In this post, there are 5 Tips for telling your story, which when done correctly, will increase customer loyalty and boost your sales.

Most Marketers know the Rule of seven, it is an old marketing concept that has stood the test of time. It basically means that you need to build a relationship with customers before they buy.  Don’t focus on the number too much, 7 is cited as the number but it is by no means a magic number and the number of interactions that need to take place before a sale varies greatly depending on a number of factors. Just know that it is a number of times and closing a sale straight away is rare, it happens, but it is rare.

These days the best way to build that relationship is through story-based marketing, and it is not just for big brands, it is just as important for small companies too. When customers feel connected to your brand it builds loyalty and helps generate sales.

Here are 5 Tips for telling your story

1. Be Relevant

Your Brand Story Is Important but It Is Not All about You. Many people admire those like Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Steve Jobs because they founded multibillion-dollar companies from nothing with very humble beginnings like their parents’ garage. They had a vision of success and followed it, and never gave up. Their brand stories help us to forge an emotional connection that makes us feel like we are part of their success. But, your brand story is not just why you started your business and what drives your efforts,  it is not only about you. It is about the effect your story has on your target audience.

There could be any number of personal reasons why you started your business, like starting a college fund for your kids. But consider what your wider concerns were – such as going green, helping with animal rights, or to give yourself the flexibility to care for loved ones. Then your mission will be about so much more than just making money.

Your brand is not just about shopping; it’s about enhancing lives, so anything you can include in your story that emphasizes this should resonate with your audience.

2.  Be Consistent

Your story should be consistent across all channels. Who you are, what you do, and why – what is it that motivates you to do it?  If you follow Tip 3 and are authentic then this should be easy.  You need to know who you are, why your company exists and reinforce it everytime you tell your story.

3. Be Authentic

Your story should be real, honest, and authentic – not hype. It is unlikely that you are the best boss in the world but showing how you care for employees. It is also unlikely that your ‘product’ is world-changing, but you can show what difference it makes to the lives if your customers.  If your content isn’t getting shared, it might be because it doesn’t feel authentic enough to your target audience. Or perhaps they feel they have seen it before and your story is a bit cliche or scripted. There is a trend at the moment in B2B marketing, of employees recording short video clips on their high-quality mobile phones, you can be walking about, sat at your desk, or in your factory give tips and share knowledge, let your customers know you are real.

4. Be Varied

Anyone in your company can contribute to the storytelling. They can talk about where they get their ideas to help people, why it is so great working for your company, why they joined your mission. If you implement the video clips from tip 3 you can get other staff to record their tips or how their story is tied to yours.

5. Mix it up

Everyone loves good images that support the text. Offer written stories, with images, or make it fun for people to consume by mixing it up and using video and audio. Encourage your customers to record their testimonials. Consider giving them a few questions or prompts to help get the ball rolling, or sending them a questionnaire. Use images, memes, infographics and more to make your stories stand out.

Storytelling can take your brand to a whole new level. Use these 5 Tips for telling your story to make the most of this form of marketing.