Scale Up Strategies: The Business Podcast for Coaches, Consultants, and Speakers
We're your hosts and Business Coaching experts Mary Fain Brandt and Laura Bashore
We’re sharing all our mistakes and insider tips from our 20+ years in business and
how we successfully scaled up our businesses without losing our minds or our husbands.
Sure you can piece it together and try to DIY your way to success
OR
you can listen to us every week and learn the shortcuts because we promise there
are some.
Scale Up Strategies: The Business Podcast for Coaches, Consultants, and Speakers
The Storytelling Edge: From Stories to Sales, Elevate Your Brand's Narrative
Can a story truly transform your business?
Discover the answer as we, Mary Fain Brandt and Laura Bashore, take you on an enlightening journey into the world of storytelling in marketing.
In this episode of Scale Up Strategies, we reveal the psychological magic behind storytelling—how neural coupling and dopamine release can make your message unforgettable.
Listen as we highlight a LinkedIn post that skyrocketed engagement and opened new doors, demonstrating the power of authentic narratives to connect on a deeper level and drive meaningful results.
But that's not all. We also examine how storytelling can reshape entire industries and societal attitudes.
By reflecting on a groundbreaking campaign that celebrated diverse body sizes and skin conditions, we underline the importance of aligning your brand message with your core values.
Plus, get a sneak peek of our next episode with the insightful Richard Marks, who will share how storytelling in his book has amplified his business and created new revenue streams.
Join us for a conversation that celebrates good coffee, great conversations, and even greater success. Cheers!
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You're listening to Scale Up Strategies, the business growth podcast for coaches, consultants and speakers. We're your hosts and business coach experts Mary Fane Grant and Laura Bay Shore.
Speaker 2:We're sharing all our insider tips from 20 plus years in business, including how we successfully scaled our businesses without losing our minds or our husbands.
Speaker 1:Sure, you can piece it together and try to DIY your way to success, or you can listen to us every week and learn the shortcuts, because we promise they're really awesome.
Speaker 2:So grab your favorite cup of coffee, tune in and let's start the show.
Speaker 1:Welcome back to Scale Up Strategies, the business growth podcast for coaches, consultants and speakers. Hi there, I'm Mary Fane Brandt.
Speaker 2:And I'm Laura Bayshore, and on this episode, we're going to be discussing the power of storytelling in your marketing. Yes, you hear that storytelling is important, but we want to talk with you about how to be able to craft compelling stories that resonate with your audience and share examples of successful storytelling campaigns so you get a better understanding of what storytelling is.
Speaker 1:And I have a story to tell a little bit later, something that I just put out on social and an email, and it got a lot of traction, so I'm going to share that later. But let's start with understanding the power of storytelling. So why does storytelling matter in marketing? Well, I can tell you in one sentence why it matters. Are you ready, laura? I think so. Stories sell, facts tell.
Speaker 1:And now I have to give credit to my girl, stephanie Navinskas. I heard her say this like seven years ago and like the light bulb went off, because storytelling is a fundamental human experience. It's how we make sense of the world and how we connect with each other. You know statistics. Here's some statistics. Okay, according to a study by Stanford University, stories are 22 times more memorable than facts alone. So there's examples are like Coca-Cola and Nike. They use storytelling to create an emotional connection with their audience, and when you have an emotional connection with your audience, it makes it makes the story or the content right, more memorable and more impactful.
Speaker 1:So, real quick, this just happened to me. I did a post, um, about my mom going, disappearing in the night. I put this post on LinkedIn, I did an email about it and I got a lot of oh my gosh, I've been through something similar or I'm going through that now. I also got a request to come be on a couple of podcasts because of that story. So that you know, yeah, so the the story and I have to say you know, it was well written with the help of AI. It was my story. I just helped, you know, put it all together but it was a really personal story, but it's a memorable story. So, story, you know, I've could have written it better, like what do you do when you're overwhelmed? Well, that's kind of boring. That's not really a story.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, and from the very beginning of time I mean, that's how we first recorded history was through oral storytelling, right, and that is because our brain is wired to retain things that draw emotion to us, which is one of the things we want to talk to you guys about today the psychological impact of stories. So when we can draw emotion, whether seeing the picture in our mind smelling so a scent that you're familiar with you know French fries, these French fries. We haven't eaten lunch yet, so we're very hungry. We were just talking about that and when you hear these things, your brain is able to tactfully cling on to that and it keeps you engaged. So, wondering why people are not listening or engaging with you, what story are you telling? So the story has a unique way to captivate people's attention. They want to hear what happens next. And also to Mary's point, with what she just shared evoking emotion is really strong.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, not the French fries.
