7 pro tips for boosting sales with stories

Hey,

Stories are one of the all-time most-effective marketing methods ever conceived. But most people just aren’t sure how to create stories for their promotions that entice and engage their audience.

I’d like to help you get a jump on creating stories that sell. So, I’m providing you with 7 simple tips designed to help you make more from Module 4 of my Storytelling That Sells training. ♥️

Keep in mind that the stories you tell DON'T have to always be about you. They can be about other people/things, too.

1. Make an Emotional Connection

Compassion gets donors to give money. Concern gets consumers to beef up their PC security software. A sense of mystery and discovery drives quest stories. You get the idea.

Your story should be genuine and from the heart, and connect with your audience's pain points, values and desires.

2. Be Inspirational

Stories don't have to be inspirational to be interesting (think of tragedy storylines). But when it comes to telling stories in a marketing context, you want to inspire the audience.

A fundraising ad that shows starving children isn't meant to drive you to despair and give up hope. They always say, "YOU can make a difference."

Inspiration is important in a marketing context because it influences the person to take action. Taking action could mean buying a product, or it could be something more subtle such as allying yourself with a brand and its vision. Stories that don't offer this hope and inspiration don't lead the audience to take action.

3. Remember the Product Is Secondary

In all good marketing stories, the product is in the background. When telling a story, focus on making it a good story, not on promoting the brand or product. Just like other forms of content marketing, your story will do the selling for you.

If you're telling a product story, of course the product will take center stage. Its benefits will be a major part of the story. But remember that it doesn't have to be, and in general, the less promoting the better.

Think about Coca-Cola and Honey Maid crackers. Sometimes the product/service is more like a prop. In many story ads, the product or brand isn't even mentioned.

4. Show the Benefits

The best stories reflect the benefits of the product without actually saying it. In the Subaru "They Lived" video, it doesn't come right out and tell you, "Because they drove a Subaru and it has these outstanding safety features, they lived." The viewer makes that connection in their mind, and the connection is much stronger when it's made this way.

5. Use Your Brand Personality

In whatever story you tell, your brand personality should play a major part. It makes sense for Red Bull to tell the story of a skydiving jump since its brand personality is associated with extreme sports. Let your brand personality come through.

6. Break Up the Story

One effective storytelling technique is to break up the story. Instead of telling the entire story all at once, offer just one scene or part of it. This is a good way to keep your audience tuned in for the next installment. This is where you end your advertisement with "to be continued…"

7. Make Stories Share-worthy

When you look at all of the content that gets widely shared or goes viral, it has one thing in common – it sparks strong emotions. These stories are awe-inspiring, amusing, moving, illuminating, inspiring, shocking, cute, sexy, scary, infuriating or controversial. Spicing your stories up with these emotions will help your stories get shared, but make sure they're appropriate for your brand and audience.

► I have lots more to share with you in Storytelling That Sells: Easy Ways to Create & Use Stories That Convert including plenty of successful marketing story examples.

For the next 3 days, you can use code STORY999 to get this complete training for only $39.99 (normally $97).

Here's to your success, Karon

Marketing Words, Inc., 2211 Ridgeview Road, Elgin, SC 29045

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