Whether it’s a new product launch or a piece of thought leadership, there’s more competition than ever when it comes to captivating an audience. Businesses face a steep challenge in getting their news out to their intended audience and ensuring that news has an impact on the people it has reached. It starts by putting the focus on storytelling and crafting a compelling narrative.
At Access, uncomplicating the complicated is part of our mission. And it’s a mission our clients share as well. As an agency we work with all sorts of clients, many of whom deal in complex technology that can be difficult to convey to broader audiences. Turning complexity into something relatable is the core goal of any storyteller.
What Makes a Good Story?
Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools a business or brand can use to separate itself from the crowd. So how do we approach storytelling at Access? It starts with an outside-in perspective that gets at the heart of an issue in an industry and connects your company in appropriate and timely ways to what’s happening in the world – positioning you as an expert and teeing up your role as a solution.
Good storytelling should take an audience on a journey, painting a clear picture of the overarching message you’re trying to convey. But more importantly, compelling storytelling enables you to lay the groundwork for a broader narrative – a rally cry that can be endorsed across spokespeople and disciplines.
Establishing an overarching narrative can help fit your story into broader conversations and keep it relevant for a long time. This can help drive attention, whether from media outlets or consumers.
Tips for a Better Story
There are many paths to creating a great story. Here are just a few elements that we take into consideration when building a deep, impactful narrative for your brand:
It starts with research. Following current trends and news is crucial to defining and building a narrative. Get a pulse for what’s happening in your space, trending conversations, and hot topics. At Access, our intelligence team is vital for us to help begin to frame a story. This team of information professionals is devoted exclusively to measurement and analysis, translating information into learnings and next steps.
Expertise and data win. Identify compelling insights within your organization to use as a jumping-off point that sparks discussion and creates interest. Tap your internal subject matter experts to gather interesting data and perspectives. To make the most of it, data and figures should always serve the broader narrative. Otherwise it’s nothing more than numbers on a page.
Weaving a layered approach to output. At Access, our content team helps clients with the heavy lifting on narrative development and key messages that become the foundation of thought leadership through contributed content and media efforts while creating consistency and resonance in the market. The aim is to showcase deep expertise, validated by multiple narrative themes that align with media priorities and provide a reason to write. In an era of shrinking newsrooms, a differentiated story is a key to cutting through the noise.
Building a Better Story
Successful storytelling means going beyond the surface level. In a sea of information and brands vying for attention, it takes a carefully crafted and thought-out story to grab an audience’s attention and keep them engaged. Effectively building a narrative can bring new life to an older story or put a new one squarely in the spotlight.
In need of a compelling brand story? The Access team are passionate storytellers with knowledge spanning a host of b2b, b2c, and tech industries, and are ready to help grow your own unique narrative.
