Stories move people. Stories persuade and they can make you happy, sad or angry or give you a sense of urgency to take action. They create emotions, and when you're running a business, it's all about emotions and action. Evoke the right ones and you have a loyal brand ambassador, and loyal brand ambassadors turn into fans, and followers and then buyers. Don't discount the power of being able to tell a good story.
Glenn Carstens-Peters | Unsplash
In 2003, Harvard Business Review quoted from a book written in 1997 "Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting" where the author, Robert McKee argued that stories - “fulfill a profound human need to grasp the patterns of living—not merely as an intellectual exercise, but within a very personal, emotional experience.”
If you're selling something to someone that has unique value in day-to-day living it is nothing more than a 'thing,' a product, a useful 'some-thing', until you've given it context . Then you create more than just a 'thing,' you create a dream, an ambition, a pain point, an itch and you expose a need and open a wound that can only be closed by your something. Whatever drivers you're using, scarcity, convenience, best options, trust or a perfect price point, give it momentum with a story that resonates and you have more than just a convenience buy or a nice thing to have, you have a must have product, a solution, an aha moment that brings meaning to that thing they bought.
Alexandre Debève | Unsplash
What if you're selling a gadget, an app, a thing that has the potential to change people's lives for the better? We still need story. Some people, a large majority probably who are not tech savvy or particularly interested in what goes on behind the curtain, are automatically turned off before they know what it is. It needs context, a narrative, it needs to captivate and hold on to that person's attention and help create trust and goodwill.
We forget that this is possible, we've become so accustomed to associating tech with AI, that sometimes we lose sight of the fact that there are humans behind every technological invention (with a little help from AI of course), and even with AI, there's a human somewhere prompting and pressing buttons, testing and calibrating data.
Tech can dramatically alter a person's life, we forget that. All we see or think about when hear the words 'tech' or 'technology,' is robotics and AI monsters under the bed. Those of us who write for a living will fear this more than most.
But remember that the best technology can illuminate a problem and find a solution that can save time for someone with a missing limb, create an app that will helps someone with ADHD focus for longer periods of time and create an app that will help a child with ASD to identify colours. Someone else will create a gadget that simplifies a thing that will dramatically change a person's life for the better.
I used to watch a BBC documentary, a few years ago now. The point of it was that someone would write in and say they had a family member, or it was themselves that needed some scientific, technological breakthrough gadget to help them overcome an obstacle, achieve a long hoped for dream. It was called "The Big Life Fix" in one episode an engineer helped a man who was passionate about snowboarding get back on a snowboard after he was severely disabled in an accident. He had limited use of his arms and legs but he wanted to be able to stand and have upright control of the board himself, and non of the gadgets currently available did that.
Maxim Hopman | Unsplash
Someone else had a rare genetic disorder that stopped him from going outside because he was extremely sensitive to sunlight. The challenge was to create something lightweight so he could go out. Another person had Parkinson's, and wanted to be able to write, so they need to create something to steady his hand so he could write again. Another engineer was going to help someone with a deformed hand achieve his greatest dream of becoming a hairdresser.
We forget that technology has the power to do things like this.
And yes I know, not every engineer, SaaS company or tech giant is out the save the world one person at a time. Some apps are created after years of hard work, but we question whether we need another version of the same thing. But with a story behind it, it breaks down the wall of saturation and takes it to another level. You can have several versions of a focus app, just take a look online, a good story breathes life into something we've all seen before. Out of a clutch of focus apps, you're going to go with the one that resonates with you the most.
Features and benefits alone are no longer enough. Talking to people and creating a story gives you ammunition to play with and a narrative and context from which to convince, poke at pain points, and elicit emotions. Tech can do that, and it doesn't have to be violins and flowers. I say horses for courses and remember your audience, see 'talk to people' above, and then you have material to work with, a story to build on, and this can be funny, sarcastic, clever or really emotional (if you want it to be).
If we're hardwired to respond to stories and all the evidence is there, you only have to look it up online, why is it some many businesses miss it by a mile?
And get this - in a Forbes article from earlier this year they quoted statistics from Stanford telling us that statistically we're 22% better at remembering stories than facts. That then is what makes stories powerful, and that's why I bang the drum and evangelise about storytelling until I'm blue in the face.
Look at Apple (and yes, Apple, Apple, Apple, but bear with me because they're on the best examples I can think of to give you on tech and storytelling) - "Apple Inc. is a prime example of this approach. The company doesn’t just sell technology; it sells an experience wrapped in innovation and design elegance, often telling a story of revolutionizing how we interact with technology. This narrative has cultivated a loyal customer base that doesn’t just buy one product but instead buys into the entire Apple ecosystem and identity."
Yes, they've made a few boo-boos recently, but they're still at what they do.
Forbes continues - "Crafting a compelling brand story is about more than selling products or services; it’s about building genuine connections with existing and potential customers. Companies that master the art of storytelling are not just sellers of products but architects of enduring legacies. For these businesses, storytelling is a tool and a strategic asset, pivotal to their identity and success."
Cisco would have been a great example, at one time utilising digital storytelling to great effect, but now sadly drowning in AI solutions. Remember that when we're talking about digital storytelling, it's not just about the words, digital storytelling can encompass immersive audio, video and multimedia graphics.
But Blue Telescope is doing interesting things, describing themselves as an "Interactive and narrative media for thoughtful & curious museums, brands & themed experiences" and as an "innovative, creative, diverse and woman-owned business that delivers unique interactive experiences through narrative storytelling and immersive media strategies." Their tagline is good - "Blue Telescope combines story, art and technology into delightfully human interactive experiences." And women in technology is something I want to see more of.
What I'm not seeing a lot of is SaaS or smaller tech companies being given a shoutout for great storytelling. I found Usersnap who provide a software that capturing user feedback and have worked with companies like Microsoft and Lego. Their website is okay, but not much on their backstory and their about page reveals very little, but social media is where they shine, on both LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) their posts are warm and human, not something you've come to expect from SaaS or tech.
There are limitations (and I'm being kind here) to what website's can create, but I still think there's room for improvement. The problem is people are unwilling to change, to stand out, to be the odd one out, but once one SaaS or tech company raises the bar, the rest will follow. I believe that. I believe in tech for good. And I believe in stories.
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**I'm looking to work with tech, SaaS in the main, who create products that do good and improve people's lives for the better. More specifically where possible, neurodivergent communities and individuals. I'm also open to working with nonprofits and therapists who also do good in the neurodivergent arena, and who provide services that improve the lives of autistic people, ADHD and other conditions that come under the neurodivergent umbrella.
Get in touch via email here: gillianjonescopywriting@gmail.com
I provide web copy, individual web pages, content writing in the form of articles and blogs, case studies and reports. My services page is here. I also provide brand story strategy - and the link to this particular service is here. I've been a copywriter for 11 years and have worked with industries from all over the world. Let's make tech good again. If you're looking for copy or content, then now is the time to do it while summer is here, and before autumn begins. Get ahead of the curve.
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