A few days ago, a friend of mine sent me a message on Facebook in which she encouraged me to participate to a webinar. Unfortunately, I was out of the office and had no access to any device that would let me connect to the internet.
I finally saw her message and read the title of the webinar,”Digital Storytelling and Content Marketing”.
Part of me said, “I already know about storytelling”.
A few days later, I found myself back in the office, checking my email. For the second time in less than 5 days someone recommended me to take a deeper look into the topic and importance of storytelling and it convinced me to start digging deeper.
Thanks Valentin!
The article provided me with insights I had never considered on the power of storytelling.
I took copious notes and hung them near my desk, just to have it in my sight’s area and to keep reminding me of the five guidelines that were revealed in the article.
But my story doesn’t end there.
The video was an edited animation of “Alice in Wonderland” from the ‘60s. The short movie emphasized the influence of the society over the individual. If it had been an article in a magazine the impact would not have been the same
The emotional engagement of the short video was powerful.
If it had been told in a seminar, published in a magazine or written in a blog post, I would’ve completely ignored it.
The story of Alice in its video format kept my focus on the screen for 12 minutes…and it was both entertaining and inspiring….. I loved it.
See the power of storytelling below!
It is not about what you say, but how you say it
Even if your content is extremely valuable because it solves your readers problems, it may not get as many shares as you wish if it isn’t easy to read, funny or scary.
Here are the five tips extracted from the article about the power of storytelling for any blogger or content marketer.
1. Introduce the dialogue
Introduce the blog post. Inspiration can come from conversations with colleagues at work, friends at a beer, beggars in the street or any conversation that teaches you something. Everyone is experiencing life differently from yourself, so be open and listen to what he/her has to share with you.
2. Use your imagination
Use your imagination to make up a short introductory story – put yourself in a situation and start imagining how would you act. Then, use analogies to communicate your ideas to the audience.
3. Focus on emotions
Emotions are powerful and the lack of them lead to a cold, descriptive text which could be valuable, but not readable. Adjectives will help you to express your thoughts in front of your audience and to become more creative.
4. Use popular stories
Use familiar concepts, stories or proposals. This can include movies, TV shows, cartoons and any other entertainment form that you and your audience relate to. What’s the purpose of doing that? Just think about what are you doing on the internet in your spare time: do you search for movie trailers, books reviews, concerts in town? I bet you do.
5. Include images
Pictures are your ally. Search for them on Tumblr, Flickr or make screenshots from Youtube, Vimeo or other sites that you like. The boring pictures that everyone is using will not appeal to an audience that is tired of the same patterns.
There are many ways to learn. Here are 20 different resources to assist you in discovering the art of storytelling.
5 “must read” books on storytelling
If you’re more inclined to learn in the classical way, start with reading one of these books.
- The Elements of Persuasion: Use Storytelling to Pitch Better, Sell Faster & Win More Business by Richard Maxwell, Robert Dickman;
- Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte
- Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire by Paul Smith
- Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact by Annette Simmons
- Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
5 free tools to assist you in storytelling
You may enjoy these online free tools to exercise your creativity. They are used in education, but I find them very useful for adults to regain their childish curiosity.
5 videos on storytelling
See these videos that are masterpieces of storytelling.
- Losing Nemo by Mister Lee
- Climate Change the State of the Science by Félix Pharand-Deschênes
- The Economic Impact of Immigrants by Paragon Design Group
- Global Wealth Inequality by Nick Pittom
- Cosmos by Carl Sagan
5 blogs that teach the art of storytelling
And check out these blogs.
I hope that you enjoyed my story. Start creating your own story right away, because its already within you.
Just access it.
Guest Author: Elena Dobre is learning about digital marketing, business and life at Marketizator.com, the complete conversion rate optimization tool. She plays the role of the content strategist, but she’s also experiencing with CRO and lead generation. She enjoys discovering new online tools, hacks, brilliant minds and beautiful souls. Follow her on Twitter @HDobre.