Alka Ojha Prakash, Account Director at Kaivalya Communication, is a strategic comms professional with over 12 years of experience in marketing communications, reputation management and public affairs. She has helped a variety of clients to uncover, create, and amplify their brand stories.
Here, Alka suggests ways to make brand story-telling more consistent and authentic for greater impact.
As we navigate through the world of digital Darwinism, wherein customers have uninhibited access to overly automated processes, platforms, and tools – humanness is slowly becoming the new premium. The timeless mantra that ‘people buy from people’ remains ever so pertinent in this noisy, fast-paced, hyper-competitive marketplace.
Therefore, brands can no longer afford to remain faceless or voiceless entities. To thrive and not just survive, brands need to connect and engage with their audiences on a much more profound level. This is exactly where the brilliance and trickery of storytelling come in.
Maybe stories are just data with a soul: Brene Brown
Believe it or not, there is scientific evidence to support why stories are vital to receptivity, trust, and eventually a conversion. This is simply because stories connect with people more than ideas, businesses, and innovations possibly can. Author and social researcher Brene Brown once said, “Maybe stories are just data with a soul”; Because even with the best of innovation, data analytics, and products – brands can only have a soul if they have a compelling narrative.
Therefore, it makes sense that many companies are slowly adjusting their marketing strategies to focus on brand storytelling.
With COVID-19 holding people hostage, the shift in consumer behavior has been even more radical. According to PWC’s Global Consumer Insights Survey 2020, the need for all consumer-facing companies to establish trust with the consumer could not be any clearer in this era. So, for all the new entrants in the market, a brand storyline can change the game.
How to tell the perfect story?
Audiences and consumers are the ones who keep the businesses up and running, so your storyline should be a perfect meld of who you are, and what they need. It should be authentic and honest about your brand’s background and persona, it should resonate with your TG and most importantly, it should always remain consistent.
It should be authentic and honest about your brand’s background and persona, it should resonate with your TG and most importantly, it should always remain consistent: Alka Ojha Prakash
Iconic brands like Disney and Coca-Cola have time and again, crafted compelling narratives to connect with their audiences, which is why these brands exist as an integral part of our lives, almost as if we can’t imagine a world without them. Because more than just customers, they have built a tribe. And that exactly is the power of a story, coalesced with solid content marketing.
The trust factor
First of all, this isn’t news. Over the decades, building trust is something that has been a core aspect of business and marketing; because once your audience trusts you and has an affinity towards you, they are most likely to buy from you.
Today’s au courant customers aren’t just passively buying from brands. They view their purchases as an extension of their identity, belief, and value system. So, when people are aware of and resonate with your brand’s identity, background, and values, they trust you enough to not just buy from you but also stay loyal to you.
Therefore, a successful story and marketing strategy needs to create a purpose, a community, and a culture that consumers can share and be a part of.
Tapping the right medium
Just simply having a compelling story is not enough. You need to support your story with high-quality videography, infographics, and content. This elevates the image and sense of professionalism of your brand, thereby increasing its reliability.
Once these basics have been established, brands need to choose the ideal medium to tell their story. Each medium – maybe it is television, OOH, or social media – elicits a different reaction from your audiences. So your story must be tailored to fit in the medium(s) you choose.
Telling a great story can be notoriously difficult but once you truly invest in it, that epic saga can become your key to perpetual growth and perishability. Lastly, never forget the real reason as to why you’re telling stories: To foster a connection and to build a profound relationship with your consumers: Alka Ojha Prakash
Telling a great story can be notoriously difficult but once you truly invest in it, that epic saga can become your key to perpetual growth and perishability. Lastly, never forget the real reason as to why you’re telling stories: To foster a connection and to build a profound relationship with your consumers. That’s what makes you unforgettable in the sea of sameness. That’s what makes the consumer choose you in a crowded marketplace. And that’s what makes you – you.
