Once upon a time . . .
Do you already feel drawn in?
Are your levels of concentration increased?
Science would say so.
Storytelling is our primary method of communication. In fact, 65% of our communication is made up of personal stories and gossip. We remember what we hear when it’s told in story and are more likely to act upon the information.
Are you losing this bit of humanity when you communicate with drivers?
Are you telling stories or just giving facts?
Is your content marketing a story or just really long ad copy?
Whether your goal is retention, recruiting, or branding, your message, if not a story, is probably forgettable.
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How do you tell good stories?
Suspense
If you want to grab attentions with your stories, you need suspense. The curiosity for what comes next causes our brains to produce dopamine. Dopamine causes us to focus. And creating focus in a world where the average driver sees 3000 ads a day, is paramount.
By adding suspense to stories, you can create a signal in the noise of other ads and more importantly, other fleets vying for driver’s attention. Don’t feel like your ads and landing pages need all the information. Leave some room for curiosity and suspense.
Emotion
If you want drivers to remember you and make decisions about your fleet, you need emotion in your stories. Emotions drive the vast majority of our decision-making process. Yet so often, we think we can “logic” people into making decisions.
Are you guilty of this? Do your ads appeal to the logical side of a driver or the emotional side? If everything is about pay and sign on bonuses ( a logical place to start), you probably aren’t memorable or driving decisions. Access the emotion.
Empathy
If you want drivers to trust you, you need empathy in your stories. You need to humanize your brand by being vulnerable and relatable. When you empathize with people, a hormone called oxytocin is released. Oxytocin drives a lot of our positive social interactions. Without this hormone, it’s difficult for us to trust people.
If you want drivers to trust your brand, you have to show empathy. You have to strive to be vulnerable and human. Don’t be the juggernaut or the huge corporation. Don’t make drivers feel like a number. Show them you care.
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How can you use any of this?
In the words of Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” If you want people to remember, you need them to feel. And if you want them to feel, you have to tell stories.
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You’re probably wondering how in the world do I tell stories? We’re talking about ad copy here, right? As we covered above you just need suspense, emotion, and empathy.
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
– Ernest Hemingway
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This is the infamous 6 word story by Ernest Hemingway. It covers all 3 elements in 6 words! I’m not suggesting you use this as your next recruiting campaign. I’m just showing the ability to tell a story without using a lot of words.
Story isn’t about the length of copy. Believe me, I’ve seen a lot of content marketing that was simply really long ad copy. As long as you use suspense, emotion, and empathy, you’re telling stories. And if want drivers to drive for your fleet and stay driving for your fleet, you better start telling stories.
