Digital storytelling for businesses

What is storytelling?

As human beings, we’re hardwired to love a good story. It’s been this way since the beginning of time. We use stories to make sense of the world around us and to connect with the people we share it with. Good stories grab our attention, foster understanding, and build an emotional connection.  

Stories are at the heart of how we communicate. They enable people to transfer knowledge and understand complex information. On top of that, stories make it easier for people to remember things. 

Try to recall what was in that status report 3 weeks ago and you’ll most likely draw a blank. Try to remember what the hotel room looked like during that legendary weekend getaway with friends and you’ll remember every detail – from the floral printed throw pillow to the suspicious stain on the carpet. Through the power of storytelling, you can turn all sorts of information into compelling and memorable stories. 

The Center for Neuroeconomics Studies has done interesting research that shows how stories affect people differently than formal presentations—concluding that storytelling has a much higher impact on the audience than presenting mere facts and figures. This makes it a powerful content marketing tool that can maximize a business’ profit, visibility, and impact. 

How to use storytelling for your business

There are many ways to integrate storytelling as part of your brand and business communication. Nowadays, digital storytelling is probably the most logical way to go – as so much of our communication and life has moved to the online space. Companies such as Hyro, offer storytelling software that makes it simple and accessible for companies to create impactful digital stories that are worth sharing.

When wrapping corporate facts and figures in a story, it’s essential to understand the structure of good stories. There’s no real difference between a best-seller, Hollywood Blockbuster, Pulitzer prize winning type of story and a corporate story. Every good story follows a similar story structure that consists of 7 elements: 

There’s a good reason why most people remember dialogues and scenes from their favorite movies – even years later. A good story provides the structure we need to remember things. It’s how our brains make sense of the world. Whether it’s a famous fairy tale such as Snowwhite or a compelling corporate story, every captivating story has the same structure. 

There’s always a hero who faces a problem. He then meets a guide, who provides the hero with a plan to solve the problem. This is when the stakes become clear, which moves the hero to action. By doing this, the hero of the story avoids failure, and eventually delivers success. 

In most “normal” stories the audience identifies with the hero and his/her challenges. As a corporate storyteller, your customer IS the hero of the story. And you’re the guide that offers a solution that allows the hero to overcome his/her challenges.

The use of visuals in corporate storytelling

Building a good story is the first part of storytelling. Presentation and deliverance is the second and equally important part. You need to use visuals to communicate your story effectively. Visualizing your corporate story helps you grab your audience attention.

People respond to what they see more than anything else. The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than written text, which is why visual stories are so impactful. 

There are many options to create visually stunning and engaging stories, for example, by using photos, videos, animations, and even virtual or augmented reality. Regardless of the chosen option – a storyteller needs to help the audience see things clearly. This counts as much as what’s being said. 

How does storytelling benefit your company? 

There are many ways storytelling is used to grow businesses. Telling corporate stories in a captivating way will add more value to any customer experience, and it will take experience marketing to a higher level. 

Storytelling can also be used for internal purposes. For instance, a company’s internal marketing and employee communication. It’s an effective way to create a sense of community among employees while growing a strong company culture. 

In short, storytelling can unlock a whole new world of business opportunity and profit.

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