growth.
Contact [email protected] for more information or call 0191 404 6807