The first thing we're going to do in this post to try and showcase the value of business storytelling. Sometimes people who run companies will think of “storytelling” as “something that marketing does,” instead of seeing the value of it. What if the value is truly there, though?
In a Wharton interview, Carmine Gallo, author of a book called The Storyteller's Secret, shares the value of storytelling:
“Vinod Khosla, billionaire venture capitalist here in Silicon Valley, where I live, tells me that the biggest problem he sees is that people are fact-telling when they pitch him. They’re giving facts and information and he says, “that’s not enough, Carmine. They have to do storytelling.”
Ok. That's one billionaire advocating for business storytelling. Ready for two more? Gallo goes on to say:
“When Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, another big venture capital firm, tells me the most underrated skill is storytelling, or when Richard Branson, who I interviewed, said, “entrepreneurs who cannot tell a story will never be successful” — at some point, I have to agree that maybe they know something I don’t.”
Those three guys combined have about a net worth of $10B. They're all advocating for business storytelling. Do we have your attention yet?
The Power of Storytelling
Storytelling has been proven time and time again to be one of the most powerful connection points for the human brain. In this article on Forbes, some experts claim that essentially “nothing else works” for marketing other than storytelling.
What Does This Have to Do With Case Studies?
In essence, a case study is a story. A customer had a problem. You found a way to solve that problem. The customer’s life was better. You might not be pitching to a billionaire anytime soon -- as we see in the examples above -- but telling a story is the most powerful way to activate another person’s brain. If you’re telling a story that resonates with his or her own pain points or problems he or she needs to solve, there’s a good chance you can capture that business.
Plus, service industries directly lend themselves to case studies, because you can craft a story with these parts:
- Describing the problem
- Describing the solution
- Showing the results
Learn More About Case Studies
We can help you! We put together an eBook on value, approaches, and more you need to know in terms of incorporating case studies into your service marketing. Download it below and feel free to contact us with any questions.
