Storytelling is as old as language.

We tell stories, we invent stories, we share stories, and we make stories up. Some stories are small others epic, but they all are a constant in our everyday lives.

So, why are so many business owners petrified of corporate storytelling, especially when it comes to video marketing?

We’re just sharing what we’re up to, right?

This is what gets in the way:

  • Overthinking the storytelling process
  • Getting tangled up in industry jargon
  • Talking about concepts rather than telling a story
  • Being attached to looking good, rather than real, like-able, and authentic – there, I used the “a” word
  • Trying to pack too many stories into one video

And the list goes on.

So, how do you remedy being stuck on telling your story on video?

If you’re selling a product, show the product while you tell the story about why you are selling it.

If you’re selling a service, you are the product! People are buying working with you.

Show them the product: You! And, tell them your story.

Most of my clients are service providers and when they ask me what kind of story to tell, I recommend a couple kinds:

There’s “The Classic”: i.e.This is my passion and this is my business. Chances are, that you have the content for that video already. It’s what you talk about when you meet new people and introduce yourself.

Blow a sample: And a note to reader: if you have any samples of your own, I’d love to feature it here and replace the below video!

And here a video that talks about finding content for those kinds of videos:

I also love any kind of expert tip series, especially if you are a service provider.

For instance, I’m just finishing up a 22-video series “Nina’s Top Tips to Survive DIY Video Marketing“.

Here the first video in that series:

I was hugely worried about coming up with content, but once I found a chapter structure for the 22 videos, it was so easy to come up with expert tips, because I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge and helping small business owners.

And, if you sell a product you can even do a tip series on that product: how to take care of it, use it, and work with it. Or you can talk about something related to the product.

So, if your product is road biking gear, you could talk about bike maintenance tips, race training tips, and bike routes.

No matter what kind of video you’re putting together, my advice is:

  • Keep it simple
  • Keep it short
  • Work with what you have
  • Stay clear of jargon
  • Be yourself, and
  • Have fun!

What are your storytelling-challenges? I’d love to hear from you!

Storytelling: Curated Link Pack

  1. How you speak to your audience is just as important as what you are saying. This brilliant blog post breaks down how Language, Tone, and Content all go into making an effective video… https://wistia.com/blog/successful-videos-respect-intelligence
  2. Do you love data and analytics? These seven successful companies do too. Plus, they all smartly use it to craft storytelling for their marketing… https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/data-driven-storytelling-brand-examples
  3. In video marketing, many lead with the solution and forget to set up the story. But the story is what is going to make your client connect to you and your business… https://wistia.com/blog/kindra-hall-strategic-storytelling
  4. Video lends itself to high impact (especially with today’s short attention spans). These videos prove you can create fantastic stories with only 6 seconds of content!… https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/youtube-bumper-ads-six-second-storytelling/
  5. Strategic storytelling is just as important for a business’ sales team as it is for the business’ leader… https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/how-to-train-salespeople-to-tell-stories
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