Storytelling in Content Marketing: Building Strategy and Connections with the Hero's Journey

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Marketing Strategy

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Thought Leadership

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May 2019

It may sound counterintuitive, but all creative work relies on some sort of pattern.

Even the most uniquely imaginative projects have an established structure that determines success.

Naturally, the formula is constantly being tweaked. Each creator puts their own spin on it, which is what makes great and memorable work truly unique.

In order to effectively deliver a message in art, marketing or life in general, the creative process has to involve analytical evaluation because human beings inherently love structure.

Notable example #1: The Renaissance, a time period defined by the melding of logic and creativity.

This era saw scores of trailblazing thinkers incorporating scientific principles into their creative work. This technique demonstrated the universal connection between people and the type of structural elements we innately gravitate towards.

(See modern references such as Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, which, although not entirely historically accurate, did manage to shed light on the significance of patterns in the work of Renaissance-era visionaries.)

Isaac Newton, Dante, Galileo, Copernicus, Niccolo Machiavelli and Da Vinci himself created some of the era’s greatest work in various mediums, all of which reflect a pattern known as “The Golden Ratio.” This pattern suggests that all humans respond well to a certain set of universal proportions.

Michaelangelo, Botticelli, and Da Vinci himself all incorporated the Golden Ratio into some of the era’s most well-known paintings.

Image Sources: Archaeology News Network, Contemporary Art

The ratio, a set of mathematical proportions said to create the ideal structural shape, has been demonstrated in many other great works throughout history — the concept also occurs in architecture, seen in buildings such as the Parthenon and Taj Mahal. It even dates as far back as the Pyramids of Giza, which appear to have been designed using this same principle.

To wit: using a formula does not mean your work is formulaic.

Rather, it demonstrates an understanding of human nature, and the common principles we innately identify with. Which leads us to -

Notable example #2: Storytelling is about improving the wheel, not reinventing it.

It's a fantastic example of how using a premade set of rules can help you create something that may not be groundbreaking, but resonates with your audience in a groundbreaking way. And creating that personal connection is the foundation of brand marketing.

The business world may seem light years apart from the creative writer’s world in principle. However, the most effective marketing requires a creative storytelling component to truly define a brand.

The most successful businesses don’t just sell their products — they create a niche for themselves with a memorable personality and targeted approach.

Customers respond to a successful advertising campaign because they can identify with the message. Messages that truly resonate with us generally involve a logical plot arc and progression of events.

While there have been several interpretations of this structural storytelling theory, Christopher Vogler wrote one of the most comprehensive breakdowns in The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers.

Since its original release in 1992, this book has been revamped several times and is now available as a 3rd edition publication. However, not much has changed, and the same principles hold true.

The Writer’s Journey is a favorite amongst novel writers and screenwriters, for whom it was initially developed as a textbook resource.

It defines the general principles that make a story attractive to readers or viewers — character development, empathy, uncertainty, conflict, and resolution.

In my own novel-writing endeavors, I’ve referred back to it many times — and every time, I understand something new and different.

Christopher Vogler’s roadmap of The Hero’s Journey — a comprehensive breakdown of the basic structural elements all great stories possess.

Vogler summarizes an identifiable plot arc throughout a story that makes it truly engaging and successful. He even documents the individual steps as a flowchart, as seen here.

So...how does this tie into marketing?

Excellent question.

As a copywriter, my pitch has long included the idea that copy is more than business function — it’s creative art. Even in short-form advertising pieces, a connection needs to be made with your target market that creates need and excitement.

And the Hero's journey inspires that technique.

Your audience needs to know who you are and why they should trust you before they feel confident enough to invest in your business. They need to connect with you on a personal level in order to understand how you can help them solve the issue at hand.

First and foremost, identify yourself. Then, identify your consumer.

The important thing to remember is that your brand isn't meant to be the hero - your audience is.

While you’re striving to be a helpful supporter and positive influence, it is ultimately those customers that need to feel empowered to move forward.

They begin the journey with a pain point. Your customers need something to solve a problem they have. Perhaps they’ve tried other solutions, none of which have worked. They’re looking for help.

You make an offer, and they take you up on it. Your product or service acts as the tool (the “Artifact,” as Vogler would describe it) that helps them complete their journey, solve the problem and make the full character arc to end up back where they started — except now, they’re confident and ready to take on the world.

Here's how Vogler categorizes the stages of the journey:

Ordinary World
Call to Adventure
Refusal of the Call
Meeting with the Mentor
Crossing the First Threshold
Tests, Allies, Enemies
Approach to the Innermost Cave
The Ordeal
Reward
The Road Back
The Resurrection
Return with the Elixir

Initially, it seems like a lot to try and squeeze into a website landing page, an email newsletter, or a series of Facebook promo ads.

However — breaking down the individual sections can give you an idea of the important parts your advertising needs to touch on.

The Buyer's Journey

As the Heroes, your target customers exist in an Ordinary World.

Something is missing. They haven’t experienced what you’re offering, and they can benefit from it — even if they don’t necessarily know it yet.

The moment their eyes meet your content, your website, or your ad, there’s a magical synthesis that takes place. Something stirs in them, and your words move them to action.

