Storytelling is deeply entrenched in human communication and has been at its core for ages. It is the most engaging way of bringing a message across, a way of communicating effectively, with impact. Storytelling is all about shaping a dynamic in which people can sense feelings of emotional connection.
We live in times of (digital) mass communication. Constantly online, constantly exposed to hundreds of thousands of impressions a day and therefore our brains are working hard to filter out all the (relevant) information. The challenge most businesses are facing in accordance, is to find ways to reach the minds of people by communicating messages that are actually going to stick around. Content that makes people think, wonder, relate to and preferably even ignites a form of action.
It is a given fact that storytelling is the purest way of communication, regardless of the context. A ‘technique’ which, if executed well, can actually reach the minds of the people in your target group(s) naturally. So how can, and should we use this in our advantage?
Once you have created a brand identity for your business and established a distinctive positioning, you have the ingredients to start shaping and executing your communication efforts. It is highly recommended to base your communications on specific content strategies. At Mirage, we most often build content strategies based upon the core-values and character traits of brands in order to create a natural and suitable foundation, to shape strong and impactful messages. These messages should be an extension of your brand which are made to connect seamlessly with the behaviour and characteristics of your target group(s). In short, we recommend building communication- and content strategies on the essence of the brand and integrate storytelling as an extensive ‘tool’ to bring messages across on a trustworthy and impactful manner.
So before you start with storytelling-campaigns it is unmistakably important to shape a brand identity and brand positioning first. These two vital organs will then form a fruitful foundation for shaping your strategies. Settle the topics you want to talk about. Write the stories down and combine it with high-quality content – both visual and textual.
Develop all the content for your campaigns in accordance to your brand guidelines such as tonality and visual language, and make sure to take good care of consistency in the execution of the campaigns. Based on our experiences, we recommend to pay a lot of attention to shaping content strategies that truly have an added value and fit the brand in question —and is based upon reality— to make sure you’re not losing the most important factor out of sight; credibility. At the end of the day, the story must be worth telling. And listening to.
Interested in shaping distinctive content strategies and storytelling campaigns for your brand? We’d love to hear from you.