Storytelling to Attract the Good Consumer
The ‘good consumer’ is a new breed of conscientious and morally motivated customer, intent on making an impact. Happily spending more for reassurance of provenance and process, the good consumer uses their wallet (and social media platform) to reflect their social values. Once harnessed, the loyalty of the good consumer knows no bounds. How do you engage them? Tell them a story.
Sitting comfortably?
Human beings are wired to be receptive to stories. Rags to riches, heartbreak to happily ever after – everyone loves a good yarn. It’s how we communicate experiences and relate to the world. Sharing your story builds audience intimacy and engagement.
What’s the story?
Your brand story is your reason for being. The itch, the frustration, the gap you needed to fill, the injustice, the grit in the oyster. What moved you to act in the first place? Why’d you take that first step?
When it comes to telling your story, keep it simple. Use the structure of all compelling stories: hero, villain, struggle, happy ever after.
- The hero (that’s you): Who are you? What’s your deal? What’s your background?
- Enter the villain – the problem, the challenge: what got under your skin that you just couldn’t ignore?
- Now the struggle: what barriers did you have to overcome? How did you fail? How did you learn?
- And finally, happy ever after: your product or service and how it changes the world.
We’ve only just begun.
But that’s not where your story ends. Through telling your story, your motivation, personality and vision become crystallised and it’s upon these outcomes you base a meaningful strategy reflecting your core values.
Love at first site.
Your website is often the first place people encounter your story. To capture the hearts of your visitor, every aspect of it must breathe your values. The tone, images and content are unmistakably you and every pixel tells your story. But with the infamous 7 seconds in which to entice visitors, how do you tell your story in the blink of an eye?
You talkin’ to me?
First thing’s first. Who’re you’re talking to? Create an audience profile. Give them a name and a face – narrow it down to one person. What do they want to see? How do they want to feel? Where do they want to go? Climb inside their mind and write, design and create for them.
Show not tell.
In 2017, visitors will be seeing sites that are minimal. Home pages made up of simple background images or video and very few words. The old adage of a picture being worth a thousand words is crucial here. Find an image that embodies your values and tells your story and visitors connect the instant they land on your site.
Getting to know you.
Be visible. Let visitors peek behind the curtain and get them involved in every aspect. Introduce founders, the team and the people who’re involved at every step. We love the Krochet Kids for this, their website lets you meet the ladies who make the clothing and customers have an opportunity to thank them for their beautiful work.
The end.
Storytelling pulls on our emotions, senses, and experiences. It’s an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to engaging the good consumer, who want to see more from the ideas they invest in. Get immersive and interactive stories coursing through your strategy and your customers will understand, care about, and engage with you.