
Back in 2021, I teamed up with two of my brothers, John and Michael, to launch our own marketing agency.
It all started with John’s fantastic idea that the three of us could join our talents. He had honed his skills at top-tier agencies but craved the freedom and creativity of entrepreneurship. Michael, a whiz at Google and Facebook ads, brought his tech-savvy expertise to the table, while I contributed my freelance background in web design, copywriting, and SEO.
It’s been quite an adventure as our agency has grown and more people have joined our team. I love when I get the chance to share here on my blog some of the marketing strategies that we’ve implemented, helping a wide array of businesses and influencers grow their brands online (from brick-and-mortar stores to national companies to personal brands to authors and more!).
One strategy, however, has consistently stood out as the most powerful: storytelling. As a fiction writer, I love showing clients how they can captivate their audience with a well-told story.
In today’s post, I’m sharing four ways we’ve harnessed the power of storytelling to elevate our clients’ marketing efforts. Whether you’re a small business owner, a freelancer promoting your services, or an author eager to market your book, I hope these will give you ideas and inspire you.
(And if you’re struggling with your marketing and interested in my agency’s help, you can learn more here.)
1. How a Luxury Retail Store Sold Out Their Entire Inventory Through Storytelling
Problem: The owners of an upscale retail store approached us with an exciting challenge. They wanted to create buzz around their upcoming end-of-year holiday sale and sell out their entire inventory before the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve.
How could they move such a vast amount of luxury products in such a short timeframe?
Solution: We crafted a dynamic marketing campaign using Facebook, Instagram, Google Display, and YouTube ads to build excitement for their upcoming “everything must go” sale.
Our strategy kicked off with teasers leading up to the sale, followed by attention-grabbing ads at the sale’s launch, and finally, messages emphasizing urgency and scarcity as their products began to sell out.
We had a blast creating lighthearted, humorous ads to remind customers of the sale, but the heart of our campaign was a poignant video that told the story of their store.
The owners shared with us the inspiring story of how their family started the business (along with family photos!) as well as their mission and vision for the future of the store.
We took their story, edited it to highlight the most compelling parts, and created a cinematic, documentary-style video that also included professionally captured footage of the store.
This video was displayed on their website’s landing page about the sale. Additionally, before the public sale kicked off, the owners screened this video at their store in an exclusive event for their friends and longtime customers. It was a touching moment, filled with gratitude for the local community and a celebration of nearly fifty years of history at the store.
The sale was a huge success, but I also love that through this marketing effort, the owners now have a lasting video that preserves the legacy of a store they lovingly built over the years.
Key Insights
While our clients were the owners of a brick and mortar business, this same storytelling strategy can be used by any business launching a new product or running a special sale.
Tell the story of your business, why you are passionate about your products, and how they can transform your customers’ lives. That passion will connect with your customers much more powerfully than just a discount and a buy now button.
2. How an Online Business Owner Used the Power of Storytelling to Transform Her Brand and Land Exclusive Podcast Interviews
Problem: The owner of an online consulting business came to us with one of the most common marketing problems: she wanted to get the word out online about her business.
Ads were fantastic for brand visibility but didn’t drive immediate leads. People usually became clients of her business after she had been recommended by another trusted business owner.
She wanted to position herself as a thought leader in her industry, but how?
Solution: One of the best ways to position yourself as a thought leader is to create an in-depth resource about your industry. This could be anything from a book to blog posts to YouTube videos.
We helped her determine what would be the best resource for her industry, and we turned it into a lead magnet: a PDF guide that people could download by subscribing to her email list.
Next, in order to get the word out about her guide, we helped her find local and nationwide business podcasts that she could appear on. People who would be interested in her services were already listening to those shows and would trust the podcast host to recommend a reliable resource. But, first, our client had to convince the podcast hosts to have her on their shows.
Podcast hosts are always on the hunt for new guests they can interview who have interesting stories. But you have to convince the hosts that your story is interesting and you can help their audience! So we created a media kit for our client that she could use to pitch podcast hosts. It contained her bio, headshot, details about her business, and more.
We guided her through a worksheet of several powerful questions to help her articulate her personal story of creating her business and her mission and vision.
Then, we edited this down into a compelling story for her bio that powerfully communicated to potential clients the problems she solved and why she was passionate about helping them. We also created attention-grabbing headlines for the topics she could pitch to podcast hosts.
Equipped with this media kit that powerfully tells her story, she has already appeared on several podcasts (one affiliated with the state’s premier business magazine), beginning her journey as a recognized thought leader in her field.
