Most people think of storytelling as a personal way of communicating and something that doesn’t translate into the office.

But in real time, businesses tell stories every day throughout their routine activities: whether that be innovation strategies or marketing tactics. Experiences, which are expressed as stories, can be a way of carefully developing your brand if you craft it right.

At East of Ellie, we plan and execute legendary events and have a strategic mission with each one.  Yes, we plan all types of events with widely different agendas, but we want to cultivate a memorable experience that positively creates brand loyalty and strengthens stakeholder relationships for both the client and ourselves as an agency. Our events are stories. They foster growth and continue adding value to our clients long after the event is over.

Why?

As an events company, we know that storytelling is essential within marketing in order to grow.

You need to present your company’s experiences and progress in a particular way so people can develop a level of trust with your brand.  Without credibility, you have no audience, no matter how impressive the story.  If you don’t present your company well, you won’t land another great client. As subject matter experts, we are always considering how something we do will affect our brand.  Whether that is taking on a new client or posting on social media, we want to maintain a reputation that we can be proud of; we want to be excited to tell our story, because once we have the chance, we know we will blow people away.

In order to properly leverage your company with storytelling, plan your event with these four tactics in mind.

Frame it for your audience

Put yourself in your guests shoes.  Envision what you would want at this event.  Consider your audience when brainstorming and presenting, the scope of content will change depending on the target audience.

Remember the Goal

With event planning, it’s easy to get caught up in little details because there is so much going on.  With the venue, decorations, catering, entertainment, and operations, sometimes we forget about the goal of the event. Try to stay focused on the goal throughout planning in order to make the best decisions on how to achieve it.

Understand the Environment

Use the environment to your advantage.  Embrace the venue, setting, and culture. Think outside of the box and be creative with themes and decor.

Think about the Emotions you are Trying to Evoke

What do you want people to walk away from the event saying? How do you want them to feel? What do you want them to do after the event?  Let’s consider an event to raise awareness about animal abuse.  Do you want people to leave feeling sad and angry? Or do you want people to leave feeling empowered and hopeful that they can make a difference so they will go donate or volunteer at a shelter?

Consider emotions.  Emotions lead to action.

If you craft your events strategically, your brand will develop because of your immense storytelling potential. It’s smart marketing and a valuable tool for innovation and growth. How will you tell your story? Contact us today and lets get planning.