We love stories.
A long time ago, our ancestors found that they could use stories to share information and connect with each other, which helped them survive and pass down essential knowledge to future generations. As we evolved, we developed language, which made it even easier for us to tell stories. We continue to tell stories today because it helps us understand and make sense of the world around us. It's how we connect with others and build relationships.
Telling and listening to stories is just part of who we are as humans.
And because it is such an essential part of communication, storytelling has found its place in modern marketing. Also, in B2B, which used to lack creativity and emotions, companies use storytelling to make their product more relatable and create an emotional connection outside the rational B2B purchasing process.
This blog post will explore ways B2B Marketers can use storytelling, from customer success stories and case studies to thought leadership content and product launches.
Establishing Trust and Credibility through Storytelling in B2B Marketing
Today, it's not enough to simply list off product features and benefits of a product or service. Companies need to establish trust and credibility to truly connect with potential customers by showcasing real-life examples of how their offerings have positively impacted other businesses. This is where storytelling comes in.
By using relatable and compelling stories, companies can create an emotional connection with their audience, fostering more meaningful relationships beyond the formal process of B2B buying teams. And, because not all B2B companies use storytelling, it can be a differentiating factor. A company can effectively stand out in a crowded market by highlighting its unique value proposition through a narrative.
The goal of storytelling in B2B marketing is to communicate the value of a product or service in a way that is both informative and memorable. The use of storytelling makes the product more relatable and helps to build trust and credibility with potential customers, which is essential in the B2B purchasing process.
Being memorable helps to ensure that the audience retains the message, increasing the chances that they will take the desired action. To become memorable, it is important to tap into emotions and create a relatable and relevant message. Welcome Storytelling.
Leveraging the Power of Storytelling: the benefits for B2B Marketing
One of the key uses of storytelling in B2B marketing is establishing trust and credibility with potential customers. Instead of just listing off features and benefits, showcasing real-life examples of how a product or service has positively impacted other businesses makes the product more relatable and creates an emotional connection outside the formal and rational B2B purchasing process.
The goal is to communicate the value of a product or service in a way that is both informative and memorable. Stories are much more memorable, and by using relatable and compelling stories, companies can engage and connect with their prospective audience on a deeper level, fostering a more meaningful relationship.
And because not all B2B uses it, storytelling can be a differentiating factor. By highlighting its unique value proposition, a company can craft a narrative that sets it apart from competitors, effectively standing out in a crowded space.
From Success Stories to Thought Leadership: How B2B Companies Can Use Storytelling to Highlight the Value of Their Products and Services
Some ways that storytelling is used in B2B marketing include:
Customer case studies or testimonials showcasing a product's or service's positive impact on a specific business or industry.
Thought leadership content that positions a company as an expert in its field and highlights its unique value proposition.
Product launch or rebrand narratives that emphasize the benefits and key features of the product and how it addresses a specific business challenge.
Sales presentations, demos, and proof of concept help potential customers envision how a product or service can help their business.
From a Problem to a Brand origin story: Using Various forms to Tell your B2B Story
Several narrative structures can be used in B2B marketing. Some may sound similar, but it is good to know them and select the proper one for specific purposes and situations.
One such structure is the Problem-Solution narrative. It focuses on highlighting a specific problem the target audience faces and how your company's product or service can provide a solution. You establish trust and credibility by showing that you understand the problem and can provide a solution.
Another structure is the Before-After narrative. It emphasizes the transformational change the client can achieve with the help and support of your company's product and services. It shows the customer's current state, or the "before", and how it is improved after using your company's product or service, or the "after". This helps to demonstrate your company's value and potential impact on the client.
A third structure is the Customer Success narrative. This concept highlights the customer's experience with your products or services. By sharing the customer's story, you create an emotional connection with your customer's industry peers to establish trust. This can be an effective way to show the real-world impact of your product or service and build credibility with potential customers.
The Case Study narrative presents a specific example of how your company's product or service has helped a customer solve a problem or achieve a goal. It helps to demonstrate the effectiveness and value of your offering by providing evidence and results of your product or service.
The Industry Expertise narrative can be used to establish your company as a thought leader in the field. This concept highlights your company's expertise and thought leadership within its industry and can help to establish your company as a trusted authority.
A compelling Brand Story focuses on the company's overall narrative, history, and how it aligns with the target audience's values and goals. It highlights the company's mission, vision, and unique qualities to differentiate it from competitors and establish trust and credibility with potential customers. And it is also about the values that potential clients can relate to.
