SD #41 | The Missing Tool in Your CX Toolkit

Storytelling: The Missing Tool in Your Customer Experience (CX) Toolkit

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Read Time: 6.0 minutes 

We see our customers as guests to a party and we are the hosts.

—  Jeff Bezos | Amazon Founder

What’s the Tip?

Engaging your customers online isn’t easy.

They'll leave your site if it takes too long to load.

They’ll leave if your text is too hard to read.

They’ll leave if you’ve got annoying pop ups.

But they’ll also leave if your content doesn’t connect, isn’t relatable, or isn't clear.

That's why, it's not enough to simply provide customer experiences that are serviceable functionally and technically when it comes to your content. Those experiences have to be emotionally engaging as well.

So, today's tip is this: when thinking about customer experience, remember that while technical proficiencies are important, they can only take you so far.

You need good storytelling to bring your customer experience to the next level. 

How Do You Use It?

Here are 6 ways storytelling can boost your customer experience when it comes to content.

1. Emotional Connection: Stories resonate with people on an emotional level, creating a deeper connection between the audience and the storyteller. By incorporating storytelling into customer experiences, businesses can evoke emotions that foster brand loyalty, trust, and affinity.
2. Enhancing Brand Identity: Storytelling creates a cohesive narrative around brands, products, and services. Stories build a strong brand identity that customers can relate to, which can be a powerful differentiator for products and services. A well-crafted brand story can inspire customers, making them more likely to advocate for your brand and share their experiences with others.
3. Simplifying Complex Information: Stories have the power to distill complex information into something that's easy to understand and remember. This can be particularly useful in industries where products and services are intricate or technical.
4. Facilitating Decision-Making: Stories have a natural cause and effect structure, which can help customers process information more effectively. By presenting information in a narrative format, you're able to guide your customers through the decision-making process, ultimately increasing conversions, and overall customer satisfaction.
5. Building Trust and Transparency: Incorporating stories into customer experiences can humanize a brand, making it more relatable and trustworthy. By sharing honest, authentic stories, businesses can demonstrate transparency, which is essential for building trust.
6. Encouraging Customer Engagement: Story-driven experiences are more likely to capture customers' attention and inspire engagement. This engagement can take many forms, from social media shares and online reviews to word-of-mouth recommendations, all of which contribute to a positive customer experience.

What are Some Examples? 

Allbirds: Allbirds is a sustainable shoe brand that uses storytelling to highlight its commitment to the environment. The Allbirds website and social media content feature stories about the materials they use, the manufacturing process, and the people behind the brand. By sharing these stories, Allbirds creates a sense of transparency and authenticity, which is important for customers who are looking for sustainable and ethical products. Allbirds also uses their content to educate their customers about sustainability and the impact of fashion on the environment.

Airbnb: Airbnb uses storytelling to create an emotional connection with their audience. Their homepage features photos and stories of unique and interesting properties, along with descriptions of the hosts and their backgrounds. By telling the stories of the properties and the people behind them, Airbnb creates a sense of community and belonging, which is a key part of their brand.

Peloton: Peloton uses storytelling to motivate and inspire their customers. Their content, including blog posts and social media, features real stories of people achieving their fitness goals with the help of Peloton. By sharing these stories, Peloton creates a sense of community and support, which can be especially important for people who are working out at home. Peloton also uses their content to educate their customers on fitness and wellness, creating a sense of expertise and authority.

What's the Benefit to You?

There's a clear benefit of storytelling when it comes to customer engagement and potential conversions.

• According to Search Engine Watch, storytelling can increase conversions by as much as 30%. 
• An MIT study found that when brands use customer stories in their marketing campaigns, they see a 4.5% increase in conversion rates and a 9.8% increase in engagement compared to traditional marketing methods. 
• According to a 2015 Headstream study, “If people love a brand story, 55% are more likely to buy the product in future, 44% will share the story, and 15% will buy the product immediately.”  

TL:DR

1. 📌 Customers need emotionally engaging experiences in addition to functional and technical ones.
2.  📌 Good storytelling can create emotional connections, enhance brand identity, simplify complex information, facilitate decision-making, build trust and transparency, and encourage customer engagement.
3.  📌 Examples of companies that use storytelling effectively include Allbirds, Airbnb, and Peloton.
4.  📌 Using storytelling can increase conversions by 30%, increase engagement by 9.8%, and lead to increased customer loyalty and advocacy.
5.  📌 Incorporating storytelling into customer experiences can create a deeper connection with customers, foster brand loyalty, and differentiate products or services from competitors.
6.  📌 Storytelling can also simplify messaging, guide customers through the decision-making process, and demonstrate transparency and authenticity.

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