This impetus is their Call to Adventure. They’re intrigued, and they’re ready to learn more and leave the Ordinary World behind.

(Of course, the copy they’re reading has to be great. Not good — great. The key takeaway from all of this is how amazing words reflecting an amazing brand voice can be the difference between mediocrity and huge success.)

As they move through your proposition, they may not be initially sold. Perhaps the cost is a little more than what they’re willing to pay, or they’re not quite sure if they believe your claims. After reading through your website or email, and they’re still on the fence.

Reach out to them. Show them how you can change their lives. Give them an incentive, and a way to learn more.

· Include Calls to Action in your emails and on your website landing page.
· Link your website landing page to other pages or examples of your work that further explain the depth of the benefit they can experience.
· Make sure keywords are appropriately scattered about — not enough to be overwhelming, but enough to remind them the entire point of why they’ve chosen to investigate you.

Now, it’s time for a Meeting with the Mentor.

Here’s where you guide your Heroes and further introduce yourself and your purpose. You need a compelling About Me section, explanation of your work, and an engaging brand voice to truly communicate your message.

Connect with them. Make yourself not only an attractive option, but a reliable and relatable one.

The customer is now ready to cross the First Threshold.

Perhaps they’re signing up for email updates or ordering their first product with a satisfaction guarantee. Maybe they haven’t decided to take action yet, but you’re now a serious contender in the forefront of their minds.

The bulk of storytelling (novel-writing and screenplays in particular) happens in the Tests, Allies and Enemies, Approach to the Innermost Cave, and Ordeal stages.

Whether this occurs for your audience in the form of continuing to evaluate your product or service before they’re ready to purchase or evaluating the actual benefit once they’ve gotten it, it’s a game-changer.

Now, here’s the real test for you as a business and your marketing strategy overall.

This is where you demonstrate whether you’re an Ally or an Enemy.

If you’ve delivered on your promise, they’re now delighted with you, and your reputation is solidified. If you’ve built a successful connection, they’ll continue to keep you in mind, even if they’re still shopping around before making the jump.

Either way, this is your moment to shine and to prove to them you are the right choice.

Finally, we’ve reached the Reward.

This is where it all pays off for your target market (and therefore your business.) They’ve emerged safely on the other side of the test run, and they’ve gotten exactly what they needed.

You delivered that benefit. You solved the problem they needed fixed, and alleviated the pain point. Your product made a difference, and your brand personality is now a trustworthy source they want to keep close.

Perhaps you sold a nutritional supplement that they love, or created a graphic design concept that eventually provided a significant ROI that showed them what a fantastic investment your services were.

But don’t forget — no matter how effective the Reward may be, there’s also a Road Back. As a business, you don’t want it to end here.

They’re triumphantly returning to their Ordinary World, and the goal is for them to take you along for the ride. To do this effectively, you need to have developed a strong relationship.

No matter how great your product is, if they're not in love - or at least satisfied - with your brand, they'll never be truly dedicated to your service.

(The vice versa scenario is true as well — even if your product isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, the way you advertise and the identity you create can be the differentiating factor between you and a thousand other similar products in the same market.)

With strong content and advertising techniques, the true benefit for you will become a long-lasting relationship.

As your audience emerges from the Resurrection and Return with the Elixir stages, you now know that you’re capable of hooking them.

Instead of treating this as a one-time success, however — turn it into a more important mission. Now you want to keep them.

Ideally, we’d like to avoid customer churn.

Instead of having a revolving door of traffic in and out of your website, or succeeding in selling one thing to a customer who never ends up returning, you want to drastically improve your conversion and create a great reputation for yourself.

Ensure your audience sticks with you. Be memorable.

This facilitates steady repeat business and even word-of-mouth marketing when they’re so happy with you that they recommend you to all their friends.

The journey is complete.

Your heroes have finished the journey with you, our content marketing fulfilled its purpose, and you’ve improved another person’s life.

To be clear, of course — this is not a definitive formula for success and not every step needs to be followed to the letter. Of course. There always needs to be some degree of mold-breaking and box-smashing to ensure unique success.

But in any creative industry, it’s always helpful to step back and look at other ways to approach your strategy — especially ones you hadn’t previously considered as viable options.

A new approach to customer connections.

As a business owner or in-house creative director, you’re probably already aware that identifying your brand personality is a wildly crucial part of your overall success strategy. If you’re currently working as a copywriter, content creator or marketing pro, you’re definitely aware.

Developing a successful brand image and communication strategy is a type of creative science. To create the most effective outreach strategy, you need to create a pattern - a logical plot arc and progression of events.

I'll say it again, because it bears repeating:

Structure gives your audience a way to connect, get inspired, and find a sense of direction in your brand story, and that’s what will set you apart from the crowd.

The parallels between classic storytelling structure and the ultimate goals of content marketing are fascinatingly similar, and the important similarities never cease to be relevant.

If there’s any modern field in which logic and creativity are inherently linked, it’s marketing.

Use every resource and every unexpected well of information to inform your strategy and develop your content to the best of your ability — even if it doesn’t seem remotely linked to your purpose at first.