@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES1

THE POWER OF STORIESHOW TO USE STORYTELLING FOR MORE ENGAGING MARKETING

SIMON KEMP • • DECEMBER 2016

@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES2

SIMON KEMP@ESKIMON

@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES3

@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES4

STORYTELLING IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST TOPICS IN MARKETING TODAY

@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES5

BUT WHY HAS STORYTELLINGBECOME SUCH A BIG DEAL?

@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES6

STORIES ARE ONE OF THE MOST PERSUASIVE TOOLSAVAILABLE TO MARKETERS ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES

@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES7

WHY?

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STORIES ARE WHAT MAKE US HUMAN

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THEY PROVIDE US WITH A SENSE OF BELONGING, AND HELP TO CONNECT US WITH OTHER PEOPLE

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STORIES ARE HOW WE LEARN

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THE ‘NARRATIVE’ OF STORIES REFLECTS HOW OUR BRAINS STRUCTURE AND REMEMBER INFORMATION

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WE SHARE AND GROW THE COLLECTIVE WEALTH OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE BY TELLING EACH OTHER STORIES

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STORIES ALSO DEFINE CULTURE, AND HELP US UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ‘FIT’ IN THE WORLD

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THEY’RE AT THE HEART OF EVERY CIVILISATION, EVERY SOCIETY, EVERY RELIGION, EVERY FAMILY

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STORIES SHAPE OUR SENSE OF SELF

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THE STORIES WE TELL ABOUT OURSELVES – AND TO OURSELVES – ARE CENTRAL TO DEFINING WHO WE ARE

@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES17

ALL OUR LIVESARE STORIES

@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES18

BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS A ‘STORY’?

@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES19

A NARRATIVE THAT ENABLES PEOPLE TO CAPTURE, ORGANISE, REMEMBER, AND SHARE INFORMATION, EVENTS, IDEAS, AND DREAMS, TOGETHER WITH THE EMOTIONS

THAT MAKE THOSE THINGS MEANINGFUL AND MEMORABLE TO US AND TO OTHER PEOPLE.

“

”

@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES20

WHAT MAKES A POWERFUL STORY?

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THE 4ES OF POWERFUL STORYTELLING

GREAT STORIES ARE MORE THAN JUST A COLLECTION OF SOUNDS AND IMAGES

STORIES TAKE US ON AN EMOTIONAL JOURNEY AND

MAKE US ‘FEEL SOMETHING’

EXPERIENCE EMOTIONSTORIES DRAW US IN AND

CAPTIVATE OUR ATTENTION AND OUR IMAGINATION

ENGAGEMENTSTORIES ENABLE US TO

RELATE TO OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS, EMOTIONS AND LIVES

EMPATHY

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GOOD STORIES ARE EXPERIENTIAL: THEY DRAW US IN, CAPTIVATING OUR ATTENTION

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BUT GOOD STORIES CAPTIVATE MORE THAN JUST OUR ATTENTION; THEY ALSO ENGAGE OUR IMAGINATIONS

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STORIES ACTIVATE MORE AREAS OF OUR BRAINS THAN MERE FACTS ALONE

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STORIES ACTIVELY ENGAGE OUR SENSORY CORTEX, WHERE OUR BRAINS PROCESS OUR FIVE SENSES

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THE BEST STORIES ACTIVELY STIMULATE OUR SENSES

PICTURING THINGS, PLACES AND EVENTS,

EVEN WITH EYES CLOSED

HELPING US TO IMAGINE SOUNDS THAT ARE AS REAL

AS IF WE’D HEARD THEM

SIGHT SOUNDEVOKING WHOLE NEW

WORLDS, JUST BY DESCRIBING A SCENT

SMELLUSING METAPHOR TO TRIGGER EXPERIENCES

IN PEOPLE’S MINDS

TOUCHACTIVATING OUR TASTE BUDS, WITHOUT EVEN EATING OR DRINKING

TASTE

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AS A RESULT, THE BEST STORIES INVOLVE US AS ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS, RATHER THAN PASSIVE SPECTATORS

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AT THE SAME TIME, GOOD STORIES TRIGGER THE RELEASE OF POWERFUL HORMONES IN OUR BODIES

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GOOD STORIES STIMULATE THE RELEASE OF...

