Storytelling is an emerging and important B2B best practice that can help customers and constituents feel drawn to a company’s unique value and problem-solving capabilities.

By ‘emerging‘ I don’t mean ‘new’, as the idea of great storytelling to convey a message is anything but. I mean that the storytelling concept is being considered more frequently in B2B sales and marketing strategic planning. Think about it – what better way to: a) affect the minds and hearts of people in charge of tough and often expensive buying decisions, and b) influence perception of and engagement with your brand?

Below are some great articles about storytelling best practices and tools. Whether you’re a B2B going to market, struggling to compete, or wanting to make your brand more memorable in the marketplace, strategic and creative storytelling can help.

“Can you put the pope in B2B content?”

This is the question the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) asks after talking about the “pope in the pool” scriptwriting technique in How To Create Blockbuster B2B Stories That Sell [Rose-Colored Glasses]. The idea is to intrigue your audience up front, especially if the content or message you plan to go deep on is dry or a lot to mentally absorb. One CMI use case is a presentation on the ever-exciting (not) topic of Research Results – the tack being to make the presentation more interesting and memorable by wrapping key findings into entertaining anecdotes.

Does B2B really mean Boring2Boring?

Moz cites a hugely successful B2C story campaign that B2Bs can take note of in The Core Elements of Storytelling that B2B Can Learn from B2C. I’ve noticed that many B2Bs are still stuck in old-school sales models with traditional, corporate-style branding and messaging approaches. But, as Moz states, it’s time to end the B2B = “Boring to Boring” stereotype.

Why storytelling?

Storytelling bypasses the need to pitch or a hard sell. Storytelling brings out the emotions and psychology involved in B2B sales. Stories can align to your B2B customer’s journey. These are 3 takeaways from Marketing Insider Group’s The Importance of B2B Storytelling, which goes on to convey the power of storytelling in B2B via examples of how it affects the brain, plus emotions that influence important decisions of prospective buyers.

Are you the hero in your buyer’s story?

Whether it be for webinars, face-to-face meetings or conference keynotes, B2B executives and sales teams often use presentations to engage prospects and influencers. Check out 5 Steps for Creating Superhero Slides from Aleya Solis if you regularly give presentations, and want to turn a key message into a story that captivates your audience. It’s an oldie, but a goodie.

Updated Oct 2022