I have been working really hard lately due to my new job, trying to get acclimated to the system. One of the ways I unwind is by either listening to marketing podcasts, watching Kdrama, or aimlessly scrolling through TikTok.
The other day, I was scrolling through TikTok and stumbled upon one of those “1000-part movie” videos. My initial reaction was, “Here we go again.” But for some reason, I decided to watch it. The ending of part 1 left me hooked, and before I knew it, I was chasing down part 2. By the end of it, I found myself tearing up.
Breaking Movies into Parts: A Strategy That Works
Speaking of breaking movies into parts, creators do this intentionally. It’s a strategy to keep you on their page longer or to make you follow them—both of which benefit them. And guess what? It worked on me. I got so engrossed in these segmented movie parts that I ended up following a creator and camping on their page, eagerly awaiting part ‘154.’ Don’t laugh—they post good movies with great story lines!
My Journey with Apple: More Than Just Tech
On a different note, I’ve been using an iPhone since 2017. I started with the iPhone 6s Plus and have stuck with Apple for the past seven years. And let me tell you, I’m not stopping anytime soon.
It’s not because I’m super tech-savvy or can pinpoint the subtle differences between iPhone models. Honestly, I just felt the need to upgrade and kept changing my iPhone over the years.
What drew me to the iPhone? The tech? Not really.
It was the emotion I felt when people talked about Apple. The narrative around Apple just exudes sleekness, class, and sometimes even wealth. It made me feel like I belonged to a community of people—the “Twitter for iPhone” crowd, not “Twitter for Android which consistently irked the Samsung users, lol.
Apple’s Storyselling Strategy
Every part of Apple screams story, if they are not using their exclusive features to build a story around their users, like the “Shot on iPhone” “Twitter for iPhone” or “Sent from my iPhone”, their marketing campaigns are weaved into stories like the “Think Different” campaign.
This storytelling approach has not only enhanced brand loyalty but has also driven sales and positioned Apple as a community, premium, and aspirational brand.
The Power of Storytelling in Marketing
We all make buying decisions based on emotions, which is why storytelling is crucial—especially for content marketers, copywriters, content strategists, and startups.
Why should I choose Piggyvest over Cowrywise, or vice versa? They both serve the same function, but for some reason, people relate more to one than the other (you know which one I’m talking about).
It all comes down to the core message and how it’s delivered. The amount of user-generated content one brand has amassed thanks to this strategic storytelling is massive.
However, a word of caution: storytelling with a bad product will only lead to a PR disaster because your ‘shame’ will be ‘televised’ by those who fell for your story.
Telling Good Stories: Key Tips
Telling good stories comes at a cost, and here are some tips to keep in mind:
1. Know Your Audience’s Pain Points
Understanding what your audience wants or needs is the key to crafting a compelling story that keeps them intrigued and engaged. When your content resonates with their pain points, they’re more likely to follow you, inquire about your product, and eventually make a purchase.
2. Use Data to Back Your Story
As marketers, we rely on data. What informs the content you’re putting out? If you’re targeting a demographic with a specific pain point, what facts are you using to support your story? Data-driven storytelling is more effective and credible.
3. Understand Your Audience
Understanding your audience is crucial because it determines where they hang out, what channels they prefer, and what tone they resonate with the most. For instance, my 86-year-old dad thinks I don’t follow the news because I don’t have a radio. He even suggested getting me one! I had to explain that I stay up-to-date through Twitter, which I believe is the fastest news outlet right now, but he wouldn’t understand.
So, if you’re targeting boomers, you might need to use traditional marketing methods like radio, TV, street ads or their grand-kids because that’s where they get information.
4. Have a Working Product
Don’t burden your marketing team, don’t deceive your audience, and don’t give yourself unnecessary stress.
5. Learn from the Best Storytellers
One of the best examples of effective storytelling is the GNCC, Neolife, and affiliate marketing guys. They know what you want, they know how fast you want it, and they mix in a lot of motivational quotes, backed by (false) data like screenshots of testimonials and account balances, to sell you a course or training on how to make money (they themselves do not have).
And guess what? You buy it because they’ve tapped into your pain point and emotions!
The author of this tweet attached an image of the so called credit alert into the tweet, and the tweet has 15.4k comments, 3.1k retweets, 558k plus views the last time I checked it with people truly commenting “CPA”!
TL;DR:
Have a working product, please—don’t try to deceive us!
- Good stories sell.
- A good story should address your audience’s pain points and needs.
- A good story should trigger an emotion from your audience
- It should be backed by data or facts.
- How you tell your story depends on your target audience.
- A good story can be delivered in any format—writing, video, graphic, comic, drawing, painting, etc.
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