How to Leverage Unconventional Storytelling in Your Marketing
I used to teach kindergarten and 2nd grade.
My favorite subject to teach was…. writing.
I know. Big Surprise.
The curriculum we used to teach writing back then focused on telling personal narratives.
When I modeled this form of writing I learned to think of, tell, and write short stories really well because, guess what?
5, 6, 7 and yes even 8 year olds don’t have long attention spans.
I have news for you.
Most ADULTS don’t have long attention spans.
So if you’re going to use storytelling to tug at people’s heartstrings or command their attention long enough to get a point across…keep your stories short.
(most of the time, anyway.)
Here’s a secret about storytelling that your writing teachers will probably disagree with…
👉🏼Effective stories don’t always have to have a beginning, middle, and end.
👉🏼They don’t always have to be narratives.
👉🏼And they don't always have to have a plot.
Some of the best (and shortest) are unconventional.
Unconventional Stories look like:
Lists
Simple Memories
Quotes
Scenarios
Anecdotes
Observations
Piggy backs
Games
Let’s dive into each one of these:
Lists
Ever gone through the checkout at the grocery store and the person running up your items asked you:
“Is spaghetti on the menu this week?”
“Are you vegan?”
“The party’s at your house huh?”
This person was able to look at your items and effortlessly piece together a story about you.
You didn’t need to say a thing.
This is just one example of how you can present your audience with a list of items and the list tells a story that your audience can build meaning from - making you a relatable human being.
Here are some clever types of lists that will do this for you:
To-do lists
Make a list of items that you ideal customer persona might be accomplishing that day. And if you want to pitch a service or a product - add an inquiry or google search relating to that item.
To-Do List Example:
The Business: Email Marketing Software (i.e Flodesk)
The Audience: Small Business Owners
The List:
Start Coffee
Write Email with Flodesk’s new template
Drink Coffee
The Story:
You can create a beautifully designed email in the amount of time it takes to make your morning cup of coffee. The message is that Flodesk helps you save time and look professional.
Packing Lists
Write a list of items that someone in your audience would take with them to work, to an event, or use with your product. Add your product to that list.
Simple Memories
Memories don’t have to be long-drawn out narratives. They can also be simple recollections of the pencil you used to write with in English class, your routine when you were in college, or the expression your friend gave you when you told them about your first crush.
Quotes
Whether it’s well-known or not, sharing a quote and then adding your opinion of it can be a great way to spark a conversation with your audience.
Scenarios
Paint a picture of a situation your reader has experienced or could experience in the future and include details about their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings.
Anecdotes
Tell a short recap of an experience that you or someone else had. This can be as simple as a thought you had in a coffee shop or a short story about a CEO who shook up things in her company.
Observations
Share your perspective on a cultural moment or an industry shift and relate it back to your business. Ask your audience to share their perspective and compare it to yours.
Piggy Backs
Show someone else’s story, thoughts, or perspective and then share yours. @hackyourhr does this with video on Instagram.
Here’s how to use this framework:
Refer to a situation or story from someone else that your listener might already know about (i.e. a viral video, something on the news). This creates a connection point because you’re priming their background knowledge for your story. Essentially, you’re making their memory sticky for your story so they not only listen but also remember.
Transition to your story. 👈🏼This is where the most tact is needed. Use phrases like…
“well, that happened to me when….”
“I felt the same when…..”
“It’s like that when I….”
A smooth transition will re-hook your reader and keep them listening to hear how you connect the dots for them.
Tell your story/scoop/anecdote. Extra points if your story offers the opposite perspective or proves the original person’s point even further.
Play a Game
You know those games we’d play as kids while waiting for something to start or at a slumber party? I’m talking “Never have I ever”, “Put a finger down,” and “I Spy.” Get your readers to interact with you and respond by sharing their own personal stories and experiences.
Flodesk does this really well in this instagram post:
Stories can be a powerful engagement tool that guides your readers straight to you, your product, or your service as a solution to their problem or challenge.
But the way we tell our stories needs to adapt to the the ways our audience will listen.
