One of the hottest communication strategies for organizations today is storytelling. In fact, it is one of the best tools for companies and organizations to communicate their central message and brand.
A benefit of storytelling is that it puts a face on the organization. Entities that are large and/or distant from the target audience can communicate their essence and enhance personal connections with their publics.
Getting the story right is crucial, as is determining who should tell the story. Here are a few tips to get on the right track.
When it comes to the story source, look beyond people inside the organization. What matters is how your organization is accomplishing its goals. Rather than touting yourself, find people with success stories about how your organization has helped or served them. These testimonials should avoid looking and sounding like advertisements. Instead, they should represent the purpose and culture of your organization.
Let the storytellers be themselves. Your target audience respects organizations that are transparent, honest and genuine. Ensure your storytellers match those expectations and have something pertinent to say.
If your organization has branch operations across the country, feature individuals in those communities to give a local approach to the stories.
Cross-promote the stories on a variety of platforms, including traditional media (newsletters and direct mail) and digital (social networks, your website, and blogs). You can produce great stories, but it will not help your organization if the target audience does not know about them.
Tell stories in different ways that best use the particular distribution platform. Sometimes written stories with photos will work, while video or even audio (podcasts) are the best method.
Finally, keep the stories fresh and pertinent. Connect regularly with your target audience and their interests.