How Strategic Storytelling Will Drive Connection, Not Clicks

By Lauren Regan.

In December 2023, the UK retail industry faced a 32% decline in sales. As a result, the competition for retailers has become fierce, and they need to work hard to get noticed in this new landscape. While many online retailers opt for off-the-shelf platforms like Shopify or Squarespace for rapid and low-cost eCommerce storefront development, these platforms make it hard to elevate your brand above the competition. 

Let’s be clear: an algorithm bot is never going to buy your product, and while it can be tempting to communicate in a way that appeases the Google gods, it’s important to remember that every click is a person, with multiple drivers informing their decision to buy from you. The eCommerce landscape is crowded, and without an investment in strategic brand storytelling and connection building with your audience, these customer relationships will be fleeting, they’re heads being easily turned by another vendor because they don’t know you enough to have any loyalty. 

The average person encounters between 6,000 to 10,000 advertisements daily on digital platforms. These ads are displayed on search engines, social media platforms, and other mediums to attract consumers and encourage them to buy products from retailers. If you have a limited marketing budget, reaching out to your target audience and competing with more prominent brands can be challenging.

Your brand is so much more than its visual representation – it is what people say about you when you are not in the room. The building blocks of your brand story are a combination of your purpose (why do you exist?), your proposition (what do you actually sell), and your personality (what is it like to have an interaction with your brand? Are you quirky, serious, knowledgeable, bold?). 

Building a story brand is defined as creating a consistent impact that adds value to your internal and external audiences. Spending the time to understand and craft your brand story will help you focus on what’s important, cut out the noise, and make the right people sit up and pay attention. 

So, what can you use to connect people with your story? 

How it all began 

Essentially this is your origin story. Share the purpose behind why your organisation was founded to help people to understand your reason for being. If you’re a family business, share stories from that history (think Jack Daniels style marketing, everyone knows a story or two about Jack). Letting people see behind the curtain informs others about how you view the world and allows your audience to find ways in which they may relate to you on a human level. 

Your values 

Your values articulate why clients should work with you and allow you to identify the right people to partner with. Remember, your values should be verbs; active words, or phrases that help people understand what you care about (and what you don’t). You don’t have to be everything to everyone, but you do have to find commonalities with the people that matter. 

Your characters  

You have something that no other brand has – your people. Introduce your audiences to the people that make up your business, and talk about their skills and what makes them great humans to work with. People like talking to people, not faceless companies so introduce them to the characters that bring your story to life. Get your customers involved; user-generated content enhances brand stories by adding authenticity and relatability. Getting your clients to play a role in your story will help them feel more connected to the brand, translating into increased loyalty. 

Your impact 

More than ever, customers want to align with purpose-driven businesses – so give them something to care about. Your impact could be the problem your service solves, how your product makes people happier, or how you use your business to improve the world. Identify and discuss the reason behind your business; it’s much more interesting. 

While it might seem hard to measure, success in storytelling will translate into increased metrics such as user engagement, social sharing, and brand loyalty, helping you increase sales and weather the darker times. 

Adapt your story to fit how your customers use each channel and you’ll create consistency, relevance and a memorable experience.

Lauren Regan is the founder and creative director MOLE, a PR and creative consultancy founded to help SMEs and non-profits worldwide find their identity, craft great stories, and shape their future.

Lauren has over 15 years of experience as part of in-house marketing teams in the non-profit and travel sectors before joining an award-winning creative agency as creative director. An avid storyteller and believer in the power of big ideas, Lauren has crafted award-winning campaigns for household names and has worked with teams in various sectors, including homes and gardens, property, family attractions, food and drink and non-profit, both in the UK and the USA.

After starting her career in the arts and culture sector, Lauren believes that the best ideas don't come from the biggest budgets and whatever your business hurdle, sometimes an outside perspective and a creative approach is all you need to scale it.

Fun fact: She once dressed as The Gruffalo on BBC Breakfast.