How storytelling shapes brand strategy, builds trust, and drives engagement
A good friend of mine who works at an advertising agency is traveling to Las Vegas next month, where she will hang out in shopping malls and attempt to stop people so she can ask them about their shopping habits.
I can’t remember who her client is, but I know they sell things. Picturing her in the malls of Las Vegas made me think about suburban mall kiosks with ladies selling two-hundred-dollar curling irons.
I fall into conversation with sellers like these all the time (via the internet, that is). I’m materialistic enough not to mind the interruption to my scroll, but self-aware enough to avoid impulsively buying anything too expensive. I’m usually a waste of their time, except if they want to practice their spiel for better-fit customers…
Sellers of “things” can get away with a direct interruption of your day. They have something for you to look at right here, right now.
But sellers of services, ideas, or events have a different challenge.
Our clients are:
- artists
- mission-driven organizations
- small business owners
- writers
- podcasters
- midwives
- and more.
Many of them are multi-hyphenates, with more than one job or talent or thing that they’re known for and do.
Our clients rarely make tangible items like the little jars I ordered to make essential oil reed diffusers last week, or whatever it is my friend’s client is planning to sell in Vegas. They are:
- courses
- workshops
- performances
- mentorship programs
- gallery openings
- and, and, and.
They are offerings from our clients’ creative, meaningful, justice-oriented practices as artists, educators, entrepreneurs, and healers.
Our clients would not be comfortable going up to strangers and pushing their work onto them as if it were a curling iron.
And yet, before they work with us, we see a lot of them practicing these same kinds of interruption-sales techniques online. They only post on Instagram when there’s an upcoming event, or the first email they’ve sent in months is because they have a program to apply for today.
This is why they think marketing is so uncomfortable. They’re selling their work like they’re standing at the mall kiosk, grabbing folks as they walk by.
That’s where storytelling comes in. Storytelling is how you share the meaning behind your work—how you communicate its value in a way that feels natural, honest, and deeply connected to why you do what you do.
The way to let someone in on your point of view is to show them through a story they can see, feel, and connect to.
But don’t just take it from me:
By and large, storytelling is the most effective form of marketing for arts and service-based businesses and nonprofits.
Here are three types of stories we help clients tell:
1. Origin Stories
Think about your beginnings. How did you start doing this work? Why? When? Origin stories humanize your work and give people a reason to care about your “why.” They remind your audience that there’s a person behind what you do, which for creatives and service-based organizations, can be the difference between getting views and getting conversions.
Client Example: Tanya Wills, founder of Manhattan Birth, discusses her experience with home birth. A client who sees that she was motivated to become a midwife based on her intimate, personal experience might feel a deeper connection and sense of trust.
2. Impact Stories
Impact stories show what changes because of your work. They center the people or communities who benefit, and they highlight transformation. They’re powerful because they’re not just about you, they’re about the people who have engaged with your work and experienced positive results.
Client Example: Jody Arnhold, founder of Dance Education Laboratory (DEL), discusses her journey to founding DEL, why dance is essential education, and the power of dance in public schools (and how it makes for a better democracy and citizens).
3. Process Stories
These stories take people behind the scenes. They show the “how,” not just the “what.” Process stories build intimacy and trust because your audience gets to see the care, skill, and thought that goes into what you offer.
Client Example: Company member Jordyn Santiago gives BODYTRAFFIC’s followers a glimpse into her rehearsal process so they can see what she’s working on. This incites curiosity, making their audience want to see the performance.
Here are some prompts to help you uncover your own stories:
- What moment made you realize this work was important to you?
- Describe a time when someone thanked you for your work.
- What does your day-to-day process look like, and why do you do it that way?
And a few quick tips:
- Lead with a hook. Start with a detail, moment, or image that makes people want to keep reading.
- Write like you talk.
- Offer a next step or reflection moment. Invite your audience to respond, share, or take action.
If you’d like support uncovering and shaping stories for your own marketing, get in touch with us! We’d love to help.