Rebekah Carter
B2B storytelling doesn’t get as much attention as it should – particularly in the technology industry. Why? Because B2B technology marketers (in general), often have the wrong mindset. They assume the best way to reach and convert their audience is to bombard them with stats and figures.
That’s not to say a data-driven approach to marketing is wrong. But your customers don’t just want to know if your CCaaS platform can improve NPS scores by a certain percent. They want to know how, and why it’s going to benefit their business.
Tech customers are already part of their own specific narrative. They’re not just companies – they’re teams of human beings, tackling challenges and working towards specific goals.
Embracing the power of B2B storytelling is how you convince your customers you should be a valuable character in their story.
Here, I’ll share the insights we’ve gained as storytellers at Today Digital, to help you master the art of storytelling for your tech brand.
The Art and Science of B2B Storytelling in Tech
B2B storytelling is all about using words, images, and genuine insights to craft an engaging narrative for your target audience. It’s about not just “telling” your customers what your technology can do for them, but showing them how you enable effective transformations.
Human beings are tuned to connect with stories. We’ve heard them, and used them to share knowledge for centuries. Unfortunately, in the world of B2B technology, where complexity often rules, it’s easy for marketers to forget the power of a compelling narrative.
Marketers often see their B2B tech customers as data miners, searching for the best statistics they can present to shareholders. Realistically, they’re looking for a way to connect with your brand.
B2B customers want to see themselves as the “hero” in a narrative, seeking out expertise and support to help them fight dragons (overcome technology challenges), and win the day. With B2B storytelling, you position yourself as the mentor (like Merlin, or Gandalf from Lord of the Rings), who empowers your hero to achieve their goals.
You use your content to show customers you understand their challenges and aspirations, and know what it takes to guide them through their journey to success. That’s far more powerful than just listing the features of your latest product or software – and the stats prove it.
Around 62% of B2B content marketers say storytelling is key to their success.
The Benefits of B2B Storytelling in Technology
Stories bring your brand, product, or service to life, creating an emotional connection with your audience, and helping you to position your brand more effectively in the eyes of buyers. Used correctly, they can:
- Improve marketing ROI: Studies have shown that storytelling can increase conversion rates by up to 30%, by helping customers to understand the benefits of your solution.
- Enhance clarity: A well-crafted narrative helps you to identify and showcase your unique selling points in a consistent, memorable way.
- Boost memorability: Facts can be persuasive when you’re promoting a product, but while only 5% of respondents in one survey remembered a statistic, 63% remembered a story.
Perhaps most importantly, storytelling humanizes your brand. Even B2B tech companies don’t want to buy products from just another generic company. They want to purchase products from human beings who understand their needs, and prioritize their success.
What Tech Buyers Really Need Today
Perhaps the most significant benefit of B2B storytelling, is it gives your customers what they actually need from your business. Technology is a complicated topic – particularly now, as innovation continues to happen at an accelerate pace across SaaS, AI, and various other channels.
You might assume that the companies interested in your product will already understand what your solution can do – but that’s not always the case. For instance, 55% of companies have adopted some form of AI technology, but many still aren’t sure how to effectively implement the technology into their workflows, or achieve the best ROI.
B2B storytelling is how you inform your customers of what your solutions can actually do for them, transforming complex concepts into relatable, compelling narratives that inspire action. In fact, according to one 2024 Media Consumption study, a majority of buyers said they build vendor shortlists based on the content they produce alone.
At the same time, storytelling doesn’t just inform your audience, it connects with them on an emotional level. It shows customers you understand their goals and pain points. A well-told story bridges the gap between your buyer’s needs, and your solution’s value proposition. This generates trust through relevance, and authority.
That’s crucial when you consider that, in the same study mentioned above, 65% of customers said they’re prioritizing vendors that understand their needs.
The Shift from Singular Stories to Story Arcs
Clearly, some B2B companies are embracing the art of storytelling, and seeing excellent results. However, many embracing this journey still take a slightly stunted approach. Standalone content pieces, such as case studies that tell customers how you helped a company overcome a specific problem are great – but they can only do so much alone.
Great B2B storytelling takes things to the next level. Take a look at our articles about major brands on UC Today, CX Today, or XR Today, for instance. When we work with a company on a content strategy, we create “story arcs”. In other words, we show customers how an organization’s solutions and product portfolios are evolving over time.