Speaker 2:The first thing because I also saw yeah, no, I saw your email about that and I was really touched by it too and I was tempted to send you a text message about how I thought that was great that you shared it. I'm sorry I didn't send that text message.
Speaker 1:My son decided to throw up a whole different story, but it was a personal story where you know you can feel the struggle that I was going through, the fright that I had, and then how I came out of that, and it's a story I want to share more because I want to help more people that are going through that.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and it ties into a major part of who you are as a business owner as well. So there's a way to find a story that's not just for the sake of telling a story, which is what you did there. You were sharing information that connects with people so they feel like they can relate Maybe they've had somebody in the family who that has happened with as well and then they can also empathize. So let's talk about a little bit more of the science-y part behind it. So neural coupling, okay, which is when someone tells a story, their brain activity aligns with that of the listener through a process called neural coupling. So it means that it's a mirroring effect and that's where you're able to really draw on things like empathy with the storyteller. It's how you can relate, even if it hasn't happened to you.
Speaker 2:And then a dopamine release, because who doesn't like that? Just like this, right? So engaging stories trigger that dopamine release through your neurotransmitters associated with pleasure and reward, and it makes the experience much more enjoyable. And when you are enjoying the experience, that's what makes it memorable, because your body wants to again have that feeling and that's why the memory actually sticks. So, speaking of memory, it increases memory retention because you're not speaking in things in an ambiguous way. Instead, you're having a specific story that you can relate to, to that person or to that brand or whatever is being conveyed to you, so that you can hold on to the facts rather than just having an imagery or creating your own story behind it. So that's what's going to help it to be memorable for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can remember things through stories. That's how I learn. That's how you know, if you showed me a structure, like, okay, I want you to build this house and there's plans, but if you tell me the story of why we're building the house, how we're going to build the house, right, I'm going to learn that way. So I think storytelling is not only great as a business owner, but you can also teach people through storytelling. Stories have the power to evoke really strong emotions, right, Just like the story I just shared. That was really really strong emotions and that can influence our attitudes and behaviors.
Speaker 1:So I was telling this story you know, I've told this story about my mom several times before and when I was in San Diego, I wanted to do something with the Alzheimer's Association and as I was telling the story to my coworkers, we formed a team and we raised like $1,500 in about 10 days, Cause I. It was like I want to do this, but I don't. I don't know how to do it, I don't feel strong enough. So, telling the story, we were able to do something some good out of that because there was that emotional connection. So, whether you're tapping into joy, sadness, fear, inspiration, they can help you create a deeper connection with your audience, with your network, with the people following you on social. So I really feel storytelling is something we all need to do a little more when we're doing social not just promoting our goods and our services, but sharing the story of why, Like why I started my business was because of my mom. When a story resonates- your founder's story.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my founder's story. When a story resonates emotionally with the audience, it can really reinforce their existing beliefs or even change their attitudes. Like you know, like someone, overcoming adversity can inspire and motivate people to face their own challenges with renewed determination. So sharing your story, you know, it can actually shift someone's viewpoint and I think that is so powerful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is. You know, by engaging the brain and triggering emotions. That's really where the influence of your story comes from. So, talking about behavioral change, so if your story illustrates the benefits of certain behaviors or the consequences of others, that's a way that you can use that story to shape a behavior in your prospective client or your prospective business partner. So, for example, you know public health campaigns. They often use storytelling to encourage healthy behaviors such as you know, like quitting smoking. That story gets a lot stronger when they tell you what this person was no longer able to do because of their choice to smoke previously. Right, or the the imagery of. You know the whole.
Speaker 1:I mean we can all see, it right yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cause we all know, cause we saw it Right. Yeah, because we all know, because we saw it Right, yeah. The other thing that your story does is it helps to create brand loyalty. People start to identify with the stories that you're sharing and they see themselves in that. So it helps to build really strong emotional bonds, and that's also when you get the whole effective word of mouth. When somebody identifies with your brand and has that loyalty, they're going to talk about you because now it's a part of them, right.
