People have long been captivated by storytelling. It is a facet of human nature that should become one of the cornerstones of your successful business. Your company narrative is just as important as the goods and services you sell, and here’s why.
It helps you to take control of your narrative.
Your business has a story that goes beyond the brief history and mission statement featured on your website. Instead of allowing others to co-opt and manipulate information about your business for their own purposes, telling it yourself lets you express your narrative your way.
When you are in the driver’s seat, you can be the first to celebrate a milestone. Instead of denying that you have encountered bumps in the road, you can detail them and explain how they became teaching moments that led to growth and even better products or services. As a result, you will be a better manager of your reputation.
It allows you to create a sense of vibrant growth in real time.
Your story should not be a rigid document that never changes. It should be constantly evolving in line with the events, successes, and even failures that are shaping your business. Consumers will quickly see that it, and the company behind it, are dynamic and alive with a focus on the future.
It provides a medium to enhance your personal relationship with customers.
These days, success in business is all about cultivating rich, customized relationships with buyers. When you are honest and transparent in sharing your narrative, your customers will begin to relate to the ups and downs your store has experienced in a similar way that they would if it was an actual human being. You know that your store is more than an ecommerce platform with a payment gateway. Telling your story helps customers to recognize this fact, too.
It enables you to shape your customers’ first impression.
In the past, buyers based their feelings about a business on what they experienced when they initially walked through the door. While this still happens, people are more likely to have their first contact with your company online.
This gives you the opportunity to manage exactly what your new potential customers see when they click on your social media page or website. People value authenticity, transparency, and a focus on offering a premier, personalized shopping journey. When the story you tell revolves around these themes, you will be meshing with the priorities that are driving today’s shoppers.
It lets you entertain, engage, and excite.
Above all else, stories keep people fascinated by showing struggles and how they were overcome, humorous moments, and feats of heroism. A good tale can keep even the most jaded buyer engaged and alert long after their eyes would have glazed over from reading dry content descriptions.
Customers who are interested and excited tend to have a more positive experience. Often, that translates into additional sales, which benefits you and your payment processing for retailers. Additionally, interested, locked-in buyers are far more likely to make referrals that can lead to sales in their own right.
Your store has a unique history and a special story that is well worth sharing. Take the time to present it to your valued customers with maximum authenticity and truth, and people will feel its genuineness. The end result will be more control over your brand and reputation, stronger relationships, and customers who are happy and engaged.
