Getting People to Care: The Power of Storytelling in Enhancing Your Brand's Content Marketing Strategy
In today’s fast-paced digital world, it’s easy to feel like your audience is moving too quickly to get their attention. Thankfully, it’s the slow and steady work of building authentic connections that truly drives meaningful engagement. (And that? All of us can do.)
If you’re looking to get people to care about your brand, here’s something a little radical we invite you to try: slow down. Take a deep breath. Use this pause in time to really think about your story.
The truth is, for women entrepreneurs and positive-impact brands, storytelling is the heart of your content marketing strategy. When people really care about something, they’re far more likely to engage with it and give it their time.
How Is Care Created?
Here’s a fun tidbit: you can use the acronym C.A.R.E. to get people to care!
Captivating storytelling for your brand starts with asking the following questions:
Will what I’m sharing pique Curiosity?
Will it create Anticipation?
Will it Resonate with my audience?
Does it encourage Engagement?
When you create compelling stories that check all of these boxes, your stories are more likely to be shared across social media, extending your brand's reach organically.
Let’s dive a little deeper into each of these aspirations.
CURIOSITY
With countless brands vying for attention, the social media landscape can often feel like a chaotic town hall meeting where everyone is shouting their opinion, but few people are saying anything of substance. A compelling story is the best way to break through the noise and pique your audience’s curiosity. Make your brand stand out with:
– The surprising story behind a product’s development
– A customer's transformation
– An inspiring testimonial
The most memorable stories are stories of change that your audience can see themselves in. Consider this wildly authentic video Airbnb shared on their social channels. The video spotlights Damon Lawrence and Marcus Carey — two hosts who changed their lives by opening an Airbnb in New Orleans.
ANTICIPATION
Forge emotional connections with your audience by tapping into human experiences, struggles, and aspirations. Once you do, your audience will begin to look forward to your next post with the same anticipation you have when you’re about to see one of your favorite friends.
The stories you share don’t have to be big things. They can be little things: stories of small but meaningful impact. We take inspiration from the way Dr. Bronner’s celebrated Trans Day of Visibility on their social channels. They didn’t just share an image of a pride flag. They shared a long list of the trans-led nonprofits they’re funding this year along with a video of a Dr. Bronner’s employee speaking to what these trans-led nonprofits mean to them.
Research shows that people are 22 times more likely to remember a story than just facts. We think the number is only multiplied when it comes to heart-first storytelling.
RESONANCE
The truth is authenticity resonates more than perfection.
As high-achieving women, we often feel a lot of pressure to share our successes. But when we get real, and share our fuller picture — flaws and all — we foster real trust. Think of any great movie character. We cheer for the character who gets what they want at the end of the movie, because we’ve been with them through all their struggles. So be transparent. Be genuine. Whether you’re championing the mission statement of a health and wellness brand — or really any brand — authenticity is the key to help your audience connect with your mission.
ENGAGEMENT
If you’re having trouble articulating your brand’s story by yourself, remember, you’re not alone. Embrace the power of your community. When you encourage your audience to share their stories and experiences with your brand, you might be surprised to hear a fresh perspective on your brand’s story. Amplifying user-generated content is another great way to add authenticity and spread your message further. The more you and your audience engage with each other, the more care organically grows.
The CARE Approach (Q&A)
Do you have additional questions about how storytelling can get your particular audience to care? We’ve got answers.
QUESTION: You say that brands should craft stories that our audience can see themselves in. How do we do that when we don’t know the specific people we’re speaking to?
ANSWER: Once again, we invite you to slow down and take the time to really get to know your target audience. This is a two-way relationship. The best way for it to thrive is for you to know your audience inside and out. When you put time into good audience research, you’re set up to create content that speaks directly to your audience’s experiences and aspirations.
QUESTION: How can my brand strike a balance between professionalism and authenticity when it comes to social media?
ANSWER: Professionalism has its place, but it’s important to avoid over-polished and overly scripted content when you’re speaking to your audience. You’ll get a lot of mileage when you share behind-the-scenes looks, personal anecdotes, and even the occasional misstep. Perfection makes your audience zone out. Authenticity makes your audience lean in.
QUESTION: We’ve done a great job telling our brand’s story in our blog, but our audience growth has slowed. How do we change that?
ANSWER: Storytelling doesn’t need to be confined to blog posts. Consider the following alternatives to help get your brand’s story out there:
– Videos
– Podcasts
– Infographics
– Social media posts
You can accomplish a lot by typing at your keyboard, but a whole new world of opportunities opens up when you pick up a microphone or turn on a camera. Visual and auditory stories can be incredibly impactful.
P.S. Consider collaborating with influencers and thought leaders within your niche. When it comes to spreading your brand’s story, the more the merrier.
Inspiring Stories: Brands That Have Made People Care
We’re perpetually inspired by brands that successfully use storytelling in their content marketing:
1. The Washington Spirit (Women’s Soccer Team)
The Washington Spirit women’s soccer team created this simple but infectiously fun video for their social channels. In it, they create a care package for the newest player signed to their team. The video resonated deeply with the Spirit’s social audience and helped build an emotional brand connection.
“The Spirit has made me care about their offseason from these videos. These are brilliant. Besides Josh Harris, you have to give flowers to Michele King [for] trying to make the Spirit a global brand and being a progressive owner.”
- @tracytran (Washington Spirit fan)
2. Canva (Graphic Design Tool)
Melanie Perkins, the founder of Canva, shared parts of her own story to the audience at Sunrise North Island in 2020. She didn’t shy away from vulnerability as she opened up about her struggles with rejection across her career. The video of her keynote has now been widely viewed. It not only helps to bring brand awareness to Canva, but serves as an inspiration to women entrepreneurs.
“Canva founder Melanie Perkins is one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs ever… in 2012, she was rejected by investors more than 100 times… Canva is now worth $26 billion dollars and has over 110 million monthly users across 190 countries while Perkins became one of the youngest female tech unicorn founders.”
- Linas Beliūnas (via LinkedIn)
3. Charity: Water (Non-profit Organization)
The non-profit Charity: Water shared a video across their social channels that showed their audience the journey their donations take from start to finish. The video not only makes an emotional impact, demonstrating the brand’s inspiring work bringing clean water to communities around the world, it also has a playful touch.
“Happy to support this charity, everyone should have clean drinking water”
- @wendywilkinsoz (Writing to Charity: Water)
4. NYPL (Public Library)
How do you get people to care about something as boring as budget cuts? The New York Public Library has done an amazing job answering this question with a series of meme-centered posts on their social channels that talk about cuts with a sense of humor.
Check this out -
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8c7TO2pPng/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8IM_yjAlhX/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6w0ND1MlsH/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
“Whoever is running this account is hilarious and I want to have drinks with this whole team. 🙌❤️”
- @samanthalaceyjohnson (via Instagram)
Feeling Inspired? It’s Time to Share Your Story.
When we share brand stories that make people CARE, we unlock the promise of audience engagement, loyalty, and advocacy.
Have you piqued Curiosity?
Created Anticipation?
Shared stories that Resonate?
If you have, you can be sure that audience Engagement will follow.
C+A+R=E
Ready to harness the power of storytelling? Start today by sharing your brand’s unique narrative, and see how it transforms your content marketing strategy.
Looking for expert guidance as you CARE-fully craft your personal brand story? Book a complimentary call with us today.
