Connecting with audiences through values-based storytelling

Trying to make a meaningful connection with a target audience is more difficult than ever. The volume of content is nearly infinite, screen time is up but divided and trust is in decline across the board.

For many organizations, the answer lies in the power of values-based brand storytelling, according to Harvard University’s Senior Executive Director of Content and Editorial Simona Covel. Values-based storytelling aims to communicate details about an organization’s core beliefs, such as its views on environmental or social justice issues. The approach aims to help a company connect with its customer base on a deep level.

However, this approach is easier said than done. Covel said this type of storytelling requires deep-seated investments in causes and issues and it can’t be something that simply develops out of nowhere.

“You want to start with the core, timeless values that are true to the brand, no matter what current campaign you have going on,” Covel said during a recent Ragan webinar “How to Move Audiences (and the Bottom Line).”