Speaker 1:So that kind of goes into. One of the examples that I had listed for us to talk about is Dove's Real Beauty campaign. That's a story, right. They started in 2004, aimed at challenging the conventional beauty standards by promoting body positivity, and they featured real women in all ages ages, sizes, backgrounds, sharing their personal stories with an experiences with beauty and self-esteem. So they created this emotional connection by using the real stories from real women, and Deb created a powerful emotional connection with its audience. That that 2004 campaign is still going strong. Just it's been revamped and there's new segments. But they also influence the industry. Remember how we said stories can influence someone's attitude, someone's belief, someone's structure. That campaign made it okay for models not to be a size zero. That campaign I really feel like as was a turning point, that if you have what is it Empatigo, it's okay. You can still be a model If you're a size 20.
Speaker 2:Is it Vitilago?
Speaker 1:Is it that what it is? I?
Speaker 2:thought it was Empatigo. Yeah, with this color pigmentation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, White, black like that Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, vitiligo.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you, Laura, for correcting me. I appreciate that because I don't know, but I feel like that campaign using real women, real stories. They were able to influence the beauty industry with their stories.
Speaker 2:You know what? What I can say as somebody, something that happened tied in around the same time. So one is that Dev was really at the forefront. They understood where the trends were going. Somehow they got above that, and so it was a perfect kind of hurricane of that. But also, as someone who used to watch America's Next Top Model, I was a fan. You started to see that immediately within the contestants of America's Next Top Model too.
Speaker 1:So this story just triggered that story for me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they had someone on there who was plus size. They had someone on there who had vitiligo. These things were happening in the change of that in real time, so I agree with you.
Speaker 1:Yay, I love that. So a good story can influence an entire industry, not just your audience. So let's talk about, you know, crafting a compelling story. Identifying your core message so you have to start with a clear message or theme, right. Your core message so you have to start with a clear message or theme, right. This is really critical.
Speaker 1:The foundation of any compelling story is a clear and concise core message, and this is something I have to work on all the time, because I can be too short or too long. I can be just like top level or go down a windy road and tell too much. So it does take practice on how to craft a compelling story, because it does need to be concise. It also needs to align with your brand values. We were just, you know previous episodes we'll refer to those in the show notes but creating your brand personal brand statement and story, your compelling stories need to align with your brand value. So I am all about giving back to Alzheimer's Association Benevia here. That goes back to the story that I just shared about my mom going missing because she had Alzheimer's. So there needs to be a correlation. They need to be tied together. Your core message should reflect your brand's values and mission. This helps really build the authenticity and trust with your audience right Because they can see your actions and your message are consistent with your brand's principles, it all.
Speaker 1:It works well together with your brand principles.
Speaker 2:it all it works well together. Well, and it helps avoid you doing things with your brand that you would not normally do. They don't allow you. This will help you avoid aimless cat videos sharing it to your uh, to your professional site, unless it really truly matters, right? If that's part of your brand, yeah, but that's a good point, I think, taking a step back and understanding like, yes, the whole point of storytelling is to be authentic, right, like you want to be authentic in it, but you're also trying to move the needle on your product or your service, and so you need to make sure when Mary's talking about core messaging, she's also talking about the core action or behavior that you want as a result of this story. What are you trying to have your audience do as a result of hearing this story?
Speaker 1:So to build on that, your core story needs to resonate with your audience. So to craft a story, laura, that really resonates and matters to your audience, you need to consider their values, aspirations and their pain points. Your core message should address these aspects and connect with them on an emotional level, and that's what I was doing with this story about my mom. It's a little off as far as I wasn't trying to build a I'm not trying to get clients from that. I am trying to show that what I was trying to do with that post was to inspire others, and I think I did that. I was trying to inspire others by telling the story that through, through the thick of things, even when we're in the darkest, deepest moments, we can emerge and we can find true purpose, and that's what I was trying to do.
Speaker 2:I'm going to pull back, though, even more and check a little bit of imposter syndrome on your side and just say, in my estimation of what I saw, yes, you were doing it to be inspirational. However, you're inspiring for a reason you want those who will possibly eventually be clients or those who will be potential referral partners, to understand and connect with you and see that you've been there too and that this is now a part of your purpose and drive for your business, and you want them to be able to find that for themselves as well. So it really all is working in on that action, and that's okay. It can do both of those things. To me, the right storytelling does both of those things.
Speaker 1:I like that, thank you. And it does all of that. It does tie into a talk I'm doing in November about change for a women's leadership conference. Like navigating change, um, going through change and coming out the other side you know you don't talk about it when you're in the thick of things. You can look back and share your story of how you navigated such a big life change and what did that shift or change in your mindset, how did you navigate and what changes did you have to make to implement new strategies? So that it does kind of tie into my business as I'm thinking about this change talk, big changes that I've gone through.
