Storytelling isn’t always a natural talent everyone possesses, some of us have to take the time to learn how to tell a great story. This blog post and infographic will be a starting point for you on your journey of learning how to be a better storyteller for your brand online.
The Elements of Great Storytelling:
Narrative Techniques
When telling a story, you need to make sure that you have a clear beginning, middle and end. No one wants to listen to a story where they don’t understand who the characters are or if you’ve left out how they ended up in a difficult situation or if you fail to mention what they did to resolve their dilemma.
You’ll want to follow the storytelling principles of a story spine. (Once upon a time..) At first you want to start the story off by building the scene and introducing who the characters are. (And Every Day..) This is when you’ll introduce the character’s conflict or challenge they’re facing and subtly hinting at what might be the big change. (Until One Day…) Then, the big event that changes everything and pushes the character to do something drastic. (And Because of This…) Which moves into the part of the story where the character evolves and faces the challenge ahead of them. (Until finally…) The climax of the story happens where the character either fails or succeeds in their mission. (And, ever since then…) This concludes the story and tells the audience what the new routine is.
Be Authentic
When you’re telling your story, you want to be authentic. That way you’re ensuring you’re drawing the right people to your brand and demonstrates the integrity of your brand. Your values and aspirations should not be swayed based on current trends. Only participate if you know the message with remain true to who you are and how you want other’s to receive your message.
Listen to your audience
But, with that, you also want to make sure you’re telling stories your viewers can relate to and resonate with. Clients want to know that you care about their values and their needs so here’s a few ways different things you can do:
- Monitor your comment section and listen to what your clients are saying about their experience with you and don’t hesitate to ask for their feedback.
- Create interactive polls to help your engage with your clients and gain insight on what they want to see.
- Watching for other methods of engagement such as posts about your organization or comments on other posts about your organization.
References
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 