Do you find it difficult to reach new customers? Or even to connect with your existing ones?
Do you feel frustrated with your company’s communication?
Do you need to sell more?
Chances are, you’ve answered yes to most of these questions. In that case, I urge you to hire a storytelling copywriter who can help boost your sales by telling compelling stories.
Okay, but now new questions might pop up. For example:
- Why should you invest in storytelling?
- What’s the real benefit of storytelling?
- Is it worth the cost and effort?
These are completely legitimate questions.
Part of the answer lies in the fact that storytelling is a form of pedagogy that’s been used since ancient times—when people gnawed on bones in caves and told stories around the campfire. It was a way of learning from each other, spreading culture, beliefs, and valuable lessons. Plus, it was fun and helped form stronger social bonds.
Storytelling isn’t new, even though it’s become a buzzword today.
Originally, storytelling was an oral tradition and a rhetorical method that has been tested for centuries, long before written language. What didn’t work was discarded or evolved over time, leading to highly effective and specific story structures. Eventually, these oral traditions were preserved in writing after the invention of written language.
The Biggest Advantage
Today, storytelling is everywhere: in films, TV series, radio, podcasts, newspapers, social media, advertising, company presentations, lectures, and more.
Storytelling hasn’t just survived; I’d argue it’s stronger and more essential than ever in the information society we live in. This is especially true with the rise of AI and ChatGPT, which has made “human storytelling” even more crucial today.
But okay, if you’re still skeptical, ask yourself:
“What’s the biggest advantage of storytelling?”
It makes people listen.
It’s really that simple. People love great stories. You might even say stories are deeply rooted in our DNA.
We understand the world and each other through various types of information, but it’s through stories that we can put everything into a meaningful context and bring facts to life.
What’s the biggest advantage of storytelling?
It makes people listen.
The Benefits of Storytelling
I don’t need to tell you that businesses are struggling to cut through the noise of information and get consumers to listen to their messages. Everyone is working hard to reach their audience and make an impact in today’s information flow. It’s tough, but by no means impossible.
Let’s look at the following example which follows the principles of classic storytelling:
In Volvo’s emotional 2017 commercial "Moments," we follow a little girl who’s about to start school. She stands in the hallway with her mom, feeling anxious about her first day at school. Her mom encourages her, saying everything will be okay.
We see the girl imagining what will happen when she gets to school. She and her mom talk about it, and we watch the girl make new friends. They play and laugh, but they also witness a bird fly into a window and bury it together.
The girls grow up together, meet boys, start university, travel to foreign places, and eventually get jobs at a large company. Throughout the story, we sense the girl’s fears, hopes, and expectations.
This short commercial encapsulates an entire life story.
As the girl grows up and we hear her and her mom talk about it, there’s a parallel narrative happening in the film. An adult woman kisses her husband goodbye and rushes off in her Volvo XC60. She’s late for work.
As the little girl steps outside to go to school and crosses the street, the woman in the Volvo speeds by—almost hitting the girl. But the Volvo brakes on its own, thanks to its self-braking technology, and saves the girl’s life.
The following words then appear in white letters on a black background:
Sometimes the moments that never happen matter the most.
The girl and the woman glance at each other, but a moment later, the girl walks away. We hear her and her mom’s voices. The mom thinks her future dreams sound like a good plan, and the girl replies, "Let’s see what happens."
The Volvo logo ends the film.
When a storytelling copywriter is the solution
With this film, Volvo launched its new XC60 with Volvo’s City Safety system. Without getting too technical, this system is a new steering support and assistance system that automatically warns, brakes, and steers away from danger. The driver doesn’t have to do anything.
Volvo’s goal was to make the XC60 one of the safest cars on the road, and to avoid as many accidents as possible.
It’s a highly emotional and beautifully told commercial. The production company, New Land, won the Swedish Roypriset in 2017 for it.
A few key points worth mentioning
• The film’s dramaturgical choices are smart, like having a little girl almost get hit. It’s a threat everyone can understand, and a sorrow that would devastate anyone if it happened. It’s universally human to want to protect children. Here, we immerse ourselves in the girl’s world, seeing what she imagines she will do as she grows up—things that probably wouldn’t happen if she’d been hit. It’s a future imagined, filled with hope and excitement for what could be. Yet, it’s also a future threatened—a vision at risk of ending before it even begins.
