We all have a story. Whether that is growing up in rural farmland or hearing the unending deluge of car horns in the high-rises of a major city, people are hooked by the captivating and unique details of where you come from.

This same idea applies to nonprofits and companies worldwide. With the help of a moving and poignant story, organizations can get their point across while at the same time building a strong connection with their target audience.

In the modern market, the same, hackneyed approaches to garnering consumers are still being used, which frequently yields an undesirable result. Crafting an influential story can help your organization rise above all the other competitors.

Building a Personal Ethos

Imagine a confused consumer shopping around for the latest product. He or she finds two different companies offering similar products at competitive prices. On Company A’s website, the main focus is on simple statistics, hard to believe testimonials, and “scientific hogwash.” On the other hand, on Company B’s website, the first thing that pops up is a smiling picture entitled, “Meet Ron,” which goes on to explain this consumer’s personal story and how Company B’s product was able to help Ron out in his life, chocked full of quotes and details about his life. Of course, this confused consumer would be more inclined to choose Company B’s product, even though it might charge a higher price. What draws in this unsuspecting consumer?

This hypothetical consumer is feeling what is called “consumer ethos.” In general rhetoric, ethos is a factor that a writer or speaker builds on through his or her argument to develop credibility, trustworthiness, and connection. When Company B portrays a personal life story of a typical consumer, other potential buyers are feeling increased ethos in Company B’s argument; they feel like what happened to the typical consumer featured in the story could also happen to them if they bought this product.

Drawing on Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, when people see a product or service that is in some way shown to produce desirable results, as in the success of the person in the story, they are more likely to go out and buy that product, even if it is not the best economical choice. This is because of cognitive habits that control the decision making process [1].

In your organization, try to throw out subtle but powerful clues at the rewards a consumer can receive by partaking in your services or products (even if you are a nonprofit). By sharing a relatable and highly personal story with your target market, you can build a companionable relationship with consumers ensuring trust and loyalty in your brand.

Emotions Matter

On a deeper level than personal connection, the creation of consumer emotions is key to executing a sale or volunteering operation. Along with building trust, a success story in your organization also serves a purpose to influence the emotional receptors in consumers. In a study conducted by Bechara, H. Damasio, and A. Damasio, it was concluded that emotions often have significant influence over the decision making process, citing, “It has been established that…under extreme conditions (e.g. intense arousal) emotions can actually impair memory” [2].

In other words, by creating a personal story that that is deep enough to bring your target market to tears (or maybe happiness, jealousy, anger), your organization can influence the consumer to buy your service or choose your organization even if that consumer did not originally prefer your brand; tapping on the emotional reserves of consumers can be even more effective than relying on conventional techniques to persuade the often stubborn mind of the contemporary consumer.

To illustrate, we can look at the nonprofit organization Goodwill, which is one of the largest and most respected brands in the country. Featured on its website is a section titled “My Story.” When potential investors or communities click on this link, they are taken to pictures of various impacted people. I clicked on one named “My Story - Ralph Lopez.” In this story, the introductions opens the story with the tough conditions this young adult endured: “we weren’t allowed to go outside much because it was kind of dangerous for us to go outside alone.” This start already provides an emotional sympathy for Ralph. As the story continues, it explains how Ralph found Goodwill and had much success in life: “I went down, and I met with a representative of the Goodwill. She gave me a packet and explained to me what the Goodwill was…after I finished my junior year, I walked into the Goodwill, I did my interview, and I was accepted.  Ever since then it has been quite a journey” [3].

Not only does Goodwill provide an interesting story that builds trust in the organization, but it also arouses an emotional outpouring that influences donors and investors to choose Goodwill over other organizations that offer the same service. Right from the beginning, the story used the first person persona to add the personal ethos explained earlier on. It relates Ralph’s terrible conditions, which cause sympathetic responses from viewers that translates into Goodwill being portrayed as the hero. Whether or not consumers realize it, Goodwill has toyed with the emotional receptors in the Orbitofrontal Cortex (part of the brain) to incline them toward favoring Goodwill.

