WHEN IT COMES to creative promotions and events, the story you share directly connects to the level of success you achieve. Great storytelling evokes emotion, helping your customers to envision participating in your idea. During planning with your team, use these strategies to take your marketing to the next level and achieve the best possible results.
Start With “Why,” Not “What”
Explore the inspiration behind your idea as opposed to the idea itself. To think about this through the lens of storytelling, ask these questions:
Where did the inspiration come from? For example, say a local furniture store hosted a scavenger hunt and participants had a blast working through it while learning about furniture. Consider why you want to recreate that experience for your customers; don’t just say you want to do a scavenger hunt. Putting the “why” first better informs the “how.”
Why would people be excited about this? This helps get to the emotion of the idea. For a pet photography event, most customers have phones filled with photos of their pets, showing their deep love and affection for them. Providing a seasonal or other specific photo opportunity will tap even further into those feelings, bringing a smile to their face every time they see it, and connecting that emotion to their experience at your business.
What do you want participants to say about the idea? If your customer shares with friends how they are interacting with your business, what do you hope they will say? Lean into that answer to help create incentives for them to take part and contribute to your positive word-of-mouth marketing.
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Use an Analogy
Similar to how consumers have learned what a BOGO offer is or what it means to “earn points on purchases,” an analogy will help customers understand the idea quickly. The faster they “get it,” the more likely they are to do it.
Let’s say you redesign your chew bar display and want customers to notice. Give it a fun name that has nothing to do with the actual products but everything to do with the nostalgia of picking and choosing whatever treats they wanted as kids. A name such as “Your Pet’s Candy Aisle” and its promotions will create cute and memorable buzz.
Steer With Storytelling
During these creative planning sessions with your team, keep the focus on storytelling. For example, instead of asking why they take so many photos of their pet, prompt them to share their favorite photo and why they took that specific photo. You’ll get a more detailed answer that can spark further creativity around your idea.
Asking for their stories also gives them a sense of ownership and creates excitement for your concept, leading to a unified effort. When everyone shares the same vision and enthusiasm, achieving success becomes more attainable.
Incorporating storytelling strategies into your promotion and event planning not only helps market them, but it also allows you to create meaningful connections with your customers. Stories help drive engagement and nurture a loyal customer base. Ultimately, the power of storytelling not only elevates your ideas, but also solidifies your position as the community-driven, customer-focused, go-to pet business.
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