• The detail of the dead bird the girls bury is a subtle reminder of death and foreshadows what may happen at the end of the commercial. It’s a small dark cloud in an otherwise (more or less) happy story—and an incredibly wise choice. Without it, the message wouldn’t hit as hard. Not even close.
• The back-and-forth cuts between the girl’s future dreams and the stressed woman in the Volvo build tension steadily throughout the film. The eventual confrontation is inevitable. The whole film is building towards that moment, which is great because it keeps the story moving forward.
• Here, it’s Volvo that provides the solution—through its technology. The commercial seamlessly conveys the new car’s braking system. No need for further explanation. We understand that the technology saves lives, despite the human factors involved: the girl stepping into the road without looking properly and the woman being distracted due to her stress.
At the end of the short film, Volvo delivers a powerful and thought-provoking conclusion that lingers in your mind: Sometimes, it’s the moments that don’t happen that matter the most.
Below are four obvious benefits of storytelling:
Storytelling creates emotional bonds between the company and its customers
In today’s connected world, online sales meetings are becoming more common, and face-to-face meetings less frequent. As a result, companies must use different communication channels to reach their target audience.
By using effective storytelling that speaks to the customer’s desires, values, and needs, companies can build emotional connections with their customers—relationships that are deeper than simple transactions.
If done right, this can lead to greater customer loyalty and more sales.
There are many great examples of this. Volvo has done an excellent job using storytelling as a central part of its marketing strategy.
In its commercial “Moments” (as you read earlier), Volvo creates a clear emotional bond between the company and its customers. But this film also positions their brand, builds loyalty, and conveys complex information in a simple way.
Storytelling is an effective tool for building and positioning a brand
In a market with intense competition and many similar products and services, it can be challenging to stand out. By showcasing the company’s origins, vision, and values in an engaging story, a company can carve out a unique position in the market.
This is exactly what the “Moments” commercial does. It dares to be emotional and address serious topics, like the fact that children can die (and sometimes do) in traffic, but it also shows that they have a solution to minimize that risk. Volvo wants to show that they care not only about car owners but also about everyone who encounters traffic—especially our younger ones.
With this film, Volvo takes a stand. It’s a strong brand story, and it can help the company attract more customers or partners. But that’s not all—this well-told story can help customers relate to the company on a more personal level, as Volvo takes a stand for saving lives and shows how important they believe that is. They’ve developed new technology to make that happen. This can create a different type of customer relationship. A more loyal one.
This is exactly what a storytelling copywriter can do for your brand.
Let’s move on to the next benefit of telling stories:
A storytelling copywriter can help businesses build brand loyalty
This ties back to the previous point. By using storytelling to communicate the company’s values, goals, and vision, businesses can build stronger relationships with their customers. When customers feel a special connection to a company, they’re more likely to choose its products or services over competitors. Think about Volvo’s ad again. It’s a prime example of advertising that succeeds in doing this because they trust their own product.
Loyalty needs a foundation.
That foundation comes from believing in the product or service you’re trying to sell. Only then can it attract others’ loyalty.
Volvo manages to do this. You can too.
Storytelling can help convey complex information in a simple way
Many companies have products and services that can be hard to understand and communicate. Perhaps the company has become too focused on the technical aspects of its product or service—and forgotten to ask itself:
– What kind of problem does our product or service solve for our customers?
In other words, by shifting the focus from the technical details to the customers’ desires and needs, companies can help their customers better understand their business and its products or services. This, in turn, can lead to increased engagement and sales.
Back to Volvo’s “Moments” ad. Anyone watching the commercial immediately understands what Volvo’s new self-braking system does. There is no need to mention the technical aspects. In fact, doing so would only get in the way of the more important message: that Volvo’s new braking system saves lives.
Why you should hire a storytelling copywriter
Today, it’s easy to think that AI and ChatGPT are the answers to all your problems. It’s not. Read more about my take on why you can’t rely on ChatGPT here. But okay, to be fair, AI can do a lot for you, but it can’t help you connect in a meaningful way. It lacks the human touch. The psychologically authentic, the melodic, and the emotionally gripping.
That’s where storytelling comes in.
By taking storytelling seriously, a company can increase its competitiveness, create a strong brand identity, and build a meaningful connection with its target audience. Done right, storytelling can create a competitive advantage in the market and boost the company’s sales.
Can your business afford to wait to attract more customers?
If not, it’s time to hire a storytelling copywriter who can make a difference—starting today.