Amid all the buzz about the benefits of content marketing, there’s an important element missing from many of the conversations: storytelling.
It’s easy to create content, which is why many brands will be jumping on the content bandwagon this year.
But content is just a commodity without storytelling to give it a rock-solid foundation.Without storytelling, content is nondescript, uninspiring and, frankly, a waste of time and energy.
For startups, storytelling is a no-brainer because attracting the spotlight is difficult without a large marketing budget or, for that matter, a marketing budget at all. To be honest, it’s always surprising to come across a startup doing a bad job of storytelling, particularly when their product is interesting.
Good stories deliver a competitive edge because it is easier to attract an audience – whether they’re customers, advertisers, employees, partners or investors.
So how do startups become good storytellers?
It begins with having a real grasp about what they do, why what they’re doing matters, and their target audiences. It may come across as a simple proposition but nailing it a big challenge. But once that story comes to life, it is so much easier for storytelling to happen in a variety of mediums.
Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and writing about storytelling, and working with startups to create well-articulated, easy to grasp stories. It is challenging but rewarding work when it comes together.
For startups, a key litmus test is when your story resonates with different people.
When your story is really working, people will happily go through many “chapters” without even realizing it.
