The holiday season is the busiest time of year for retail, but the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to set a precedent for e-commerce sales this year. Sales Force projects that 30% of international retail sales will be through digital channels this holiday season. Brands will have to pull out all of the stops to stand out from the crowd. One way to do that is to use storytelling to make holiday sales.
Here’s how to use the art of storytelling to boost your holiday sales this year.
Use Stock Images and Photo Editors to Create Memorable Stories
Photo by Alena Ozerova.
Visuals will bring your stories to life and help your brand stay at the forefront of your audience’s minds. In fact, when you pair an image with relevant information, people will retain 65% of that information. When developing your stories, use relevant stock images and photo editors, like Pixlr, to make them unforgettable. Incorporating images will make your story memorable, but it’s important to choose your visuals carefully. Images should enhance and support your story and not distract from your message. Click the following link if you’re not sure which image format to use.
Be Purposeful and Structured in Your Storytelling
When it comes to storytelling, it’s easy to fall off track and lose sight of your purpose. Avoid this pitfall by creating purposeful, structured stories with a beginning (introduction), middle (conflict) and ending (resolution).
The ending, or resolution, is what your audience is most likely to remember, so make sure that your story flows well and includes all three components.
Always be Authentic
Today’s consumers crave authenticity. They don’t want to hear about a hypothetical story; they want to hear a true story. If your audience can relate to your stories, this will build trust and help you forge personal connections.
Tell real stories that your audience can relate to and empathize with. How can you do that? By knowing your audience and speaking their language.
Know Your Audience and Their Language
If you want to boost holiday sales with storytelling, you have to know your audience and speak their language. Understanding your audience, their pain points and their desires will help you figure out which experiences to highlight in your storytelling.
Finding common ground will help create empathy. If your audience can empathize with your story, they will care.
Telling a story that resonates with your audience is a good place to start, but it’s important to speak their language when highlighting experiences.
Be conversational.
Use words that your audience would use in their day-to-day conversations.
Incorporate images that are familiar to your audience.
Keep your stories simple.
Knowing your audience plays an important role in any marketing strategy, but it’s especially important when it comes to storytelling.
Storytelling is a powerful tool that you can use to generate more holiday sales this year, even with the pandemic still looming. Pairing your story with imagery will make it more memorable, but it’s important to have a structure, to be authentic and to know your audience. The key is to find common ground and to create empathy.