[Infographic] Storytelling for Inbound Marketing

Telling a (good) story is a powerful lever of Marketing.

Since the beginning of the industrial era, entrepreneurs like to mention the date their company was founded.

For example, the name of the famous 1664 beer marks the year of Kronenbourg's founding - reminding us of the brewery's several hundred years of experience in making beer.

tartups these days like to tell the story of their beginnings in the back of a garage. While all companies have their own story, few know how to "tell it well " that is to tell it in a way that values its products and services. 

The first person to theorize the art of corporate storytelling was the Australian Steve Denning, in the early 2000s.

Since then, the technique has evolved to become a must-have in the marketer's arsenal. 

We all love a good story!

From a Inbound Marketing perspective, storytelling also has many benefits.

Become your own media... for your own story!

Who better to talk about you (especially in a good way) ?

Storytelling offers, in fact, an almost inexhaustible source of content ideas  or anecdotes that effectively fit into the user journey. 

The items you disseminate will be emotional and have the color of truth.

Be careful, by the way, not to disguise the reality of your story: in the age of Google and Open Data, it is easier and easier to show that you are lying - which could have unfortunate consequences!

For the Inbound Marketing, a mastered storytelling thus allows you to show your visitors your brand identity along with your positioning.

You will therefore strengthen the relationship of trust with your Internet users, which will have a real impact on their perception of your brand.

Tailor your storytelling to your buyer personas

A story, whatever it is, always follows more or less the same narrative structure.

• The starting point
  Any story, as you know, begins with "once upon a time...". This is where you introduce the actors in their initial environment. Depending on your audience (buyer personas), you will emphasize one characteristic more than another. Often, companies emphasize the family nature of the business, which is a good idea. The "band of friends" approach also works very well.
• The Disruption
  A disruptive element will be introduced. It could be the departure of a key partner from the company (think Steve Jobs' departure from Apple) or the loss of a major market that challenges the original business model. Systematically include this element in your storytelling: if there is no problem, there is no story!
• The unfolding
  The onset of this difficulty will affect the organization and/or certain actions of your company. Try to well present how the decisions made at that time, especially if they were difficult, will lead to a happy ending!
• The Resolution
  The ordeal your company has been through has allowed it to emerge stronger, more coherent, more ambitious. This is the phase where things are gradually coming back to normal. There is nothing to stop you from telling another difficulty at this stage.
• The End
  You need to think about concluding your story. How did your company learn from its story its ability to challenge itself, listen to its customers or invest more in research or training. The end of a story, we know, is decisive for the reader's overall appreciation - don't miss it!

To help you take your storytelling to the next level, we created this infographic featuring "the hero's journey". It presents a particular way of telling a story - when it brings out the adventure of an exceptional character. 

Isn't your company also an "exceptional character "? Then it's up to you to write its story!