What’s Neuroscience and Storytelling Got to Do With My Website?
Let’s take a quick look at a few recent studies.
A Harvard University study determined that 95% of decision-making is subconscious and usually not logical. Neuroscientists know that certain chemicals (neurotransmitters) in our brains are responsible for those reward-motivation / fight-or-flight decisions.
A Content Marketing Institute survey revealed that almost 82% of marketers believe that “engaging and compelling storytelling” is by far the most important element to ensure effective content.
The London School of Business and Management found that customer retention for a properly-told story is 1400% higher as compared to just delivering facts and figures.
But how can telling compelling stories help you win you more deals and/or make more sales?
Robert Dickman, author of The Elements of Persuasion has a formula for a good story:
- A story is a fact
- Wrapped in an emotion
- That compels us to take action
- That transforms us in some way
So now, put yourself in this story. You manage a ball team and you want to improve your team’s batting average. You’d bring in a batting coach, right? But not someone who’s never played baseball or hit above a .300 average. You’d want the best batter you could find to take your batters from good to great.
Now consider this. During a year-end review, a client told us they had a really great year last year. We KNOW that their people and the efforts they take for their customers had no small part in contributing to that growth against several strong competitors. BUT… I also know that during the previous December, we launched their new site and since February of that year, we’ve been working with them to tell the story of those efforts, what makes them different… better… the best choice… online. Since then, their search visibility score (click-thru traffic rate across all keywords) has risen from under 20% to just under 40% – nearly tied with their #2 competitor.
You can’t win if you can’t hit the ball and you can’t hit the ball if no one is pitching to you. This client came to us because we know the ‘science’ of how specific colors, words, phrases, pictures, videos, and layouts can push the “buy buttons” in customers’ brains.
That’s OUR story… and we’re sticking to it.
If you’re not telling effective stories, you may soon get eaten alive by competitors who are.
Facts tell, stories sell. Stories underscored by neuroscience really sell. What’s your story AND who do you want to help you tell it?
