Storytelling: what it is and why it matters for any business

Ana Mendonça Morais – Marketing & Communication Strategist –

We all like hearing stories, right? From an early age we're captivated by the great adventures of bedtime stories and, as we grow up, we come to appreciate the small nuances in the life stories of the people we meet.

The truth is that whoever tells the best, most engaging stories stands out. Always. Whether at bedtime, on a night out with friends, or in a film, book, series or song.

Ana Mendonça Morais – Marketing & Communication Strategist –

We all like hearing stories, right? From an early age we're captivated by the great adventures of bedtime stories and, as we grow up, we come to appreciate the small nuances in the life stories of the people we meet.

The truth is that whoever tells the best, most engaging stories stands out. Always. Whether at bedtime, on a night out with friends, or in a film, book, series or song. What storytelling is

Put simply, storytelling is the ability to tell stories in a relevant way. But for your business, it goes far beyond that. Why?

Because the point of telling a story is to create a connection, engaging the audience and winning them over with a specific message, so that your brand is remembered. It's about making people feel that the story makes sense to them and that they could be part of it.

That's exactly why, for your business, storytelling can be the difference between getting your message across the right way or not getting it across at all. It can be the difference between succeeding and falling by the wayside, between being remembered and being forgotten.

So how can we apply storytelling to business?

Why storytelling matters for business

The image of Father Christmas in a red suit wasn't created by Coca-Cola – yet it's often credited to them, purely and simply because of how brilliantly they told the story.

Let's take one of the best-known brands in the world as an example: Coca-Cola (and let's set aside the health concerns attached to it). We all know it, almost all of us have tried it, and it has millions of fans worldwide. We also all associate it, sooner or later, with the friendly bearded old man who delights young and old alike in December – Father Christmas. In fact, people often say it was Coca-Cola that introduced us to Father Christmas as we know him today, in his red suit.

Well, did you know that isn't true? Father Christmas's suit was originally brown or camel-coloured. The version we know today, red suit and all, was first presented to the public in 1863 by Thomas Nast. It was this Father Christmas that inspired Coca-Cola to feature him in its advertising in the 1920s.

And why does that matter? Because it highlights the importance of storytelling. By telling a story, Coca-Cola muddled actual history. The image of Father Christmas in a red suit wasn't created by Coca-Cola – yet it's often credited to them, purely and simply because of how brilliantly they told the story. And that has an undeniable effect on business, with Christmas campaigns from the brand that to this day still have us dreaming of Christmas magic – and buying Coca-Cola…

Take Dove as another good example of a brand that turned to storytelling, launching a campaign that showed not the products themselves in use, but rather how women see themselves and the impact that self-esteem and confidence have on their daily lives, tied to daily skincare.

Or think of the ads from the giant IKEA, which show how the home is a refuge, a uniquely personal space of comfort where happiness has to be present every day, without bombarding us with details about which sofa, wardrobe or kitchen we should have.

How to apply storytelling to your business

(…) we don't remember average, neutral communication; we only remember communication that creates emotion and drives action.

Forget once and for all the idea of presenting products, services and prices bluntly – however much you believe they speak and stand for themselves. They may well do, but why not make them even more appealing?

Start building an interesting narrative around everything you want to present, with relevant characters your audience can identify with. Create a unique, memorable experience in every piece of communication, so as to humanise your company and bring it closer to your audience. Remember that communication happens from people to people, and that we don't remember average, neutral communication; we only remember communication that creates emotion and drives action.

4 steps to building a good story

Here are a few steps for building engaging storytelling – but bear in mind there's much more to consider than this, and that telling a good story without losing the thread isn't all that easy! But it is crucial.

1. Think about what you want to communicate and the message you want to get across, and stay true to it. Define the beginning, middle and end of the story with a thread that's easy to follow.
2. Define the problems and the solutions you'll present, turning them into characters or circumstances. Create a main character, for example, who should end up representing your business's strength (the service/product you want to highlight).
3. Use specific colours, words or images so that the brain associates them with the important information your brand is communicating. That way your message will be easier to remember.
4. Think about how you're going to tell your story. The platform, or the medium used to deliver the message, is as important as the message itself. Choose the best platform for what you want to say and say it in the right way for that platform – after all, writing a book is different from making a film, a song or an advert for YouTube.

At Jellycode we tell stories every day, taking into account each client's identity and what each one wants to achieve. Need help creating a story that speaks for itself? We can help – get in touch! JTNDZGl2JTIwY2xhc3MlM0QlMjJmYi1jb21tZW50cyUyMiUyMGRhdGEtaHJlZiUzRCUyMmh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGd3d3LmplbGx5Y29kZS5wdCUyRm1hcmtldGluZy1kaWdpdGFsJTJGc3Rvcnl0ZWxsaW5nLW8tcXVlLWUlMkYlMjIlMjBkYXRhLXdpZHRoJTNEJTIyMTAwJTI1JTIyJTIwZGF0YS1udW1wb3N0cyUzRCUyMjEwJTIyJTNFJTNDJTJGZGl2JTNF