Modern day customers are not drawn into traditional advertising methods as they once were. In today’s world, having a story that sets you apart from your competitors is the key to generating loyalty.

From the rise of social media to augmented and virtual reality, there are so many ways that you can market your IT brand and create long-lasting relationships with your customers.

The story should be at the heart of your campaigns. Be honest about who you are and the customers will come. But how do you do this?

This article will show you 5 storytelling techniques for IT marketers that will help you influence and engage your customers to ultimately boost your bottom line.

Mini Ads Storytelling

IT marketers should make use of their expertise and create innovative ways to connect with their customers and deliver their story. One of the most effective mediums to engage with customers is with video content; in fact, the human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than it does text.

With this being said, because content can be delivered at lightning speed, consumer attention spans are decreasing more than ever.

No company can understand this more than Facebook and YouTube, where millions of people search for short snippets of content to satisfy them for a few minutes before going back and returning to their normal lives.

For this reason, they have developed what is known as the ‘Mini Ad’. They are only 6-seconds long, making them perfect for bringing your story to life and driving engagement from an instant gratification-minded audience.

Customer Generated Storytelling

Social media is a goldmine for telling your IT company’s story. It’s a place where they can share their thoughts and opinion with their friends, colleagues and audience.

Healthcare Weekly report that more than 95% of all Americans use their cellphone on a regular basis. Combine that with Digital Authority Partners’ findings that people spend more than 2 hours on social media every day and you can really get a sense of how much time they spend connecting with the world.

Therefore, you need to ensure that your marketing team is positioning your brand as one that gives customers the chance to tell their own stories. Not only does it increase engagement, but it also builds trust in your community and expands your reach to a much wider audience. Invite customers to write their own posts on your blog and let them share it on their platforms.

Keep in mind though that customer generated storytelling requires confidence to reach out to influencers and key audiences through unique outreach strategies.

Non-Trackable Social Sharing

Staying on the theme of social media, this next storytelling technique for IT marketers refers to platforms that can’t be tracked using web analytics tools. For example, many people use WhatsApp to send messages but since all messages are encrypted, it’s impossible to know what’s being sent. This means that if a customer sends a link to your website or high-quality content to their friend or colleague, you can’t track it.

It’s not just WhatsApp; non-trackable social sharing covers standard SMS text messaging, Snapchat and even platforms like Slack.

This means that to tell your story across these non-trackable social sharing platforms, your IT business must use them to share values and connect with customers on a personal level. This gives your audience the opportunity to add to your brand’s narrative.

Ultimately, if you can understand the way that customers share content and other brand information, you can discover a new range of methods to share your story.

Immersive Storytelling

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, AR and VR are some of the latest tools available to help take your IT marketing to the next level. If you can immerse your customers with an experience that centre’s around your brand’s story, you will form a strong connection with them like no one else can.

Not only does this technique help you create and explore different marketing campaign ideas but it also challenges your team to take their skills to the next level.

You should bear in mind though that this type of storytelling is still in its infancy. Just as it once was with mobile app marketing, this means that it may take some time to get it right but if you can deliver, you will drive engagement with your brand like never before,

It’s important that marketers and IT teams are given time to train and learn the skills to use the technology so that once the story is ready to share with the world, customers will have something to remember.

Philanthropic storytelling

Customers are looking for more from the companies they do business with. They want to know what their mission is, how they manufacture their products, where they can get as much value from you as they possibly can. If you can understand these customer needs, you will be able to create a compelling brand story for your IT business.

Philanthropy is a very powerful technique. Customers can easily buy into a brand that they know does all it can to help others in the world. It’s just human nature but it’s very effective.

It doesn’t matter what the goal is; as long as you’re honest about what you want to achieve, customers will follow and take notice. Research facts about your brand and how your own teams are engaging with the business’ charitable efforts.

The synergy between this style of storytelling and creating unique content is exceptional. Your marketing plan will have a clear sense of direction and no one else can compete with that, giving you an edge over your competitors.

Conclusion

Brand storytelling drives customer emotional engagement. Building strong relationships through powerful, personalized stories leads to business growth and increased performance.

These 5 techniques will separate your IT business from the crowded marketplace. With an ever-growing number of platforms to share your message, now is the time to connect with your audience and create innovative brand experiences.

This article is written by Codrin Arsene @ Digital Authority Partners