3 ways you can use storytelling as a marketing tool
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Think business storytelling is all about captivating your audience? The best business storytelling also helps you sell.
“They say I should be telling stories in my business. Frankly, it sounds ridiculous. I’m not about to open up and get vulnerable. Show me how to tell stories that SELL.”
Learn more about writing stories that lead to sales in this video home study course.
How Stories Help You Sell
Find your client’s backstory (also known as their baggage story)
“What’s really going on in my client’s mind? I’ve created an avatar and identified their demographics…but that’s not enough.”
When you begin working with a business coach or copywriter, you’ll probably be asked, “Who is your ideal client?”
3 qualities of a successful baggage story — this one is told by your clients, not you:
— Identifies the problem
— Identifies the obstacles: “Here’s why I can’t solve this myself”
— Shows what they tried: An important indicator of what they’re expecting from you — and what they’re afraid of.
Here’s a fun example from a flower store: a sign saying, “Our plants won’t safe for cats!”
This flower shop clearly knows their audience!
Problem: I’d love to brighten my home with live flowers.
Obstacle: I live in a city in a small apartment and I have cats. The cats will eat the flowers and get sick. I will have a very large vet bill.
Baggage: Tried finding places to put the flowers where the cats can’t reach them. Impossible!
Notice how the store owner enters a conversation in the customer’s mind. Here’s another one:
Problem: I need a website. I’m SO tired of working with tech people who disappear, taking my passwords with them. I wish I could just do it myself.
Obstacle: I am not a techie and don’t want to learn tech. If I start working with my site I’ll have a half-done, ugly website exposed to the public for the next 6 months.