Key Insights
As we also saw with the retail store, the creation story of a business is a powerful marketing tool that makes you stand out from the competition.
Think of Facebook — we know it started in a dorm room when its founder Mark Zuckerberg wanted to create a way to connect with his fellow college students. Levi’s were originally jeans designed to be worn by pioneers panning for gold who needed a tough pair of pants.
Those stories give those companies a certain mythos. They also reveal much about the companies’ values.
3. How a Law Firm Turned Legal Jargon Into Stories to Connect With Their Audience on Social Media
Problem: A law firm came to us wanting to breathe new life into their social media content. They were seeking fresh ideas to connect with their audience.
Their goal was to showcase their expertise while also demonstrating genuine compassion and empathy for the challenges their clients face.
Solution: We helped the law firm design a social media calendar with monthly themes that would help them post more consistently and also emphasize their expertise in various topics.
Additionally, we created engaging posts that addressed common client questions and others that introduced their talented lawyers.
But we didn’t stop there! We aimed to break new ground in storytelling, something no other law firm in their area had attempted.
We launched a unique series of posts on Instagram and Facebook with stories in the captions and accompanying graphics that followed fictional characters grappling with challenges similar to those faced by their clients.
Here’s an excerpt as an example:
Imagine this: You have everything you ever wanted. A loving spouse, a beautiful child, and a successful business. You feel like you’re living the dream.
But then, out of nowhere, your world comes crashing down. Your marriage falls apart, and you’re facing divorce.
That’s what happened to James.
These compelling narratives not only captured the attention of the law firm’s online audience but also demonstrated a deep empathy for their struggles.
Through this storytelling approach, we were able to highlight their expertise in a way that spoke to potential clients on a deeper level.
Key Insights
Fictional stories are a powerful tool to use in marketing. They immediately pique the curiosity of the person browsing social media.
Instead of relying on the usual sales pitches that can feel dry and impersonal, storytelling allows us to connect with our audiences in a warm, engaging way.
4. How a Speaker and Nonfiction Author Revolutionized His Book Marketing Through Storytelling
Problem: An inspiring author and speaker came to us, eager to sell his books and share his impactful message with a broader audience. He wanted help with marketing for upcoming books, but he also wanted to sell more copies of a book he’d already published.
How could he reignite interest and excitement for a book that had already been released?
Solution: First things first, we took a close look at the book landing page on his website. It featured just a photo of the book cover, a brief description, and a “Buy Now” button. That wouldn’t be enough to spark interest from people who weren’t already familiar with his work.
To effectively market the book, we needed to revamp this page and turn the description into a compelling story that would resonate with potential readers and entice them to buy.
We guided him through a worksheet to uncover his journey as an author, the motivation behind writing this book, why his book is unique, and the key problems it solves for readers. He also distilled the biggest lessons from his book.
We edited and organized his words to create a captivating story for the sales page so readers understand the author’s story and also get a peek behind the curtain at the transformative journey they will experience when they buy the book.
To create a sense of urgency and additional value, we brainstormed incentives he could offer so people would be excited to buy now: for example, a limited number of signed copies, a complimentary video course with each purchase, or a free accompanying workbook, etc.
The next step is launching a targeted marketing campaign to drive traffic to his newly designed sales page so that he reaches even more people.
Key Insights
Let’s rename “sales pages” as “sales story pages.” When the page is structured as a story, it captivates readers and convinces them why they should buy your book or product or service.
I plan to share more about how to craft captivating book landing pages in an upcoming post!
The Takeaway
I hope these four stories give you inspiration for how you can use storytelling with your own marketing. Stories are so effective in marketing because they engage a person’s brain far more powerfully than data and abstract language can.
According to this article in Forbes,
Cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner suggests we are 22 times more likely to remember a fact when it has been wrapped in a story.
That means that stories make your writing and marketing not only more engaging but also more memorable.
My favorite storytelling outline is the Hero’s Journey. You can find out more about that in my video below where I break down how to use it in fiction and nonfiction.
And if one of the client stories I shared above resonated with you and you think my agency might be able to help you with an upcoming marketing campaign, I’d love to connect. You can check out more about our services on my page here.
Thank you for reading this post! If you enjoyed this post, be sure to share it on social media or with a fellow writer who you think would enjoy it too.
Wishing you much success with your writing projects this month! God bless.
Fathimath Naja MP says
Wow nice blog. I like it. I am Fathimath Naja MP, a digital marketing strategist in Kannur.
zuboc says
Very nice blog
Ken says
Thank you for pouring your heart into this piece. It’s clear how much effort you put into making your posts both informative and inspiring.
Nicole Bianchi says
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Ken!