Connect the Dots

A story can be very intriguing by just building trust and drawing on reader emotion. Yet, to finish the puzzle, your story needs that final piece: tying in your unique services or innovations to the success of the story.

Any organization can write a seemingly persuasive story full of maudlin pathos and sharp adjectives. However, without showing the special aspect of your organization that serves as a catalyst for the story, no readers will be interested in what you have to offer.

Imagine the Goodwill example again. It has strong trust building and brings out provocative emotions. But there is another key component that serves as the foundation for its success. Throughout the article and video, Goodwill ties the success of Ralph back to the organization’s innovative solutions. For instance, the article reads, “Right now I am in the Sno-Isle Skills Center. I’m doing precision machining, and I‘ve learned how to machine parts to a very very precise measurement. I’ve learned how to make them out of aluminum and steel. I’ve learned how to run the machines that I’ve seen people use in big companies. I learned how to run those machines” [3]. Little do readers realize that Goodwill is quite frankly explaining its social genius through Ralph. It mentions the special “Skills Center” Goodwill has and how the program has helped Ralph to learn special aeronautics skills.

Without some kind of original program or avant-garde product, your organizations will not successfully draw in readers of the story. Showcase that innovation just as much as the person featured in the story to have readers engaged and interested. Through informally having the person telling the story reflect back on the inventive process he or she goes through to reach success, you can allude your organization’s competitive advantage to potential consumers.

On the other hand, maybe your organization supports an uncommon cause or has a fresh perspective of helping a universal problem. These innovations should also be highlighted as main factors in your story. Relate the gravity of the problem your organization addresses and how it has been successful with the people featured in the story.

Crafting your Story

Keeping these two pillars of marketing storytelling in mind, there are a few tips you and your organization should rely on when developing that captivating story of your own:

Use first person point-of-view. First person induces trust in readers. Instead of telling the story from the view of your organization, interview the person you want to feature and have him or her be the focal point of the storytelling. This adds credibility as well, showing the details of the story are indeed real and personal.

Include contrasting pictures. In order to evoke that emotional response from your target audience, pictures are one of the most powerful methods. In the beginning of your story when you describe the tough conditions or setback a person experiences, show sentimental photo of either the person or the setting. This sets the tone of sympathy and melancholy for the people in your story. Later on, when you talk about how your organization comes to the rescue, use a positive, cheerful picture to spruce up the mood. This causes the viewer to form a connection between success and your organization.

If possible, add a video. Along with your story in text, include a short video of the person you are featuring in the story. Have them speak in an interview style, but also make sure to include footage of him or her during the times of struggle as well as accomplishment. Do not forget to focus on your organization and how it has helped the person to overcome failure or have success

Write with very “nitpicky” details. The point of a story is to delve deep into the life of an impacted consumer of your organization and pinpoint how you made a difference for the better. To do that, use specific evidence from the life of the person, for example, exact locations, statistics, and names of people.

Final Thoughts

With this insight in mind, go out and create a story of your own for your organization. By drawing on specific psychological knowledge, your story will prove to be one of your most effective marketing strategies, both for business and for inspiration.

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Sources

[1] Duhigg, Charles. The Power of Habit. New York: Random House, 2012. Print.

[2] Bechara, Antoine, Hanna Damasio, and Antonio R. Damasio. "Emotion, Decision Making and the Orbitofrontal Cortex." 2000. MS. University of Iowa, Iowa City. Caltech.edu. Cal Tech, 2000. Web. 7 Aug. 2014.

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Josh Seides is a junior at Alpharetta High School in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the founder of the nationally-recognized Technocademy, Inc., which teaches technology to senior citizens nationwide (). His work has been published or is forthcoming in Nonprofit World, American Careers, KidSpirit, Creative Communication, among others.