Tell a story about your product before directly giving a sales pitch is a very powerful sales tool. A common struggle for many companies is developing and creating engaging stories around their product or service.  

Customers buy a product because they see value in it. How are you creating value for your customer? You might employ very talented salespeople but even they need a good story to tell about why customers need to buy the product. 

The key is, don’t SELL the product, tell them a story. This is a vital component your marketing team should be providing to sales reps.  

First, make sure you’ve covered the basics referred to as the four “P’s” of marketing; product, price, place and promotion. Be aware, however, your competitors are doing the same thing. What can set you apart? Your story. 

Craft An Engaging Story

Developing an engaging story can take time and creativity to craft which is why many companies don’t do it very well. A product sales pitch can focus on the features and benefits but guaranteed your competition has the same sales points. Your story should convey an undeniable value to your reader by engaging them emotionally first. The actual product sales pitch can come later after you capture their attention. 

Stories can be funny, witty, educational or even cute. There should be an entertaining factor in your story to make it is engaging and memorable. At Nuncio Marketing we’ve worked with companies where their product pages are very factual and technical. While having that information available is important, chances are it’s not going to generate a lot of sales.   

You can’t expect readers to love your product if they fall asleep during the sales pitch. 

Telling an engaging story is excellent marketing. If done well it will guide the customer in their journey to buying your product. Consciously consider each emotional step a customer goes through to purchase the product. Often called a ‘sales funnel’ in marketing speak, every piece of content you write should help the customer overcome a little challenge or question in their mind about buying. Eventually, you know the product will solve a problem for them but anything you can do to help ease them into the decision to purchasing will make the sales process much more efficient. 

Heartstrings and Branding 

We always recommend connecting your story with your brand. Most companies begin because someone saw a need for something that wasn’t being filled. People will like your products, but they should love your brand. Connect your story to your brand, and you’ve got customer loyalty!

Consider iconic brands you know and love. Nike uses just three little words to tell their story. They had evolved into more than just a shoe company and the slogan “Just Do It” described all the products they made for the athlete and they used the medium of Television to visually convey their story. 

Lots of companies sell coffee but Starbucks developed their brand story around an experience in food, from store ambiance to aroma to taste. They weren’t just selling an expensive cup of coffee. 

Over the years, Coke has built many stories for its advertising campaigns. Their 1920s Christmas campaign changed the look of Santa to this day.

Coke struck marketing gold again with their 1971 “I’d like to buy the world a coke” TV commercials.

Look for the Passion to Find the Story 

We work with a lot of entrepreneurs. It doesn’t take a long conversation before you can hear the passion about their company. Crafting a company’s story can be as simple as honing the founder’s story. The same goes for a specific product story. Explore the reason “why” something exists. When people know the “why” the “what” becomes the next logical question. 

You may not be a writer but it’s always best to get the story down on paper. This step seems to be the hardest for companies because writing is becoming a lost art. Writing it out will help develop the concept and appropriate wording can be chosen to bring about the right emotional response. 

Develop the story to match different mediums. Social media is an excellent way to tell a story either in quick messages or videos. These act as regular reminders to engage your community. 

If you need help in crafting your story or a social media campaign around a product please reach out to us by filling in the contact form below.