Being able to communicate through storytelling with data is actually easier than you think.
Compared to using common catchy lines and phrases, using collected data and turning them into a story in a compelling fashion can help connect your brand to the right people.
One good reason is that consumers are much more likely to engage with a brand that they know they can trust.
Think about it, if someone tells you about their life-changing experience with a particular brand, it can affect your decision to buy, right?
But what if you don’t have someone to tell their experience with your company, how do you even encourage them to buy your product?
Through storytelling, of course!
After reading this article, you will learn, what data storytelling is all about, the elements and importance of data storytelling, and get an idea of how to get started with our examples.
What is data storytelling?
Data storytelling is a marketing strategy that turns collected data into a compelling narrative to provide valuable information to the audience.
This strategy involves gathering data and insights and then turning them into a story that your audience can easily understand.
It’s not just a boring PowerPoint representation of how your brand is performing (although it’s almost the same) but the way it is delivered is on a completely different level.
The infographics you see online are also excellent examples of data storytelling.
However, storytelling doesn’t always start with statistics since there are also instances where the data is presented at the end of your story.
Why is data storytelling important?
Storytelling with data is very important, not just as a marketing strategy, but to help your potential customers understand what it is all about despite the numbers that they see.
In fact, it also affects the buyer’s decision since your data provides meaning and value, which dramatically increases the credibility of your brand.
Any company that uses this strategy on their campaigns also makes them stand out from the competition.
Through storytelling with creative visualization, encourages people to engage with your brand more since most viewers find it attractive.
Elements of storytelling with data
Why do you think storytelling exists in the marketing industry?
While a lot of us think data storytelling needs to begin with data, that’s not always the case.
There are three important elements of data storytelling that make it work.
In the next sections, you’ll learn how you can tell a story without even presenting data right away.
Person
The person or the protagonist of your story can be you or your brand.
Keep in mind that this element hooks your audience’s attention before asking them a couple of questions about what they need.
The reason why this is important is that it makes you, the main hero of the story, relatable so you can start building a relationship with them.
“In today’s free webinar, I will be teaching you the tips and tricks that I personally use to get more people to hire me as their architect, and are paying me thousands of dollars just to get me to sign a contract and start working with them.
But before we get to the exciting part, let me ask you a few questions.
“Are you ready to change how you acquire clients?
Do you think you can earn more money if your clients are on a tight budget?
How do you balance two or more projects at a time without missing deadlines?”
When you start asking these questions to your prospects, this makes them realize a bunch of things about themselves.
The next step is to talk about problems or mistakes that they might have experienced before.
“How many clients were unhappy with your projects because of failing to meet deadlines after signing a contract with 3 projects?
I bet the next thing you did was apologize and promised yourself not to make the same mistakes on your next clients.
But guess what?
Chances are, you’ll lose more clients even before you’ve met them if you don’t do anything about it.
Then you can finally tell them how you can solve their problem.
“I’m not good at making promises but I can guarantee that after completing this course, you can start making more money than I did.
Story
This will be the 2nd part of your script where you talk about the protagonist’s story.
Drama
Since we’re trying to be the main hero of our story, this is where it gets dramatic.
By the way, this isn’t the climax yet since the next section will be our major turning point.
“As I was studying for my entrance exams for college, a family member called to tell me about Archie, my dog, who just died from being sick in the past few weeks.
In an instant, I felt like my world was slowly crashing down knowing I wasn’t there during my dog’s final hours.
And you know what happened next?
I didn’t skip my exams, but I couldn’t continue reading through my notes and the next thing I knew, I failed that one test that was supposed to be the first step to my dream career.
Backstory
After starting with high drama, you can finally tell a quick backstory about how you, the hero, become this or that.
And since you already had their attention on the first part, you can go easy here.
“A few years ago, I was someone who wasn’t interested to go out of my room because I was an introvert who preferred to stay indoors and play video games all day.
Until my dog, Archie, came into my life after my parents gave him to me on my birthday.
I never knew I was lonely all along and that I was afraid to talk to other people because I always find it hard to talk with them.
But when I had Archie with me, strangers in the streets would often greet and tell me how cute he was with the collars and accessories that I made him wear.
I even made a few friends thanks to my furry pal.
Who would’ve thought I only had to bring my pet with me just to make a friend, right?
Problem and Declaration of Independence
This is where you tell them about an event in your life where you’re currently experiencing a crisis and had to decide for yourself.
“Indeed, Archie was the ‘goodest boy’ I ever had, except that as he got older, he was also starting to fall ill more and since we live in a remote area, it would take me 2-3 hours before we reach our vet.
And then wait for another hour or two before it’s our turn.
That was also when I realized that I wanted to become a veterinarian myself so other pet owners in my neighborhood wouldn’t have to travel this far just to see the vet.“
Path
The fourth part of your story is where you talk to your reader about your journey towards success.
“As we were traveling back home, I started to do some research on which schools offered Veterinary Medicine since I didn’t know what career to pursue in college.“
Solution
Ultimately, this is the part of your story where you wrap it all up and introduce your product as the solution to your problem.
“After all those years of looking for the best solution for hair loss, I created HairSU, a hair-growing serum with Minoxidil to fight alopecia.
This product is the reason why my hair is finally thicker and it took me almost 3 years of intense research just to create a product that can help people who experienced the same.
Since my humiliating experience with alopecia has been haunting me for years, I made HairSU so you can avoid getting a hair transplant.”
Additionally, you can also add social proof to show them how other people find your product or service excellent.
Don’t forget to add a call to action so they can buy your product.
“8 out of 10 men ages 50 and above are starting to develop alopecia areata.
After using HairSU, we were able to help these men get thicker hair in less than 6 months.
Click the button on the right side today so you don’t miss out on our exclusive one-time offer to save more on HairSU products and get a life-changing experience.”
As you can see, this strategy doesn’t always start with statistics.
If you know how to take the modern approach to storytelling with data, you can start getting more clients than before.
Want to know more strategies for your brand? Check out our DotCom Secrets review by clicking here.
