The most successful brands have a powerful story behind them.  The early days of brands such as Microsoft and Apple are part of modern folklore.  Stories are way more powerful than impressive statistics or growth charts.  This is because stories connect with our emotions.  Clever storytelling helps us believe in a business and what it stands for.  Even the ugly parts of a business - the struggles, the set-backs, the losses (as well as the wins) - these parts can help humanise a brand if told well.

So how does a business use storytelling to their competitive advantage?

Since we were small, a lot of what we learned about the world was through the medium of storytelling.  We learnt our lessons from stories such as The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Ugly Duckling, and the Hare and the Tortoise.  For growing brains, important life lessons are best served in the medium of a story that conveys rich characters, a purpose-driven plot and a lesson taught.

Stories resonate with us even as we mature because they are an efficient means of communication, and of transferring information and knowledge.  They are educational and entertaining.  To maximise the power of storytelling in your Employer Branding strategy, Papirfly recommends the following:

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• Always start with the purpose of your story, which must align with your Employer Brand strategy
• Understand your ideal candidates and use this information to guide the direction of the stories you create
• Tweak your story to suit your target audience but be authentic (people can spot a fake a mile away)
• Leverage your existing employees for engaging, purpose-driven content
• Share your stories according to the channels that your ideal candidates consume: Twitter. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Youtube
• The story behind a business can be important in securing stakeholder commitment and funding.  Often this comes from solving a problem or finding a gap in a market.
• Storytelling maintains the attention of an audience in a world where we’re overloaded with content.  If you’re using a story in a pitch, you’re less likely to lose an audience’s attention.
• Every business needs to use stories to answer the question of ‘why should people care?’ Stories can be used to answer the question of employees (potential or current), customers, and stakeholders.

Watch how Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx, came up with her product (first couple of minutes).

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