Why are we so drawn to storytelling?
The answer could save your life
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/the-psychological-comforts-of-storytelling/381964/
Storytelling could be an evolutionary mechanism that helped keep our ancestors alive.
"The theory is that if I tell you a story about how to survive, you’ll be more likely to actually survive than if I just give you facts. For instance, if I were to say, “There’s an animal near that tree, so don’t go over there,” it would not be as effective as if I were to tell you, “My cousin was eaten by a malicious, scary creature that lurks around that tree, so don’t go over there.” A narrative works off of both data and emotions, which is significantly more effective in engaging a listener than data alone. In fact, Jennifer Aaker, a professor of marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, says that people remember information when it is weaved into narratives “up to 22 times more than facts alone.”
You may like your stats and figures, but your audience won't. What everyone does like, is a story.
So what is the story of your company or your brand? More likely than not, that story is key to differentiating your company to stand out from all the rest. You may research two real estate brokers, both of whom have similar sales figures for the year. But only one has a video on her site, and the viewer gets to see the passion and the compelling story behind why she became a broker; her guiding philosophy; what she can for you and why her clients love and trust her. A week later, which broker's name would you remember? Science says you would remember the one with the story- 22x more than the broker who just listed her sales information.
Stories can also inform people’s emotional lives.
"Storytelling... allows people to peek into someone’s conscience to see how other people think. This can affirm our own beliefs and perceptions..."
Sometimes it's not even on a conscious level, but video storytelling is the rare medium that emotionally engages the viewer. And any successful sales person will tell you that getting that prospect to the "know, like and trust" level, is the lion's share of the sales funnel. Now your prospect has an open mind regarding your products and services.
““People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care””