Why Storytelling In Your Business Is Your Secret Weapon
use storytelling in your business to build connection and trust with your community
What is storytelling in business and why are great storytellers in business thriving?
We’ve been using storytelling in business and life to pass down information, connect with people and build trust since the dawn of time.
It brings your content, ideas and genius alive for your audience in a captivating way that they remember.
If you can master this skill then you can elevate your content and rise above the noise in the online world. This allows you to serve your audience in a deeper way and have a lasting impact on them.
The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller
– Steve Jobs –
Gather round, get comfy, let me tell you a little story…..
You didn’t think I would write a blog all about storytelling and not tell you a story did you?
Tell me which option you’ll remember:
Option 1
I know running a business can be tough and there will be challenging times but it’s definitely worth it.
Option 2
It was Christmas Eve and instead of drinking a hot chocolate and watching Elf for the gazillionth time with my nieces, I was knee-deep in mud and raw sh*t.
A sewer pipe had cracked and flooded the foundations in a house renovation I was doing for my property business.
Zu and I were pumping it out so the walls didn’t collapse in. But the pump we were using broke and started wildly spraying all the muck everywhere including all over us.
Never have I shut my mouth so quickly in my life!!
I tried to clamber out of the foundations but my welly boot got stuck in the muck. It was me or the welly so I had to abandon it. It’s still there to this day and I laugh when I think about the new owners discovering it one day and wondering how in the world it got there.
So if someone tells you that building a business will be all glamorous and easy, don’t believe them.
It’s hard work but the lows are totally outweighed by the thrill of creating your own path and showing up authentically.
I’ve been where you are, I’ve literally been in the trenches as I’ve started and run my own businesses.
So which option do you prefer? Which do you think you’ll remember next time you’re struggling in your business?
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Why you should be using Storytelling in your business
Reason 1: Storytelling powerfully Influences decision making
It does this by helping us to tap into deep rooted emotional and psychological triggers.
We’re not using stories in a negative irresponsible way to make people feel bad. We’re using them to help people to connect with how they are truly feeling already and the support they might need.
Reason 2: Storytelling is hard wired in us so feels very familiar
We’ve been telling stories since the dawn of time, with cavemen using cave paintings to communicate.
As children we were taught that when you hear ‘once upon a time’ it’s time to sit down and listen up as something magical is about to happen. You’re about to be transported to another world.
This means we recognise the significance of stories and that makes it a powerful way to connect and engage.
Reason 3: Great storytellers in business have proven it works
It has been proven that you can use stories in any industry to build authority and a deep connection with your audience.
Some incredible entrepreneurs have paved the way for using storytelling in business – Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey and Denise Duffield-Thomas.
Reason 4: We use stories to learn
Before printing was invented, stories were used to pass down information from generation to generation. So they are a powerful tool to help people remember things.
It also gives a framework within which to make sense of ideas and theories.
Reason 5: They activate the curiosity gap
A story is a really effective way to activate the curiosity gap because as humans we always want to know what happens next.
We want to know the end of the story, does it turn out alright? Will the main character triumph?
We have an inbuilt need for complete information and we need to close the loop and find out the information.
So framing content or information in a story will really help to activate the curiosity gap.
You can learn more about what a curiosity gap is and how to use it in your content here.
Reason 6: Stories help your community to daydream
We spend at least 30% of our time lost in thought and daydreaming, and someone telling you a story helps you to daydream.
If someone tells you a story about how this incredible storytelling for business course enabled them to triple their profit and finally retire their partner and travel the world, it gets you daydreaming about what the course could do for you and your business dreams.
Reason 7: They hold people’s attention
In a time when our attention spans are around 7 seconds, telling a story can smash that ceiling and hold people’s attention for much longer.
“Story is the greatest weapon we have to combat noise. because it organises information in such a way that people are compelled to listen” – Donald Miller
Reason 8: Storytelling simplifies your message
Marketing is often over complicated but storytelling can simplify your message.
“The more simple and predictable the communication, the easier it is for the brain to digest. Story helps because it is a sense-making mechanism….puts everything in order so the brain doesn’t have to work to understand what’s going on” – Donald Miller.
In Conclusion: Storytelling In Business is a Powerful but Underused tool
It is magnetic, drawing your audience to you and keeps them captivated long enough to hear your message and connect with you.
It brings you and your business alive with a spark of creativity and imagination.
Want to know how to use this secret weapon to increase your profit, magnify your purpose and build connection with your community?
Check out this next post to find out my top 5 Storytelling Frameworks (see how I used the curiosity gap and open an information loop there?!!)
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