These are just a few examples of narrative structures that can be used in B2B marketing.
The key is to find the structure that best aligns with your message and also the form of communication.
"Transforming the Ordinary into the Extraordinary: The Power of Hero's Journey Storytelling in B2B Marketing"
In this blog post, I will focus on the hero journey narrative, which is, similar to the Before-After, transformational.
The hero's journey is easy to connect with because it is a well-known narrative rooted in human psychology and mythology. It is a story of transformation, which is a universal human experience, it is a story of overcoming obstacles and challenges to achieve a goal, and it is also a story of hope,.
The hero's journey is a relatable story that resonates with the audience. It creates a sense of identification with the hero. It makes it easy for the audience to understand the message and follow the story, and it tells them that even if they face challenges, they can overcome them. It also gives the audience a clear and relatable structure to understand the journey of the hero.
This can make it easy for the audience to understand the message, relate to the story, and feel a sense of connection with the hero.
The concept of the hero's journey is rooted in ancient myths and legends, which often follow a similar narrative arc of a hero leaving their ordinary world, facing challenges, and returning home transformed. This structure can be found in the epic poems of the Sumerians, the Greeks, and the Romans, as well as in religious texts and folktales from various cultures around the world.
From an Ordinary Insurer to Industry Leader: A Hero's Journey with the Guidance of a Software Vendor"
The hero journey is a powerful narrative that can be used to tell the story of your company and its products or services. In the context of B2B, the hero journey can be used to show how your company's offering can help other businesses overcome their challenges and achieve success.
The hero's journey is about transformation. Now you know why so many case studies of your competitors talk about transformation. They may well figure out the power of the hero's transformation narrative.
I will outline the narrative on the example of an insurance company to show how the hero journey can be applied to B2B marketing. In this scenario, the insurance company (your client, B2B customer) is the hero, and the insurance software vendor is the mentor (your company).
The hero journey typically has several stages, including the call to adventure, the refusal of the call, the meeting with the mentor, and the return with the elixir.
The Battle of Resistance: B2B businesses prefer not to make complex, life-changing decisions.
In the first stage of the hero journey, "call to adventure.", the insurance company realizes that to serve its customers better, it needs to improve its existing IT systems. This realization is the catalyst for the company's journey toward finding a solution. Next, the hero must cross the threshold and leave the familiar world behind.
The refusal of the call stage is when the company initially resists the idea of change. This can be due to various reasons, such as fear of the unknown, lack of resources, or simply a lack of understanding about the benefits of upgrading.
The meeting with the mentor stage is when the insurance company meets with the insurance software vendor. This vendor acts as a guide and advisor, helping the insurance company to understand the benefits of upgrading its core systems. The vendor also provides the insurance company with the tools and resources it needs to make the transition.
The meeting with the mentor stage is when the insurance company meets with the insurance software vendor. This vendor acts as a guide and advisor, helping the insurance company to understand the benefits of upgrading its core systems. The vendor also provides the insurance company with the tools and resources it needs to make the transition.
Uncovering the Hero's Inner Conflicts: How to Address Objections in a B2B Story
As the hero continues on their journey, they will encounter obstacles and challenges. In this story, these obstacles may be technical difficulties in implementing the solution or resistance from the customer's team to change their current processes.
However, with the mentor's help and the team's determination, the hero will ultimately overcome these obstacles and reach the "inmost cave." This is the moment of truth where the solution is implemented and the customer's problem is solved.
Finally, the return with the elixir stage is when the insurance company successfully upgrades its core systems and is able to serve its customers better. The company has overcome its challenges, achieved its goals, and is now in a better position to grow and thrive.
Using the example of an insurance company and an insurance software vendor, we have shown how the hero journey can be applied to a real-world scenario and how it can be used to showcase a product's or service's value.
Conclusion
Many B2B marketers made the power of stories an essential part of their B2B Brand storytelling and Content marketing strategy. They leverage stories in different formats across different marketing campaigns, channels such as social media, and target markets-audiences (prospects, employees, and other interested publics).
Storytelling in Content marketing can also allow your business to establish a better connection with potential customers and communicate the value of a product or service in an informative and memorable way.
By crafting a compelling story highlighting how you address clients' specific business challenges, you can make your products more appealing and relevant, especially when putting your client in the center of the hero's quest (you can even tune the story to different buyer personas). With all the initial reluctance to change and finally finding a trusted mentor and partner to help get him home. Transformed.
In the next blog, we will take a look at how to use storytelling in case studies, product launches, rebrands, and sales demos.