How to Write More Persuasive Campaigns

Using stories, figurative language, and evocative imagery are some of the most persuasive choices a marketer can employ.

Whether in the form of an advertisement, a televised commercial, a sales pitch, or even an internal campaign to boost morale, you should strive to get your message across as effectively and efficiently as possible.

How to Use Storytelling in Marketing

First, why use figurative language, metaphor, or symbolism at all when we have so much data at our fingertips? If you know anything about Common Giant, it’s that we believe in the power of brand storytelling, and these are the base components that make a story sing. For the purposes of this blog post, I’ll define “story” as a descriptive explanation in narrative form. Defined this way, story can be distilled into a single image or a short phrase than the longer forms we’re all more familiar with.

Stories offer a useful alternative or supporting tool to the rote-form data-based research that many people rely on in pitches by humanizing numbers, placing numbers in context, and illustrating the effect said numbers create in the lived experiences of people. Imagine you are selling a benefit that reduces employee turnover. Consider the phrases below:

"Reduce employee turnover by 20%."

"Stop the recruitment revolving door."

Both say the same thing: you’ll retain more employees with the benefit. The second, however, says so in language that is positively charged and instantly understandable.

While your CFO and HR department might find the first message immediately appealing, the rest of your audience will find the second statement resonant. Why?

Power Lies in the Image's Immediacy

The second image does not need to be explained to the brain the way the data point does. 20% may be simple math, but the brain still has to sort out the numbers. Secondly, the math will be different for every business even if the percentage is the same. A company of five losing one employee is not the same as a company of 1000 losing 200.

The visual of the revolving door makes the message instantly clear. Your product has the power to keep employees from leaving so soon after joining. Regardless of size or scale, you will feel the benefit of no more turnover.

This is the power of strong visual and figurative language: immediacy.

Proper use of figurative language is an immensely effective tool and predates written and spoken language. (You’ve heard of those cave drawings.) Due to its visual or sensory nature, figurative language is deeply rooted in the human psyche and our lived experience, thus more tactile, substantive, and persuasive.

However, there is a golden rule to effectively using these tools. When this rule is broken, figurative language loses all immediacy and potency.

“A mythological image that has to be explained to the brain is not working,” noted Joseph Campbell, the famed scholar and psychologist.

Use Figurative Language to Be More Persuasive

In addition to immediacy, effective figurative language eliminates the margins for misinterpretation. If the metaphor or image used is both familiar and exciting or unexpected, then the margins for misinterpretation and skepticism are eliminated. While salient data points are necessary for showing your work, they can be met with confirmation bias, disbelief, and an unwillingness to change. Meet this emotional and psychological resistance with something that illustrates how that data feels to the audience and you'll have them engaged and on the same wavelength.

Lead with emotion and support with data. Lead with data and lose the audience.

The magic of storytelling can be difficult to capture without experience and expertise. If you're ready to spread your brand message, then let's discuss ways Common Giant can help.

We specialize in brand strategy, marrying effective large-scale strategic with creative tactics. No matter your business's needs or size, we can help build a brand strategy that is persuasive and inspiring.

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