The economy has evolved from a product- to experience-oriented as consumers started to look beyond the “what” that companies offered at their “how” and “why.” Little by little, brand storytelling took over marketing center stage. But, we’ve come to face another problem. The oversaturation of content skyrocketed the price of human attention! And so, we are here... talking about brand storytelling chatbots.

Today, it has become self-evident that attaching your product or service to a larger narrative is the key to success. Hence, even the companies you would not expect work to tell a compelling brand story. Giving the cheesiest example, people all over the world know and recognize Apple for their ”Think different” philosophy, their mission the disturb, innovate, to put a ding in the universe…

But Apple is not the only brand telling a compelling story. There are millions of businesses building their marketing strategy around a strong narrative.

How do you make people listen in a world where everybody is talking?

You deliver your story differently!

What is a Brand Storytelling Chatbot?

Before we dive into what a chatbot can actually do for your brand storytelling, let’s talk about what a storytelling bot actually is.

A chatbot is computer software designed to interact with human users in the form of a conversation either on the web or via a messaging app.

A storytelling chatbot is simply a way to tell brand stories in the form of a conversation, as is most natural to us. After all, before the invention of writing, the stories we told each other were the only way to share and learn new information. The only difference is that chatbots are infinitely scalable able to engage an unlimited number of potential customers.

Chatbots take storytelling in digital marketing from monologue to dialogue. The stories the tell spin around the topics related to the brand, and so influence how people see and feel about that brand.

They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Carl W. Buehner

1. Give Your Brand a “Human” Voice & Character

A story gives your brand identity and mission. Still, it’s the brand talking. Plus, the bigger the company gets, the harder it becomes to keep it human and connected to its original purpose.

Storytelling chatbot has the power to give your brand a character with emotions and preferences - a familiar face with relatable experiences.

As you set out to build your chatbot avatar, you will be forced to ask and answer crucial questions about your target audience such as who are they, what are their problems, what language they use to talk about those problems, and so forth. This exercise will enable you to anchor your chatbot within a solid context that doesn't allow it to become unrelatable.

Based on these assessments and observations, you’ll be able to define the tone, language, and level of formality which resonates with your target the most. If your chosen character embodies the assessed relatable personality traits and/or lifestyle choices and matches your brand narrative and values, you've got yourself a powerful advocate that never gets tired.

‍Sharing emotional moments, connecting over experiences or laughing over a joke is much more natural in a conversational setting as supposed to reading novel-size texts on the “Our Story” page that rarely anyone visits.

👀 LEARN TO DESIGN NATURAL CHATBOT PERSONAS & CONVERSATIONS 👀

2. Keep It Clear & Simple

Even a great brand story, no matter how compelling, won’t have the right impact if the narrative is too complex and confusing. It’s easy to start with a simple mission. But stories and ideas tend to get cluttered as the brand narrative develops and new products or features are added.

For most businesses, the sequence of their story follows the three-act structure of:

1. Problem
2. Solution
3. Success

While the way you tell the story, even the characters (avatars) you use to do it may change over time, the essence should remain consistent.Good stories are easy to follow.

Turning your brand story into a conversation forces you boil it down to its essence, getting rid off all the unnecessary fluff and inconsistencies that might make it confusing. In other words, it’s easier to spot when a story turns into senseless ramble as part of a two-way dialogue.

However, simplicity in a conversation doesn’t mean you have to give up more complex explanations and twists in your story.

Piece of content is usually rigid and there is nothing you can do about it. On the other hand, the conversation can remain as short and simple or as long and detailed as the user wants.

Which brings us to the next point…

3. Give Your Customers A Voice & Power to Personalize

Indeed, a two-way dialogue gives your prospective. Moreinportnatly, it gives consumers the power to stir their experience of your story in a way that speaks to them the most.

In most cases, brand communication and content marketing is a one-way street.

You design a website, run ads, share content, send emails… while all of these tactics are a part of the story, they don’t give consumers a chance to engage on a more personal level. Sure, all of the above are efficient ways to fuel your brand storytelling marketing.

Still, even if consumers associate with your story, share your values and mission, they remain passive spectators.

Chatbots bring real-time interactivity and personalization to the equation. And part of great storytelling is “feeling” your audience and adjusting to its needs.

Thus, while you have a single mission and a clear story, chatbots give you the freedom to personalize the storytelling based on user preferences and context.

4. Make Your Storytelling Marketing Omnipresent

Most brands confine their stories to their “About Us” page. Or perhaps they do so through an online campaign that runs for a limited amount of time. Some make the effort to reflect their story through their content...

But what if you could make your story seep through every interaction and conversation you have with your audience?

As I mentioned at the beginning, today, brands are not products but rather the moments and experiences between the product and the user. They are the sum of conversations, feelings, moments shared together whether as part of a community, movement, ideology or lifestyle.

Using chatbots as your main storytelling tool allows you to convey your mission, values, hopes, and dreams in a variety of scenarios using the character and personality of your avatar.

You can weave your brand story into your lead generation bot, customer support bot, entertainment bot, scheduling bot, campaign bot, and even recruitment bot to ensure you employ people with similar values. Furthermore, your bot can greet audiences as they visit your website, social media accounts or, instead, come straight to them via messaging apps.

After all, every great story is driven forward by a strong protagonist not a single piece of text, image or copy. Let your chatbot to be that protagonist at every step of your customer journey.

5. Be Unforgettable

In today’s fast-paced and digitally-driven culture, humanity and creativity are falling victim to automation and speed. We are constantly rewarded with convenience but most tasks and processes turn into fuzzy, unremarkable and unemotional experiences.In this environment, becoming one of those faceless entities is a death penalty for branding.You need to stay fast and convenient.Yet, you can’t neglect the humanity of personal touch.The pressure is high.But!Well, you probably know where I am going with this by now...

Brand storytelling bots allow you to keep up with the demands of speed and automation. That is while giving you the freedom to create personalized experiences.

As if that wasn’t quite enough, chat conversation offers significant freedom as opposed to any other form of business communication. You can get a bit personal, silly even… use emojis, gifs, images, and music to connect with your audiences and wrap your message in an interactive multidimensional story.

In a sea of sameness, chatbots allow you to become memorable.

Tell a great story in an unforgettable (different) way every time.

Summing Up: Brand Storytelling in Digital Marketing

Storytelling in business has grown into one of the most powerful marketing strategies of today. And all would be peachy if consumers weren't bombarded by an incredible surplus of information & stories all the time. Unfortunately, companies have to fight hard for the ever more prized consumer attention.

The holy grail of marketing abilities has become the capacity to create a brand that builds emotional connections without sacrificing the convenience of automation.

Chatbots, thanks to increased tech advancements and growing ease of their creation, are taking the lead in storytelling strategies, bringing humanity back into brand communications.

Go on.. Give it a try!

Create a protagonist your audience will fall in love with. Turn your customer base into a community of devote advocates.