Data Storytelling for Dummies: why you need it
For a brand to generate profits, it must speak to its target audience in a way they understand.When data meets storytelling, it creates a spark and provides a lasting impression on your audience. The goal of every brand is to meet the needs of its audience by providing value while generating profits.
Mere stories don’t bring much traction to your brand. Stories backed up by facts benefit your audience and your brand better.
According to MIT Management Sloan School, Data storytelling is the ability to convey data not just in numbers or charts, but as a narrative that humans can comprehend.
It isn’t the use of numbers or charts gotten from excel sheets or any other means. Rather, data storytelling is the use of these data to inform, entertain, or engage your audience in an appealing and comprehensible manner.
Why Data storytelling?
- Data storytelling connects with the emotional and logical part of your target audience.
- Stories inspire your audience while educating or entertaining them.
- Data storytelling creates a lasting impression on your audience.
Data storytelling when done right can benefit your brand, promote your brand, boost sales, and generate more profits for you.
How does data storytelling benefit your brand?
1. It resonates with your audience
Data storytelling attracts your audience. and lets them derive value from it. It establishes thought leadership. Everyone loves a good story. Data storytelling gives you a platform to share facts with your audience. These facts give your story a well-respected taste and establishes your brand as a thought leader. It gives your brand an authoritative appeal in the eyes of your audience.
2. Data storytelling is all about varieties
Brand data can be a tool for creating a variety of content formats for your brand. These content formats will perform the function of attracting and engaging your target audience. Some content formats in which data storytelling can be displayed include infographics, blog posts & articles, images, podcasts, and so on.
3. It enhances understanding
Data alone can sometimes get difficult to understand or boring to interact with. One benefit of data storytelling is that it breaks complex ideas into simpler ones for easy comprehension. Complex ideas are broken down using various story illustrations that make it easier for your audience to grasp at a glance.
4. It supports your brand’s idea
There’s no better way to tell your brand’s story than using data to tell a story. Data storytelling conveys stories about your brand’s history, success, failures, research, and aspirations. It makes your brand relatable to your audience and makes you human with a unique point of view.
Data storytelling also keeps your audience updated with the trends of your industry.
5. It provokes interaction
Data storytelling is all about making data more engaging to your audience. It provides in-depth value and meaning which makes your audience feel enlightened and understood. This reaction provokes likes, shares, comments, mentions, tweets, backlinks, and so on.
6. It supports your message better
Backing your story with data makes it more credible. It gives your story an original feel and gives your audience an amazing experience.
Conclusion
Storytelling is a relevant marketing tool that works best when supported by data. Data storytelling benefits your brand in multiple ways. It makes your brand authentic, stand out from the crowd, and more relatable.
