Back in school, foreign languages and geography were my favorite subjects. The dream of traveling was always there, but I was always more excited about the deep dives into local cultures than “all-inclusive” packages. In university, I crossed paths with many globe-trotters who introduced me to travel documentaries, photography and travelogs. I realized that traveling for me is all about the exciting stories out there, not so much about exotic coconut cocktails. Since then, my traveling involves a portion of healthy adventures that lead to amazing stories, eagerly waiting to be shared once back home. Being able to tell a good story became my best souvenir, but also the biggest motivation and skill – in both life, with 50+ countries visited & work, as a communication & marketing specialist.
But storytelling is not really about telling a story. Storytelling is about having a person, a relatable main character, tell a story (of your company or organization), or being part of that story. Good storytelling always involves someone who sparks emotions and creates a narrative that draws you in, allowing you to add your own experiences, feelings and imagination to it. Paradoxically, good storytelling is about people who can tell (or be helped to tell) a good story. Kindra Hall, in her book “Stories That Stick“, identifies 4 stories that can help you, as a business or organization, to differentiate, captivate and elevate:
- the value story (targeting mainly clients);
- the founder story (targeting mainly investors);
- the purpose story (targeting mainly team);
- the customer story (targeting all).
According to Hall, a good story has 4 key elements:
- identifiable characters: not just heroes, but personalities you could empathize with;
- real emotion: no emotion = no empathy; an emotion from the recipient’s perspective, not the character’s, fostering empathy;
- special moment: a unique and precise main message embedded in a specific space-time frame;
- special details: evoking the recipient’s imagination to make the story feel familiar.
The good story’s structure should follow the formula:
normal – event (that changes everything) – new normal. Business and any other success stories are predominantly shared and listened to because of the “new normal”.
The value story
This narrative bridges the gap between a problem that a potential client has, and the value your solution brings. It is considered the most convincing, encompassing the entire spectrum of why one says “yes” to a particular product or service. Facts take a backseat here, as they make our brains work harder, and the goal in a value story is to reduce cognitive load. It is important to transmit the message easily, rapidly, smoothly and positively.
Marketers understand that people don’t buy products or services; they buy what these products or services might bring them.
To uncover the insights about what that might be, Kindra Hall humorously suggests spending a night with a potential client (figuratively, of course).
The key is to understand the client’s problems, actions taken, and engage in a conversation to gather insights for the special moment and special details mentioned earlier.
The founder story
Behind every business is a story of its origin, usually involving the person or group of people who kick-started it. In a crowded and competitive market, sharing the story of the individuals who founded the business sets you apart. Take, for example, Airbnb and the two guys who inflated the mattresses for guests attending a fully booked conference in San Francisco. This is how they began, and it is one of the stories they shared with the world.
The founder story serves the purpose of showcasing that amidst challenges, founders persevere.
The founder story aims to communicate that the business logo and the founder’s blood are the same color (metaphorically speaking).
And that the happiest day in their lives was not their wedding day but the day they registered the company. Leveraging the founder’s story is essentially selling the founder and, by extension, the company. It is important not to confuse it with the value story, where the focus is on selling the product itself.
The purpose story
The value and the founder stories often take the spotlight first, naturally emerging as entrepreneurs embark on their business journeys. The purpose story, however, steps onto the stage when a transcendent purpose (how the organization improves people’s lives) trumps the transactional purpose (how the organization makes money).
In the absence of a purpose, profit becomes the sole driver – and this is pretty boring.
To “hack” the purpose story, as suggested by Kindra Hall, it’s crucial to craft a message and weave a narrative that brings this message to light. In purpose stories, the character typically becomes a leader, the “main boss” who has “learned the lesson” or “gained the experience.” The most compelling purpose stories are those shared by leaders about themselves, unveiling a moment of vulnerability, ideally outside the confines of the workplace. This adds a layer of authenticity and relatability to the narrative, making it resonate with the audience on a deeper level.
The customer story
Considered the most challenging, the customer story is where the rubber meets the road. Marketing is about proclaiming the excellence of your product or service is good, but referrals, especially through customer stories, involve someone else vouching for your offering. And a good referral means trust.
While both value stories and customer stories adhere to a similar logic, the latter stands out by employing the voices of customers, narrated on their behalf. This infusion of customer voices adds a layer of authenticity that resonates deeply. It’s not just about asserting the value.
It is about real people sharing their genuine experiences, building trust through the power of their testimonials.
Thank you, Kindra Hall, for the valuable insights!
Olga talks about #communications 