By: Rachel Hansen
Has a commercial ever made you laugh? Made you cry? Did you ever wonder how they did it? After all, it’s just a commercial, right? Well, they probably told you a good story, and you likely didn’t even notice that’s what they were doing at the time.
All good marketing tells a story, no matter what the product or service. Whether it is long or short, on TV or in print (or in person), every story requires three elements: character, conflict, and resolution. Here’s how each one works to advance your story (and your marketing message).
Character
The purpose of a character is to give your audience a window into the story. The character is the one who experiences change as a result of the events of the story. Your business or product isn’t the hero of the story, your customer is. This character can be an existing customer (if you’re telling a story in their voice or from a third-person point of view), or you can tell the story from the perspective of the reader (using second-person point of view, like this post). Whichever POV you choose for your story, be sure the information is helpful and relevant to the goals and challenges of your buyer persona/s.
Conflict
Conflict is a crucial element in storytelling. In marketers’ efforts to keep things positive, we sometimes make the mistake of removing the conflict from our story. However, if there is no problem, then there can be no solution (your product). Every story needs an arc from problem to solution, during which your character can grow and change. The conflict of your story should also align with your buyer persona’s conflict. What problem are they trying to solve? Is there a goal they are trying to achieve? Remember, people will have different goals and problems at each stage of the buyer’s journey. A prospect at the beginning of the buyer’s journey may relate to a story that helps them diagnose their problem (since they may not even have a name for it yet), while a prospect at the end may benefit more from a story that exemplifies why your solution is superior to that of your competitors.
Resolution
Every story needs an ending. Your story’s resolution should provide emotional closure for your audience, a solution to their problem, and next steps they can take to move further down your marketing funnel. This can include a relevant call to action, such as subscribing to your blog, downloading an eBook, or registering for a free trial—just make sure any CTA matches where your audience is in their buyer’s journey.
Once you have mastered the art of telling a compelling ed tech story, you will be able to build trust with your audience by offering them helpful, meaningful content at every stage of their journey.
Thanks for sharing!