story begins, progresses to the middle, and then closes with an ending. The
best stories offer some form of arc throughout, one in which the character
changes. In the bakery example, our customer begins without cookies, travels
to get to the shop, and ends with cookies. Tied to the customer getting the
cookies is also an emotional element. The character started with a desire,
worked to achieve that desire, and then was happy with the outcome. A story
with a beginning, middle, and end follows what is called the three-act
structure, and it is the most widely used story structure in existence. By
following this structure and trying to incorporate an emotional experience
into the structure, you create stories that can be followed by any and
everyone.
Before we look at what a story is not, there are two important elements left to
discuss that tie into storytelling as a brand rather than storytelling as a
generalization. Your brand or business is made up of people and values.
Storytelling is one of the ways that you can share the motivations and values
of the brand and the people who run it. If you were running an organization
that helped people fight for equal rights, you wouldn’t share stories that
showed somebody as being unequal in the end. You may share a story about
how somebody was treated unequally, stood up for themselves, and was then
treated equally because that shows the journey of achieving what you believe
in. When brands share stories, they are also sharing their beliefs. They aren’t
just writing out a mission statement with their goal but connecting those
beliefs with an emotional experience that sticks with readers long after they
have finished reading.
Storytelling also isn’t just sending out an advertisement for your
merchandise. Now that so many people have stopped reading newspapers and
watching television commercials, brands need to be smarter with their
advertising. Rather than just telling someone they should buy your stuff; you
now need to provide them value through your marketing. Since the most
effective marketing is now done on social platforms, it is important to
understand that people are choosing to come to your brand to see what they
say. No one is forced to watch an advertisement as they had been in the past.
Value is the key. There any many ways that we can provide people with
value in our marketing, but we’re focusing on storytelling. Storytelling
provides an emotional experience, which is in and of itself, something of