Keeping your customer’s feet dry

“Once upon a time, in a land far far away lived a fairy princess and her magical fairy…”

Ok, this type of storytelling isn’t exactly what we mean when we say “story” in marketing.

The amount of content that is available for readers is staggering between blogs, video’s, podcasts, and ads. Did you know that you listen to over 3,000 messages a day? Most of that is just a lot of noise telling you to “buy now” “these deals won’t last long,” “don’t miss this amazing opportunity,” etc.

All of it is vying for our attention. The problem is a lot of this content wants you do DO something but hasn’t spent the time to build credibility or trust. Without building credibility, it’s difficult for customers to know “why” they should buy from you beyond “because I said so” or “my products are the best.”

Your brain is always looking for information that helps them solve a problem it can easily understand, and when it can’t follow along, it moves on. Content that tells a story allows the brain to absorb what it hears or reads so that it can make a decision. As you continue to speak to customers through elements of a story, you build your credibility and trust.

Creating a story for your audience builds a path from problem to a solution that a customer can understand.

Think of it as coming up to a creek as you are on a hike.

You might consider crossing the stream by evaluating the more shallow points or by hoping to jump far enough from one bank to the other.

Both of these decisions make you have to think hard as to which one will get you across safely with the least chance of getting your feet wet and muddy.

What if someone before you laid out a rock path for you to step on?

How would you cross the stream then?

You don’t have to think. You just react and walk on each stone to the other side to continue your hike without with clean, dry shoes.

The same is true when you create content that tells a story.

By giving your readers a story to follow, you create an easy path for them to go from problem to solution. This works for any content you create.

• On your website, create a story down the main page of what your customer wants, the problem they face when they can’t get it, and how your company creates a path to solve their problem.
• For a social post, it may be something as simple as an informational quote that tells a story of triumph over discouragement.

It doesn’t have to be long, but it does need to speak to your audience and build their trust.

The path that your content provides allows your customers on a journey. When you take the time to build it, you give your audience stepping stones across the problems that they have (the stream) and the solutions you provide (the other side).

You build your credibility with each stone, developing loyal, long-term customers who will become raving fans.