With multi-part stories and thematic campaigns, we offer readers a more holistic view of a company, and how it can act as the “mentor” or guide for customers facing a variety of problems. Not only does this expand brand reach, but it helps keep companies engaged in each brand’s narrative.
Our millions of readers flock to our websites constantly to learn more about how the industry is evolving, which major players are involved in different technology trends, and more. Through each piece of content they consume, their relationship with a company, and their trust in that brand increases, leading to higher conversion rates.
Creating B2B Storytelling “Golden Goose” Content
So, how exactly do you implement effective B2B storytelling into your content marketing strategy? Before you can design exceptional story arcs, you need to understand what differentiates “golden goose” content, from the rest. At Today Digital we define “Golden Goose” content as assets that drive the highest level of engagement, and genuine interactions between brands.
To create that content, you need a few key things:
1. Audience Insights
It almost goes without saying, but you can’t position your customer as the “hero” in your story if you don’t know much about them. It’s not enough to simply say you’re targeting small businesses in search of collaboration software, or a new XR headset. You need to know everything there is to know about your buyer. What are the pain points they’re trying to solve? What are their goals?
How do they learn about companies and solutions when they’re searching for answers to their problems? Which resources do they trust? For instance, reliance on analyst content for objective insights in the B2B landscape grew by 36% in the last year.
Analyze your audience with the meticulousness of a psychologist. Use surveys and interviews to understand not just your customer’s priorities, but their emotional triggers.
2. Genuine Authenticity
Many B2B buyers might be investing in AI technology, but they don’t want generic, AI-generated content. In fact, 62% of consumers say they lose trust in brands when they generate too much content using AI. Your buyers want authentic, genuine, humanized content, written with emotion.
They want to see genuine examples of how you helped other companies, through case studies and testimonials. They want to know what your opinions are on specific topics in the tech industry. That’s why at Today Digital, we prioritize authentic, high-quality, expertise-driven journalism. We don’t just churn out content to increase page views, we write what people want to read.
3. Metrics that Matter
You should already know that the key to effective content marketing is measuring your results, learning from them, and constantly optimizing your strategy. The same is true when you’re investing in B2B storytelling. The key to success is shifting your focus away from traditional, “vanity” metrics, like page views and impressions.
Instead, focus on engagement. Stories should connect with your audience and encourage them to interact with your brand. Look at how long customers actually spend reading your content, and how often they share pieces with their colleagues. Examine responses on social media, outreach on your website, and even mentions of your brand with social media listening tools.
Remember, B2B Storytelling is Flexible
One last thing to keep in mind before you embark on your B2B storytelling journey, is that stories in today’s digital realm come in many forms. You’re not restricted to simply writing long articles, or eBooks. Adapt your stories to the medium that works best to your target audience.
Here at Today Digital, we don’t just produce journalistic pieces and blogs. We experiment with infographics, videos, and market reports. In the same way, you can explore a huge variety of different mediums, while still adhering to the principles of good storytelling.
Use your insights into your target audience to identify where your story is going to make the biggest impact. Consider podcasts, short and long-form videos, and even social media image carousels. Think about how stories in various mediums can connect to add more depth and value to your story arc.
Variety is the spice of life, after all. You never know which type of content is going to have the biggest impact on your brand until you start experimenting.
Strengthen Customer Connections with B2B Storytelling
For years, B2B technology companies have focused on interruption-driven marketing, intended to rapidly attract customer attention and push sales. Many companies have forgotten the value of forging deeper connections with customers. Now that the technology space is more complex and competitive than ever, it’s time to rethink your approach to marketing.
We’re in the era of engagement marketing, where people want genuine, authentic relationships with the companies they buy from. This is true for B2B businesses too. That’s why B2B storytelling has become one of the most powerful ways to compete in today’s marketplace.
Tell your customers a story that resonates with the narrative they’re already experiencing, and place yourself as a critical character in their journey towards success. Embrace the art and science of storytelling, and you’ll achieve long-term results that contribute to your company’s growth.
Need a little help getting started? At Today Digital, we’ve mastered the art of storytelling, and know how to use it to support our clients. Our team can help you craft and share the perfect story with your target audience. Reach out for more information about how we can help your company thrive.
