Why Brand Storytelling Is the New Way of Marketing

What is brand storytelling?

Brand storytelling is the ability to use narrative techniques to engage an audience. In simple words, you need to use your storytelling abilities to shine a light on your brand’s work.

The focus is on building engagement with your target audience and trust and loyalty. It’s scientifically proven that stories tend to gather more attention on social media, partly due to their relatability and curiosity. It helps in humanizing your brand—leading to better engagement over time.

In healthcare, most would think that the customer is always the only hero of the story; they could not be farther from the truth. There are many ways to do that—either through founder stories or employee stories. It’s a two-way street and serves both you and your audience. This article will discuss how you create a brand story people will want to read and why you need to start this today as a health professional.

Ingredients to create an engaging story

Every story has a set of ingredients that make it what it is. These could include elements such as plot, characters, conflict, climax, and a happy ending. In marketing, a happy ending is key.

While you might think that your brand is the protagonist of the story, you’re mistaken. Your customer is. Use a compelling narrative to highlight how your ideal customer will benefit from engaging with your brand. The conflict aspect can discuss their pain points and issues they’re looking to resolve. You should portray your brand’s solution in such a way that it provides the much-needed happy ending they’re looking for. 

The best way to create engaging stories is to focus on your brand’s value. What do you bring to the table that other practitioners don’t? Think about what you want to achieve with these stories. Is it spreading preventive care information? Improved customer education? Leadership in the space? Create stories based on that.

Why does the health industry need brand storytelling?

Healthcare is a compassionate field where practitioners are making life-altering decisions. This is why it’s essential to build a trusting relationship with your ideal audience. It helps you establish yourself as a leader in the space and ensures that your potential customers feel safe availing of your services.

Brand storytelling could build a narrative around the issues they face. It could include previous customer journeys, the founder’s mission, employee experiences, and the like. The storytelling method will help you connect with your customers emotionally, which is crucial in this field. 

It’s also beneficial in building up an audience base in a highly competitive space. In a dense market such as healthcare, it’ll demarcate you from the rest because your messaging is ingrained in the minds of your customers—making you memorable.

3 WAYS YOU CAN GET STARTED TODAY

Patient stories should not be your only strategy

Patient stories are a great way to attract your ideal audience, but sometimes, it helps to go the extra mile. You can talk about why the practice was developed, the gaps the founder noticed in the current market, investor stories, employee experiences, and more. This is where creativity could help you.

Use visual aids

More than reading, people love watching a story unfold. Many marketing surveys have found that images and video content perform better than text-only. So, it’s best to diversify your content production and employ storytelling irrespective of the format. Creative infographics and heartfelt videos tend to perform well in this sector.

Go beyond the obvious

87% of customers use a simple Google search to read more about medical conditions. This makes search engines precious real estate for your brand. By using content formats such as blogs, or videos coupled with compelling and thought-provoking narratives, you’re set to build a relationship. It humanizes the process without having to be there.

What’s your brand story? Clarify your message and let your customers know how you can solve their problem and increase their quality of life by taking our storytelling assessment