Account Based Marketing is a wide subject and in that stories are powerful, they allow us to learn, to connect emotionally, and they carry the message.
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It’s an original form of entertainment and if you think about it, all good stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end, hooking your audience from beginning to end so they will be engaged until the end.
We are so used to telling stories that we create the story even when we don’t need it. Stories provide a quick and easy way for people to gain a lot of knowledge in an engaging manner
According to a recent study, companies have the power to increase the value of a product or service by 20 times by telling their brand story nicely.
- From video to VR, social media, and beyond, a brand has a host of media that can tell its story.
- The information woven into the stories is even more memorable.
- Personalized content that emphasizes the shareholder’s story has always been a critical issue for ABM.
You dig into each person’s decision maker’s pain points and challenges (story) and deliver content that solves those problems.
ABM’s goal is not an individual, rather a group.
When it comes to account-based marketing (ABM), you are going to focus on targeting the key stakeholders involved in the decision-making process as part of your strategy
Which means that all of your personalized content should have the same focus/message.
The Importance of Storytelling in Business
In the business world, storytelling has become an effective tool for sales and marketing specialists. Just as we are impressed by stories in our personal lives, whether it’s through movies, TV series, or books, the same principles apply in a business context.
People make decisions predominantly based on emotion, and then they justify those decisions with logic. This is why the person who can efficiently cast a idea and tell a compelling story often wins the deal, rather than the low-cost provider.
In account-based initiatives, storytelling grow into even more significant. With the increasing number of participants involved in the B2B buying process, you need a story that can be retold and shared across divisions and functions, even when you’re not present.
The story becomes the vehicle that transfers your message and vision to your target accounts.
The Anatomy of a Compelling Story
According to the book “Measures of Story” by Sean Buvala, there are three key components that make up an effective story: the float, the anecdote, and the total story.
The Float
The float is simply a statistic or finding, shown without any context or guidance on how the listener should understand it. For example, “Two-thirds of a sales rep’s day is spent on non-selling activities.” This intelligence is interesting, but it doesn’t tell the listener how to think about it.
The Anecdote
The anecdote takes the float and adds some background and perspective. It guides the listener on how to think about the information. For example, “Two-thirds of a sales rep’s day is spent on non-selling activities, and if your team is concentrating on booking more meetings, creating more pipeline, and closing more deals, nothing will be more annoying than burning cycles with bad data.”
The Complete Story
The complete story takes the anecdote and adds a beginning, middle, and end, allowing the listener to psychologically connect with the story. For example:
I wanted to share an important lesson I learned while managing an inside sales team of about 8 people. It’s all about the impact of bad data on your sales reps’ productivity and morale. You see, sales reps already spend two-thirds of their day on non-selling activities.
So if your team is focused on booking more meetings, creating more pipelines, and closing more deals, nothing will be more frustrating than wasting time with inaccurate data. I used to look at my bustling sales floor and think my team was being super productive. But I soon realized this was a silent killer in two ways:
- Opportunity cost – Every minute spent dealing with bad data was a minute not spent on the important stuff, like opening opportunities, getting meetings with decision-makers, and moving the sales cycle forward. That’s a huge waste of time and potential.
- Morale killer – When your reps lose faith in the data in your CRM, it’s like they’re already defeated before they even pick up the phone. Imagine how demotivating that must feel.
The bottom line is, if your sales team is spending a significant chunk of their day fixing bad data, it’s hurting your business in more ways than one. You’re losing out on opportunities and deals, and your reps are losing motivation. So, my advice? Make sure you have accurate, reliable data that your sales team can trust.
It’ll make a world of difference in their productivity and morale. Trust me, it’s worth the investment.
How do you tell the stories your audience wants to hear?
Content is very important, especially in the case of Account Based Marketing. You will focus on their pain points, the challenges they face, and how you can help them overcome them.
- Three-action structure
- Introduce the scene and character (s)
- Show-case problem
- show the solution to the problem.
Data based storytelling
The example to tell a visually striking data-based story comes from Google Trends.
By using data to create visually stunning stories, brands can attract attention, provide detailed solutions to problems, and reduce the raft of online noise.
With 15,298,283 views and counting, Google Trends has captured the attention of a wider population and tells the story of engaging users globally.
Data is key to developing good content and eventually telling a resonant story.
Relying on words to tell a story is not always necessary and leaders who help their teams gain insight from data can help tell a unique story as the demand for interactive content increases.
Mini-ads
Video continues to grow among marketing teams as a visual medium that gives great results, a way to tell the story of a brand or product.
Not only do these new announcements have the power to enliven the brand’s story, but this mini video format will immerse the audience, leading to engagement.
Customer led storytelling
The brand offers the opportunity to tell its stories to customers or clients customers.
Telling this user-created story can help increase engagement, build trust, and broaden your horizons.
Your team can do this by hosting a social media takeover day, with a Blogger re-try, or by inviting influential customers to write guest posts on your blog.
Also Read: What is the Difference Between Instagram Creator Account Vs Business Account
An example of this platform is ‘Stories from the Airbnb Community’ and is extremely engaging with a mix of amazing stories that are published regularly.
Immersive story
By taking a person and immersing them in a sensual experience that is central to your brand story, your company stands to drive engagement heavily.
While this form of brand storytelling is evolving, many innovations are expected to come to the surface in the coming years.
Dark Social in Account Based Marketing
Dark social refers to a type of social participation that cannot be accurately tracked
With so many people using platforms or media such as Slack, SMS or messaging, Google Hangouts, Snapchat on a regular basis.
You need to use these channels to share source information, insights, emails, businesses with articles, and opportunities to stay close to peers and articles.
By looking at new ways to understand how people share content, data, and information, you will discover the newest ways to share your brand story with your audience.
By encouraging your team to look beyond traditional data, you will greatly increase your chances of success.
These principles should provide you with the right approach to start creating content that is interesting and in the right format.
The storytelling format should resonate with the audience in a personalized manner.
Tailoring the Story for Different Personas in Account Based Marketing
When using storytelling in an account-based method, it’s significant to tailor the message for the different stakeholders you’re engaging with.
For example, when communicating to a VP of Sales, you might frame the story at a more strategic level, focusing on how poor data quality impacts the team’s ability to hit their numbers.
With a sales manager, you might highlight how the story echoes with their team and helps them achieve their individual goals.
And for a quota-carrying sales rep, you might highlight how bad data gets in the way of their ability to earn commissions.
Key Takeaways
- Finish the story in Account Based Marketing. Don’t just throw around piece of data; back them up with a complete narrative that has a beginning, middle, and end, allowing your audience to emotionally connect with the message.
- Tailor the story for different personas. In an account-based methodology, adjust the way you frame the story to echo with the specific needs and concerns of each stakeholder you’re engaging with.
By incorporating these principles of storytelling into your Account Based Marketing and sales efforts, you can create a more convincing and impactful message that resonates with your target accounts and helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace.
