Storytelling has been playing an increasingly important role in content marketing for years. And 2022 will see this principle continue, because personal and human content is more in demand than ever. But even the best story is worth nothing if it’s not promoted in the right way and doesn’t reach the right audience. Across all media outlets, people are flooded with information every day. It’s difficult to stand out from the crowd or to build an active community with only an impersonal company profile.
Power to the employees!
How does a company make sure that their story reaches and activates their community? It’s simple: Use your internal experts – you own employees – to tell your story! These experts are well suited to smartly addressing a niche topic for your company’s target audience. And their visible expertise doesn’t go unnoticed. It’s what draws and keeps that audience engaged with your company. That is the concept of building a community with the help of your own employees as brand ambassadors, so-called corporate influencers. Large corporations such as Telekom and OTTO show how it’s done. Thanks to the storytelling of their employees and their positioning as brand ambassadors, these companies get attention, reach and qualitative customer contacts. The prerequisite for this is the voluntary commitment and motivation of the employees. Even in small companies, there is a growing awareness that employees can have an enormous impact on public perception. Meanwhile, board members and managing directors position themselves as social CEOs on LinkedIn, Xing and other social media channels. Sometimes this means convincing those in companies who don’t (or won’t) recognize the advantages of using corporate influencers’ storytelling as a market tool.
Communicating successfully with storytelling
The advantages of storytelling are most evident in the effect stories have on their audience. People remember the messages in stories for a longer time and more accurately than in any other form of communication. Stories speak to the recipient on an emotional, pictorial level. The unconventional narrative form makes them stand out from the crowd and increases attention. Even complex information can be explained in a comprehensible way if it is conveyed in the form of a story. This makes it much easier for the recipient to identify him or herself with the topic, the content and ultimately also the corporate messages. Thus, digital storytelling also indirectly contributes to branding if it’s strategically integrated into corporate communication.
The potential of corporate influencers
Corporate influencers contribute significantly to branding by demonstrating a high level of subject matter expertise and authenticity. Their own employees position themselves as thought leaders in their field and thus attract the attention of a niche audience. In this way, entire brand communities can be built step by step. With the help of successful individual brand ambassadors, companies can participate in agenda setting within the industry. Employees who make their affiliation with the company publicly visible (both on social media and offline) easily engage with their company’s target audience. They can establish customer contacts and cultivate relationships. Corporate influencers are thus an effective tool to increasing the company’s reach and contribute to a trusted public image of the company and the brand.
Conclusion
Storytelling and corporate influencers reveal some interfaces and create space for creative campaigns. With corporate influencer storytelling, companies can convey their messages emotionally and credibly to the outside world. So far, the potential of this kind of content marketing strategy is far from being exhausted by many companies. Our recommendation is: Listen to what your employees have to say, you will be surprised.
