The Art of Storytelling: It’s in your DNA

What’s the first thing you do when meeting someone new?

You ask them questions to unveil their story:

• Where are you from?
• What kind of work do you do?
• Do you have children?
• Do you come here often?

Questioning a stranger is more than a polite way to pass time — it’s the core of trying to make a connection.

Stories make life extremely interesting and give people a way to connect. People crave for them, which creates a huge opportunity for brand storytelling.

Unfortunately, a lot of companies don’t think of themselves as a brand, let alone consider whether they have a story to tell. But the problem is not that they don’t have a story — they just don’t understand how to find it, or how they should be sharing it.

How do you use storytelling in branding?

The important thing to note is that storytelling need not involve loads of drama, a villain or even a clear beginning, middle or end to be engaging. Rather, in using storytelling in branding, make sure that all your communication revolves around a central theme.

The brand story can show up (also visually, storytelling is not only verbal) in several places, for instance:

- Your business logo, motto/tagline, mission, vision and values
- The customers you choose to take on
- The potential customers that you openly engage with online (for example through Twitter or LinkedIn)
- Your “About” page & “Background” story
- The graphics on your website

In a nutshell, you have to know who you are before you can explain it to someone else. Brands that don’t have their core value propositions in place, or have internal discrepancies about what they are even trying to say, will never be able to share their story with the world in an honest and engaging way.