Make Your Website Stand Out with Storytelling

Don’t Get Lost in Marketing Overload

It is estimated that people see over 5,000 marketing messages per day.  There are over 700,000 Google searches performed every 60 seconds, and over 5.3 trillion ads were served up on the internet in 2012.  Basically, the internet is extremely noisy, so don’t let your content get drowned out by the noise.

Using storytelling in your content marketing strategy will help you rise above the noise.  It will show your audience exactly why they should buy your product.

Show, Don’t Tell.

Think of a storybook.  The visuals guide you to imagine the scenario the author has in mind.  In the same way, try to implement this visual concept on your website.  Show your customers the story of how your product will help them solve a want or a need.  By presenting your content in a visual way, it will help you prioritize what you want them to remember about your business or product.  Press releases containing multimedia get 77% more responses compared to text-only press releases.  Add videos to your blog posts, and you’ll see 3X the amount of link-backs than you would normally see.

Content is Still King

Content is still an incredibly important part of your website.  Google looks for high-quality and unique content on websites, which translates into higher rankings.  However, content is much more than just a SEO tool.  It provides valuable information to your prospects and leads them to the only feasible conclusion that they should buy your product.

Make Sure Your Message Doesn’t Get Skimmed

Even if you have a revolutionary product, unless you position in a way that captures the imagination of your audience, they’ll just pass it by.  So, what can you do to make your content stand out from the 100,500 words that each person reads online each day?  Hook your customers by framing your content as a story.  Your customers aren’t on your website to be sold to.  They are looking for a trustworthy solution to their problem.  Help them to identify with your story, speak to their worries, hopes, wants and needs.  Your message needs to be easy to understand, yet still intelligent and interesting.

The Coffee Shop Test

The easiest way to do this is to put your content to the Coffee Shop Test.  Imagine two friends sipping coffee at a Starbucks, having a great conversation.  Your content should sound similar to one friend trying to convince the other of his point of view.  It should be natural and flow easily, but still persuasive and respectful.  This is how you get the hook that will help your content to stand out: Keep it conversational.

The content on your website is your story, so tell a good one.

Don’t rely on your audience to piece your story together themselves.  Instead, tell them the story you want them to hear.  Remember, consumers are already on content overload, so make sure your content is simple and engaging.

The simplest way to make your content memorable is to tell a story about who you are. Rather than bombarding your customers with offers and benefits, try a more genuine and subtle approach.  If your customers can relate to you and trust you, it will lead them to buy from you.