Many association staff seeing how well storytelling works for for-profits and charitable non-profits are starting think about adding storytelling to their marketing mix. Storytelling is a fundamentally different kind of marketing than we have been doing. Most of the tricks and tips you learned over the years will not work anymore because:
Storytelling doesn’t create immediate sales as much as forms stronger connections with our members.
Storytelling is more than logic; great association stories combine logic and emotion.
Great storytelling is built on an outward focus verses organization focus.
Storytelling is about telling the stories our members need to hear verses telling the stories we want to tell.
Storytelling is based on empathy so everything from our preparation, process and outcome is seen through the lens of our members.
Storytelling connects in a way that fact-based marketing does not.
Storytelling bypasses our highly cultivated distrust mechanism.
Storytelling can do many things that traditional marketing can not do but it also takes a different kind of effort.
Bonus:
In this popular guest article I talk about connecting with members using storytelling during the various member cycles from attraction through contribution.