At the heart of any great marketing strategy is how to reach the end goal of closing the sale. While it's tempting to focus solely on the products and services you offer clients, this approach doesn't differentiate you from every other business like yours. Storytelling is how you stand out. John Jantsch, speaker, marketing consultant and author, lauds storytelling as a phenomenal way to build a personal connection with customers and keep them coming back to you rather than turning to your rivals.

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share Jantsch's thoughts on the importance of storytelling in your business.

It instantly establishes a human connection. In a digital age, it's easy to work with a business and never interact with a real human being. However, online giants such as Amazon keep customers back with competitive pricing, vast offerings and fast shipping. While you can't compete with retail behemoths on those fronts, you can stand out in other ways. Jantsch says that when you embrace storytelling, you can show off your company's personality, highlight fun facts about your team and make customers feel like they really know the people behind your brand.

It helps you stand out on social. A big part of online marketing is social media. From Facebook to LinkedIn, these platforms are designed to create connections and tell stories. This makes them ideal to employ smart storytelling techniques. Jantsch says to start by embracing the platform you're on. Storytelling on your company's Twitter account is different than Instagram storytelling. Use these different media to weave together a cohesive story across platforms to build trust and brand awareness. Once you make a good impression on social, you help drive prospects to your site.

It guides the customer through their journey. The customer journey isn't as straightforward as it used to be. There are many ways someone can encounter your brand for the first time. This makes it a bit trickier to create a clear path from the first interaction through to repeat business and referrals. By using brand storytelling on your website, you can accomplish this goal. Jantsch encourages companies to remember that a website is the one online asset where you maintain complete control of the content. Design your site so that the home page immediately addresses the concerns of your prospects and tells them who you are and how you can help. You can also share a short video about your mission.

It drives conversions. Sometimes business owners focus solely on the sale. However, remember that there are multiple conversions along the customer journey. If a first-time visitor to your site returns a few days later, that is a conversion. If this individual requests a white paper, that's also a conversion. Jantsch advises companies to use smart storytelling that's targeted at prospects and customers based on where they are in the journey.

Don't overlook the importance of telling a great story about your business. It's an effective way to boost your bottom line and keep your customers coming back for more.

Source: John Jantsch is an author, speaker and marketing consultant who specializes in assisting small businesses. He is the author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Referral Engine and The Commitment Engine.