A few weeks ago, I wrote my first Pace blog post about social media and content marketing, and followed it up with this post about putting the audience first. Today I’m going to discuss the importance of storytelling in content marketing.
Storytelling has been entrenched in every human civilization, predating even the earliest forms of writing. It’s central to how we learn, communicate and make sense of the world. And while the way we tell stories has changed, the fundamentals remain intact.
Unlike traditional marketing practices, content marketing is all about telling your brand story in a way that engages the audience and provides them with value. We live in a digital world where ignoring marketing messages is easier than ever. In order to earn the attention of an audience, brands must go above and beyond and create content so powerful that people are motivated to seek it out and share it with others. Rather than disrupting an audience from what they’re reading or watching, the content must become what they’re paying attention to.
It’s a tall order to fill, but not impossible. Here’s one of my favorite examples of a brand that did this well:
Chipotle Mexican Grill – The Scarecrow
Chipotle is a brand deeply devoted to ethically raised livestock, family farms, and using ingredients free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) To start a conversation about their commitment to high-quality food – rather than just create another promotional ad – it had to be done in a meaningful way.
About 18 months ago Chipotle released a YouTube video titled “The Scarecrow” as part of its Cultivate a Better World ad campaign.