RULE 6:
Tell stories
The magic of storytelling is its ability to tap into our capacity for empathy. When listening to a story, our brains respond as if we, personally, are experiencing the events described.
This comes with some pretty significant benefits, including better retention of information. Behavioural scientist Susan Weinschenk explains:
"You are literally using more of your brain when you are listening to a story. And because you are having a richer brain event, you enjoy the experience more, you understand the information more deeply, and retain it longer."
Character-driven stories with emotional content result in a better understanding of the key points and better recall
B2B marketers are being lazy if they believe storytelling is only relevant in the B2C space. Research reveals specific characteristics of communication that stays with the audience that B2B marketers and thought leaders should leverage.
Professor of economics, psychology, and management at Claremont Graduate University, Paul Zak wrote in an article on Harvard Business Review:
"My experiments show that character-driven stories with emotional content result in a better understanding of the key points a speaker wishes to make and enable better recall of these points weeks later."
One of the best examples we've seen comes from HP and features Christian Slater, cleverly riding on the coat tales of his role in Amazon's Mr Robot:
Take a look at Cisco's Sea Change story, which showcases their solutions in the context of an unusual use case for the Internet of Things: regattas.
There's also Microsoft's Stories microsite, which shines a light on the people and ideas behind the brand, from researchers in India to engineers in Kentucky.