A NEUROTRANSMITTER THAT REGULATES OUR BRAINS’ REWARD

AND PLEASURE CENTRES

AN ADRENAL HORMONE THAT HELPS FOCUS OUR ATTENTION

AND FACILITATES MEMORY

DOPAMINE CORTISOLA HORMONE THAT IS CENTRAL TO

SOCIAL BONDING AND AFFECTION, AS WELL AS WOUND HEALING

OXYTOCIN

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THESE HORMONES INFLUENCE OUR MOOD, AS WELL AS OUR FEELINGS TOWARDS OTHER PEOPLE

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IN OTHER WORDS, THE BEST STORIES CAN ACTUALLY MAKE US FEEL SOMETHING

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WHAT’S MORE, GOOD STORIES CAN ACTIVELY CHANGE THE FUNDAMENTAL CHEMISTRY OF OUR BRAINS

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THESE CHANGES CAN PERMANENTLY INFLUENCE OUR PERSONALITIES, OUR HABITS, AND OUR BEHAVIOUR

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MOREOVER, STORIES DON’T JUST IMPACT US AS INDIVIDUALS, EITHER

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STORIES CAN TRIGGER NEURAL COUPLING – THAT FEELING WE GET WHEN WE ‘CLICK’ WITH SOMEONE

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NEURAL COUPLING HELPS US TO SYNCHRONISE OUR EMOTIONS WITH OTHER PEOPLE

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THIS IS WHAT WE CALL ‘EMPATHY’

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AND THIS IS WHY STORYTELLING IS SO VALUABLE IN MARKETING: EMPATHY IS THE CORE PILLAR OF TRUST

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STORIES AREPOWERFUL

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HOWEVER, MANY MARKETERS STILL STRUGGLETO TELL ENGAGING AND PERSUASIVE STORIES

@ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES41

SO WHAT ARE THE SECRETS TO TELLING BETTER STORIES?

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KEPIOS’S 1O STEPSTO BETTER STORIES

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HAVE A CLEAR PURPOSE: WHY DO YOU WANT TO TELL A STORY? WHAT’S YOUR DESIRED OUTCOME?

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UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE: HOW IS YOUR STORY RELEVANT TO PEOPLE? HOW DOES IT ADD VALUE?

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START STRONG: DRAW AUDIENCES INTO YOUR NARRATIVE, RIGHT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

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BE AUTHENTIC: EVERY ONE OF US IS DRAWN TO ‘TRUE’ STORIES

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USE EMOTION: APPEAL TO PEOPLE’S FIVE (OR SIX) SENSES, NOT JUST TO FACTS AND SENSE

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KEEP IT SIMPLE: FOCUS ON THEENJOYMENT OF THE EXPERIENCE

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...BUT REMEMBER THAT DRAMA AND MYSTERY CAN HELP YOU TELL MORE ENGAGING STORIES TOO

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MAKE IT SOCIABLE: OFFER WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO INVOLVE THEMSELVES AS CHARACTERS IN YOUR STORY

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DON’T TELL THE WHOLE STORY: LET PEOPLE INTERPRET THEIR OWN MEANING AND CONCLUSIONS

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LEAVE PEOPLE WANTING MORE: THERE’S NOTHING MORE ENGAGING THAN A CLIFFHANGER

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1. HAVE A CLEAR PURPOSE

2. UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE

3. START STRONG

4. BE AUTHENTIC

5. APPEAL TO EMOTIONS

6. KEEP IT SIMPLE

7. ADD DRAMA AND INTRIGUE

8. MAKE IT SOCIABLE

9. LET THEM DISCOVER THE MEANING

10. LEAVE THEM WANTING MORE

KEPIOS’S 10 STEPS TO BETTER STORYTELLING

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WANT TO KNOW MORE? LET’S CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA: @ESKIMON

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SIMON KEMP

@ESKIMON

SIMON@KEPIOS.COM

INSPIRING MARKETING

KEPIOS.COM