Businesses today need to start mastering storytelling if they want to get noticed in today’s busy platforms. People are drawn to stories and the good news is that your brand has a story that is worth telling. But what kinds of stories do we need to tell? Where do we even begin?
Too many times the problem is not the intention to tell the story. It’s that brands don’t know where to start. As they say, the first step is always the hardest. Well, a good place to start is to determine the types of stories you should be telling. We’ve learned through our journey with Muse Storytelling types of stories that everyone should tell.
So many business owners and marketing teams today want to tell their story, but what kind of story should we be telling? I’d like to share with you six types of stories that you can start telling through your channels and materials today.
Values Story
What is a values story? A values story is one that introduces to people who you are or who your brand is, what qualities you have that are unique and how they connect with your audience. It’s one of the most common stories we tell. This is the best story to tell when you’re only starting to introduce yourself to the world. We tell our values story by going beyond just introducing facts about ourselves but the values that drive them.
Origin Story
An origin story is one that dives into where you came from and the events and milestones that are central to your journey. The origin story helps build roots to your brand and trust that people have towards your mission and vision. Whether told in written format on your about page or in a film for social media, an origin story told clearly will draw people more to your brand.
Vision Story
If an origin story speaks about where you came from, your vision story tells people about where you want to be. More importantly, it also should communicate why your audience should be a part of your vision and how you intend to carry your people there. Vision is a strong magnet and when narrated can be an effective way to draw people to your cause or business.
Teaching Story
A teaching story is one where you impart knowledge that you are great at to your audience. Think of a chef teaching an audience through a cooking show the recipe that got him on the map. The trick is to balance the introduction of your expertise while also equally injecting your persona into the story as well. Don’t just make it about information. Place in your personality as you tell the story.
Impact Story
An impact story shares how a company, cause or organisation has made an impact in a certain community. This can be told in the form of a testimonial from a beneficiary or a case study from an outsider looking in. An impact story is a great way of showing the significance that your brand plays in the community that it is part of.
Objections Story
In an objections story, you want to speak about problems or issues that you want to tackle with your vision. If your business has a social aspect to it- which every business really often has- this kind of story is a great way to speak on the challenges and conflicts that you want to overcome for yourself, employees, clients or any group that has a problem you want to solve.