Storytelling 2017

the five trends that will revolutionize storytelling in my opinion are:
interactive appeal
virtual reality
internet of things (IoT)
real time storytelling
wearable technology

Many experts list emotional engagement as a leading trend in storytelling, however, the truth is that emotional engagement always has been and always will be the key to selling. You see, emotional engagement is the sister to rational engagement.

Simply put....if you can connect with a prospective buyer or customer on an emotional level, and you have the solution to what the prospective buyer/customer needs, then regardless of the cost, it seems totally rational in the prospect's mind to buy it whatever it is you're selling.

BUT, please be warned: don't just tell a story for telling a story sake. The story has to be a good story and authentic, otherwise, you're better off not telling a story at all.

Hey Diana,

Listen to what NCMediaInc said; he/she summed it up perfectly.

What makes a good story today is, at its core, no different to what made a good story thousands of years ago.

Of course, there will always be new mediums to tell your story, as "iwantbreak" said.

But the aim of any story in your sales copy should be to evoke an emotional response from people.

Why?

Because people make buying-decisions based on emotion. Sure, you do need to satisfy the logical part of their brain in order to get the sale. But only after you've already got their emotional buy-in.

In terms of who the story should be about, the most common thing is to tell your own story, or turn a client testimonial into a "proper" story.

The basic framework of storytelling in sales is this:

1) Start the story at a low point in your life, when you were experiencing some kind of pain. (This should mimic what your ideal prospect is currently feeling when they read your sales letter.)

2) Rub salt into the wound further. Talk about how bad things got. Make your prospect think, "If I don't get this sorted soon, I'll have all this still to come..."

3) Then, when you've bashed your prospect's head against the ground to the point they can't take it anymore, you bring them up again and show them the light, so to speak. And this is where you introduce your solution.

4) Talk of specific benefits you're now seeing in your life. Make your prospect desire these.

Tom

"Would anyone like to discuss storytelling trends for 2017 and going forward?"

The present moment is an eternal cliffhanger.