Speaker 2:Yes, that is your transformation story. There are titles. You got your founder story, your transformation story, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, so moving on, what do should we? Laura, do you want to start talking about how to identify your core message? There's really four elements. And you can rattle those all off and then we can dive back or however you want to take that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think you need to understand. So you need to be able to reflect on your brand's mission and your values, like that is number one, and this is something that, if you've listened to our branding parts one and two, it's going to help to kind of put you in alignment of that. So if you haven't listened to those two podcast episodes yet, I would highly recommend that you do that. Let's give you an example here so you can understand what we're talking about.
Speaker 2:Patagonia's mission statement is we're in business to save our home planet. So what that does is that clearly reflects their commitment to environmental sustainability, which is central theme to all of their storytelling. So they're going to use that to guide the storytelling that they share with their clients and business partners. Number two is going to be to understand your audience. If you want to be able to connect your stories to your audience, you need to understand where they're coming from. So do things like conducting research, you know, sending out surveys that are going to help you find out your audience's demographics, interests, challenges. When I did that in my business in 2020, it was transformational for me. I really found out how to fine tune the way that I was speaking to my audience.
Speaker 2:I love that, and then identifying key themes. So, based on your brand's mission and audience insights, then you need to start thinking okay, how can I brainstorm what's going to serve as a foundation story? And then, with these themes, how are we going to make sure that they're relevant, relatable and impactful? So one example here is Warby Parker's theme of buy a pair, give a pair, so that's going to highlight their social responsibility and commitment and that appeals to their consumers, who want their purchases to have a positive impact.
Speaker 1:I'm all for buying anything that has a positive impact. That will literally sway me If ever. If there are five products and they're almost all the same. If it's made in the U S, boom I'm going to order that off Amazon. If you have a give back component, boom, I'm going to order that. So for me, as a consumer, that really helps me make a decision. So the last part here number four is crafting a clear and concise message.
Speaker 1:So you've got to put your themes, as again I said, into a clear and concise core message, and the message should be easy to understand, memorable and able to be communicated across all different platforms. So one example that I wanted to share is the Tom shoes core message one for one. So if you know, if you've heard of Tom shoes, you know you buy a pair, they give a pair, like Warby Parker. So that has that social responsibility baked in and that is important to me. I feel like we should always be giving back. So the core message of one for one perfectly aligns with tom's values of social responsibility and compassion. It resonates with your audience, right, the social conscious like my sister, me. That idea of I can make a difference when I'm buying a pair of shoes that I want anyways, and I'll tell you that leads me to buy an additional pair of Toms too.
Speaker 1:I get them on the edge Because you want to get two pairs.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. And then I'm like, well, whatever it's for a good cause, might as well do it. So it's a really good point.
Speaker 1:And that has a good impact on their bottom line for business, because, look, you went in, I'm going to buy a pair. Oh wait, I'm going to buy two pairs, because two pairs are going to be given. So that helps them stand out in a very competitive market and it builds a loyal fan base, a loyal customer base.
Speaker 1:We're not just buying shoes, we are supporting a cause. So this is what storytelling can do. It can help you set yourself apart. It can help you convey your message across platforms in a clear and concise manner. It can drive up loyal fans, clients, customers, referrals. Let's say, speaking gigs Like that's working for me right now, like speaking gigs from the story I just shared. There's just so much, you know. Stories sell, facts tell. Facts are for your promotional days, stories are for every day.
Speaker 2:I agree with all of that, miss Mary, with all of that, miss Mary. So we are wanting to encourage our listeners to please start sharing this out. Follow our podcast and share these tips if they've helped you too, and give us some feedback. So we have our. Our new email is going to be in the show notes for today. Feel free to please engage with us. Let us know what else you want to hear. And then you know, we were talking about storytelling today, and that leads me to put in a plug for our next episode. So we were talking to you about storytelling. Next week, we are going to have a special guest on here to not only back up how storytelling can be impactful for your business, but let's talk about writing your book.
Speaker 2:So next week we've got Richard Marks coming on to the podcast and he is going to be sharing with us all his juicy information and tips and how a book has not only helped him get his message out, but how it's catapulted and created different streams of revenue for him and his business.
Speaker 1:I love Richard. I'm a big fan of his. We start our business at the same time, so you guys are going to love that podcast. You guys, until next time, here's to good coffee, great conversations and even greater success Cheers. If you enjoyed the podcast, show us some love. Please rate, review and subscribe to our podcast, and if you have any feedback, go ahead and share that with us too, because we want to hear from you. Until then, stay focused, stay motivated and stay caffeinated.
