How to use storytelling to sell your techy product or service
Stories are everywhere we look! Podcast, tv shows, movies, ads, newspapers, magazines and explainer videos.
Not only do we spend all day consuming stories, but we’re also constantly crafting them.
Aristotle was the first to identify the three key elements of convincing storytelling: ethos, logos and pathos, which translate to credibility, logic and emotion. Marketing may evolve quickly but people do not and these principles are just as important, if not more so, today.
Powerful stories make ideas stick and persuade people to take action!
The human brain is wired to find stories more engaging and memorable than simple statements. So when you integrate storytelling into your marketing; your product or service will be more memorable, you will connect with your audience and boost sales.
Stories make us human, and the same goes for brands. When brands are transparent and authentic, it brings them down-to-earth and helps consumers connect with them and the people behind them.
Stories also foster brand loyalty. Creating a narrative around your brand or product not only humanises it but also makes your business more appealing.
Storytelling is the interaction between your customers and your brand. But crafting a stellar narrative requires good storytelling skills. So, let’s have a look at how you can transform your complex tech products or services into a great story to persuade people they can’t live without you:
Who is your audience?
Who wants to hear your story? Who will benefit and respond the strongest? In order to create a compelling story, you need to understand your customers and who will respond and take action.
Do some research on your target market and define your buyer persona(s).
This process will get you acquainted with who might be viewing or listening to your story. It will also provide crucial direction for the next steps as you build out the foundation of your story.
2. What's your aim?
Your story should have a core message.
Always start at the very beginning by stating the overall objective/ vision of your business and product, WHY does your product or service exist?, WHY do users need it?, and HOW will it change and improve your customer's lives?
To help define this, try to summarise your story in six to ten words. If you can’t do that, you don’t have a core message.
If you can answer these WHYs successfully, and if you can communicate them clearly and concisely, then the stage is all set.
3. What's the Conflict or Problem?
First of all, in your story, your audience is always going to be the hero of the story and your business is the guide that helps the hero to succeed and achieve their goals.
Great stories have great climax. In your story, the conflict or problem has to be your customer's problem and you have to fully understand that problem, whatever it is.
Your audience will connect strongly with a business that understands their needs and helps them to succeed by solving their problems.
If your audience can put themselves in your character’s shoes, they’ll be more likely to follow through with your call-to-action.
4. What's the context of your story?
More than just looking at what people want, you need to look at why they want it. People are experts on their own problems, and you’re an expert at providing solutions to those problems! So, you must know what is the motivation behind it.
If you understand the real motivations of your audience, you will be able to connect with them and be remembered.
Some good questions to ask at this point are: What is the context in which your customers will use your product or service? When will they use it? And why?
Answering those questions will help you build a great story with logic and credibility.
5. How are you going to solve the problem?
All good stories come to an end, and if you’ve told a good story so far, your audience will be interested to see how the story ends. They would want to know how you are going to solve the problem?
Your business is the answer to that question! Your product is the one that will help the hero to get rid of the obstacles and achieve the goal.
Never forget to give a good ending to your story. This involves demonstrating what impact your service or product would have on your audience.
Always set clear goals and determine when your business expects to reach those goals. Your full story should always show the customers (or heros) journey from problem to solution.
6. Leave your audience with a call-to- action!
What exactly do you want your viewers to do after watching your explainer video or ad? Do you want them to donate money, subscribe to a newsletter, take a course, or buy a product? Outline this alongside your objective to make sure they line up.
Your CTA could be as simple as “Click the button below.”
7. How does your audience feel about your business?
Emotion is what drives people into action. Avoid overdoing it on the data, stats, and analytics and try to use more emotion to motivate your audience.
Think about your customers. What can your product do for each of your customers? How will using your product make them FEEL? What is your VALUE proposition?
It is essential to build an emotional connection with your audience so you will be remembered by them and make them feel loyal to your brand.
The fact of the matter is that people are more likely to support a product if it’s associated with a good/ inspirational story. So make sure there’s a story behind your product because people are moved by emotion and by stories – not by analytics.
8. Are you ready to create your own story?
To summarise, according to Donald Miller, author of Building a Storybrand, you should, when communicating with your audience, use the following elements to better and more clearly explain your business message:
Q: Who is the HERO of your story?
A: It’s always the user/customer. Not you, not your product, not your business.
Q: What is the GOAL of your story?
A: What your audience needs/ wants.
Q: Who is the VILLAIN of your story?
A: The problem. Whatever is preventing your audience from achieving their goals.
Q: What is the GUIDE?
A: Your product.
9. What is the best way to tell your story?
People love watching video - you only have to look at the explosion of TikTok, reels and the quantity of video in general to see where people are spending their time.
Animated storytelling is a great way to capitalise on that and share your brand's persuasive story in under 2 minutes. But storytelling is hard, so you’ll need some inspiration (or a wonderful agency to help).
10. Where can you get inspiration to develop your own story?
Here are some examples of businesses that use storytelling in their videos that are very successful and have hundreds of views:
Google - “Parisian Love”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnsSUqgkDwU
2. Asana - “Teamwork without email”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY0-gsNImlk
3. A visual essay on storytelling “The rough cut”
https://vimeo.com/groups/596325/videos/414029924
4. Future Now: Change Begins With Your state
https://vimeo.com/276776307
If you need some more help crafting and creating your story, get in touch! We’ve helped numerous companies turn their tech products into clear, compelling, animated narratives.
We’re happy to answer any questions you might have about creating an explainer animation.