What is storytelling?

Many people are already well acquainted with ‘storytelling’ in business - and the benefits it can bring. However, it’s fair to assume that not everyone is on the same page and may not be fully aware of how they can use storytelling to deliver business value most effectively.

For one thing, when we talk about storytelling we’re talking about using it in many kinds of communication. It could be a short video, a short social post, or an in-person presentation – to name just a few examples. What they all have in common is the use of a narrative structure at their core, to encode information in a digestible format. By using a storytelling structure, it’s easier for the audience to understand complex ideas, and the implications for them are clearer.

Storytelling isn’t a new phenomenon. The human brain has evolved alongside a tradition of storytelling, and this has shaped how we absorb and process information. As we gain a greater insight about how our minds work, the value of narrative structures for conveying ideas and messages is becoming clearer and the science behind storytelling better understood.

Despite the innate simplicity of a storytelling structure, it can be surprisingly hard to achieve successfully. Many businesses already use storytelling on some level, but there’s always room to improve. If this sounds like your situation, then keep reading – we’re going to take your storytelling up to the next level with some proven techniques and tactics.

First step: Start using digital storytelling

Your company’s storytelling can have a greater impact when done with digital storytelling. Digital storytelling uses digital media to create immersive (and potentially interactive) stories, using video, a powerful soundtrack, and customized stories targeted to specific audiences.

With digital storytelling, companies have the ability to reuse individual digital assets in new ways, and these can be assembled into unique stories using digital storytelling software.

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What is digital storytelling software – and why do you need it?

To create and deploy top-level digital storytelling, you need powerful and versatile digital storytelling software.  Professional digital storytelling software like Hyro can perform many roles, but the main two are creating digital stories, and deploying them. Digital storytelling can be used in many ways. For this reason, your digital storytelling software must be able to handle a wide variety of hardware setups and storytelling styles.

Here are some examples of how digital storytelling software can unlock new capabilities:
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Immersive customer experiences

Imagine an immersive customer experience center, including a physical journey through an immersive storytelling space. Using a variety of props and technologies, a complete narrative thread can be woven through each stage in the journey. Each one of these touchpoints must pick up seamlessly from the last, creating a cohesive brand experience. Digital storytelling software is at the heart of this experience – acting as a common source for all digital assets, and deploying them perfectly through a variety of technologies.

Interactive storytelling

With the Hyro digital storytelling platform, digital stories can become fully adaptable and make use of non-linear storytelling, making interaction a new possibility. This is done by serving individual assets and storytelling elements ‘on-demand’, triggered by a presence sensor or other customer interaction. With the ability to produce unique storytelling experiences in this way, you unlock the ability to provide interactive experiences across a wide variety of devices.

Controlling digital storytelling experiences

Many companies use the Hyro storytelling software for deploying immersive experiences. In this situation, digital storytelling software can give you the ability to fully control your digital storytelling experience with a handheld tablet. This enables a special kind of interactive storytelling, with the presenter acting as an expert facilitator. With just a few taps, they can show a digital story outlining a typical customer challenge, and then ask what they think a possible solution might be. Depending on the response, the presenter can then show specific digital stories that reflect the customer’s situation, or bring up other digital assets such as graphs or other supporting data.

Controlling an immersive storytelling experience is made easy with Hyro. You can see how easily this is done in the video below - and all while still being able to talk to and engage with the audience!

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One story, many locations

Digital storytelling makes it possible to tell stories in different ways, situations, hardware, or locations.  By unifying all your company’s digital storytelling assets into a single approved portfolio, storytelling can be done anywhere on the globe. Using a cloud-based platform, the Hyro digital storytelling software gives companies the ability to retain full editorial control, while liberating staff to use digital storytelling globally.

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How do you create digital stories with software?

Digital stories are made from a variety of assets. In the past, digital stories were made exclusively using video editing software. This was a time-consuming process that resulted in just one story from many hours of work.

Instead, the modern approach is to use individual modular elements that can be combined and recombined in many new ways. Creating digital stories is easier than ever with professional digital storytelling software like Hyro.

Some things are easier to see in action – watch this quick video to see how easily you can build stories with storytelling software:

Using storytelling to create unforgettable experiences

There are many exciting ways you can use the Hyro storytelling software to create unforgettable experiences for your customers. It gives your business a new capability to achieve things that previously would have taken extensive planning and resources. While your storytelling should always be well-planned, it is easier to create unique experiences in a more agile way with digital storytelling software.

Immersive customer experiences are an effective way to enhance marketing activities. Reflecting the shift towards digital commerce, many brands are repurposing their physical stores and offices into flagship immersive brand experiences. These require the ability to deploy storytelling at multiple touchpoints and with various pieces of audio-visual (AV) hardware and other technology – and this is possible with the right software.

Another big trend is the gamification of brand experiences – this is an area where your digital storytelling software can really shine. Depending on the specific design of your ‘gamified’ experience, it can be supported with a variety of digital assets and digital stories created with your software.

And these barely scratch the surface of what you can achieve. 

Designing unique customer experience centers that reflect your best side  

With the Hyro digital storytelling software you’re not limited to specific hardware setups or designs. You can create entirely unique experiences that are memorable and effective at communicating your value to customers.

With a free hand over the design, you can build a concept that takes customers on a unique journey through your brand. Your one-of-a-kind customer experience center can truly speak to your strengths, while offering customized stories that show these strengths in the best way for each customer. As your customers progress in their journey through your customer experience center, they take part in a living story – enhanced by digital storytelling at each stage.

Hyro empowers brands to turn their customer experience centers into a personalized experience of your brand. This ensures that they form strong memories and a personal connection. Discover more inspiration for what’s possible here, or book a demo.

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FAQs

What is a digital story? A digital story is storytelling that uses digital media, particularly video, to tell a story containing relatable characters, familiar challenges, and resolutions that have an emotional impact.
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Why do companies use digital storytelling? There are many reasons to use digital storytelling in business, but the most common are to share stories across multiple devices, regions, and situations. Digital storytelling enables brands to create precisely targeted stories that are highly relevant to interested audiences.

What are the 6 steps of digital storytelling? There are 6 steps to creating a digital story: Brainstorming, Scriptwriting, Storyboarding (and shot list, including b-roll footage), Filming, Assembling (with digital storytelling software), and Deploying (also with digital storytelling software).

How long is a typical digital story? Digital stories can vary a great deal in length, depending on the situation and audience. Most audiences will enjoy up to 2 minutes of a single story, while some will lose interest after just 30 seconds unless the setup is very compelling and relevant. For highly motivated audiences, up to 10 minutes or longer is also possible.

What makes a good story? There are many things that can improve storytelling, but what makes a really good story is a protagonist that has a clear goal, opposition to achieving the goal, personal and relatable flaws, and a clear personal growth story as part of the overall emotional arc.