Storytelling is no longer reserved for children.
In order to thrive in a noisy marketplace, business leaders are using stories that build emotional connections with their followers and customers.
It’s no surprise. We humans have been communicating through stories for upwards of 20,000 years, back when our flat screens were cave walls.
As an emerging field, we have uncovered 50+ blogs that you can draw inspiration from when building up your business storytelling skills.
Some of the key criteria we used when selecting these blogs were the depth of storytelling tips and practical application in the business environment.
Get ready to add these articles to blog aggregators like Feedly so that you can access the latest articles easily.
UNC – Kenan Flagler Business School
Top Rank (Harness Millennial Employees)
Not only is Duarte’s forte visual communication – through presentation & design – there’s most welcome attention given to lifestyle and well- being too. With an engaging content blend, the audience can take presenting, designing and writing skills to the next level.
This is the personal blog of Ann Handley, the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs. She shares about storytelling in the context of content marketing and writing. One of her recent posts covers how storytelling can be connected to sales.
Antonio Nunez’s blog covers tips bout marketing, storytelling and communication. One of the articles I found fascinating is about finding conflicts in your brand storytelling, rather than following the general consensus of your audience. This involves doing research before sculpting a story.
Narrative deals in “the Business of stories”, as you would expect. With simple language, the blog hones in on how the use of storytelling goes a long way to winning the sales game.
David’s blog covers communications, public relations and digital media. One of my favourite articles is about communication tips he learnt over a flight with Richard Branson. As quoted “People respond to stories, not data or press releases.”
Digital Tonto shares about topics on the intersection of media, marketing and technology. One of the blog post I came across is ‘What Marketers Can Learn From The Civil Rights Movement’. It dissected storytelling insights from Martin Luther King’s historic ‘I have a dream’ speech.
This is the personal blog of Ekaterina Walter, the co-author of ‘The Power Of Visual Storytelling’. She covers a range of marketing topics around customer experience management (both online and offline).
Best-selling author Jeff Goins’ blog focuses on writing & blogging, with a motivational tone. Podcasts complement posts about the art of writing. The perspective of a professional is ideal for those telling a business’ story.
With a blog clearly designed to inspire its audience, Amanda Lewan talks all things storytelling…as if actually telling a story. This is the perfect tonic for getting any communicator’s creative juices flowing.
Ishmael’s Corner
Lou Hoffman explores storytelling through a business prism. One of his most popular articles is about ‘Storytelling vs Corporate Speak’. It shares the key differences between the two where storytelling is more customer centric while corporate speak is more company-centric. And of course, do strive for the former.
New Brand Stories
As its title suggests, this blog delves into how storytelling and branding are intertwined. Many examples here touch on the way words stir emotion among an audience.
This social-media-focused blog claims to be the #1 Content Marketing blog according to the Content Marketing Institute. Blog topics primarily discuss tips on optimising content and measuring it. Proper, thorough and damn good.
Buffer
Naturally, the blog from the popular social media aggregator talks about using social platforms in different ways, especially to hook your audience up with engaging content.
Slideshare
Slideshare is a great resource for storytelling through presentations, often in a bid to inspire great slide layout. As well as visual data presentation, blog posts also feature hot tips on verbal communication techniques.
Content Marketing Institute
Not surprising with a name like this, here’s as good a ‘go-to’ place as any for those keen to lift their content marketing game, delving into anything from subscriber growth to storytelling.
Stories That Sell
This blog shares about how storytelling can help you generate more sales. Take case studies for instance, it is not just a space for you to ‘cut and paste’ praise from a customer. Instead you can tell a descriptive story that builds credibility in the minds of your prospects.
Mars Dorian
Digital illustrator and storyteller Mars Dorian is out to help business storytellers inspire and win the hard-won hearts of their audience. His quirky and boldly-written content gives sought-after power to cut through all that noise.
Yamini Naidu
Yamini Naidu’s blog covers storytelling inspired from a variety of sources, from television shows such as Breaking Bad to social psychology observed by salespeople.
Moosylvania
An agency blog by an ‘Independent Agency’, Moosylvania covers plenty of marketing, advertising and branding-related territory. Notably, one recent post explains how good storytelling makes pitch presentations rock.
Stanford Storytelling Project
The Stanford Storytelling Project offers an interesting blog, distinct from those filled with tips and ‘to-do’s’. Instead, entries made here relate to random subjects. Absorbing content like this is sure to inspire communicators to improve storytelling skills.
Sticky Content
Another agency-powered blog, posts here are perfect if you’re looking to create content that, well, sticks. Plenty of entries provide insightful tips on boosting social media posting skills, as well as how content and digital interfaces relate.
The Dragonfly Effect
This website is an extension of a book of the same name, about driving change through social media. The blog covers the whole gamut of communication and persuasion – from branding to storytelling and social media to design thinking.
Iliyana Stareva
Iliyana Stareva is a PR & social media consultant, whose blog provides business storytelling content with a slant towards these areas. Her post ‘How to become a breakthrough storyteller’ is one of her most popular.
Storyhow
Punchy, engaging and well-laid out, Storyhow is great for improving business storytelling skills. Several posts discuss what can go wrong in the process. One blog even addresses – then refutes – arguments against the process.
Story and Heart
Here’s a blog about storytelling from a slightly different perspective to most blogs, with a focus on the world of filmmaking. A fresh perspective for corporate/business storytellers never goes astray.
Want to know how self-improvement is likely to make an individual a better leader? Then here’s a great place to look. Posts here discuss how people in business can get the best out of themselves, with engaging examples written in a first-person narrative.
James Clear
Behavioural psychology writer James Clear writes articles about how individuals can better themselves, having studied the habits of those most successful…in many walks of life. Examples here of valuable ‘life-hacks’ are perfect for those in business looking to up the ante.
Terry Starbucker
Humanity in leadership? Yes, it exists and Terry ‘Starbucker’ St. Marie makes it his mission to tell us all about it. His philosophy is ‘More Human Leadership’, as he discusses the importance of leaders showing empathy & love in leading teams and organisations.
Linked2Leadership
The theme here is all in the title. Though to nurture better leaders in typical office environments, it draws on leadership examples from left-field, like the automotive industry and elite-level sport.
Switch & Shift
Here’s another useful blog for those keen to explore leadership. Don’t be deceived by the semi-formal, journalistic tone – plenty of these posts target millennials, with quite a focus on ‘social leaders’.
Strategy + Business
So, do you want to work in high-end management consulting, or spearhead a startup company? Then you should start poring over posts right here. Whether it’s research, finance, strategy tech or organisational culture, everything about business is covered.
Leadership Thoughts
A blog with a professional image and tone, Leadership Thoughts offers more great content on bettering leadership skills. The section How to Grow Leaders is essential for those looking to develop leadership skills in others.
Seth Godin
The prominent author and entrepreneur’s blog is a damn good read for anyone looking for some straight-forward advice with a dose of uniquely presented, yet sound logic. Godin covers it all really – strategy, culture, self-improvement and marketing.
Zappos Insights
Are you a willing business leader, super-keen to influence workplace culture? If so, here’s exactly where you should look. Posts here are the kind that enlighten as to what really works in optimising yourself or a team in a workplace.
UNC – Kenan Flagler Business School
In bettering skills, a healthy mix of resources is good. This academic business blog gives advice on topics like talent management, finance and collaboration.
Anecdote
Cultural change, inspiration, influencing and connecting…Anecdote covers plenty of interesting territory for aspiring business leaders. Many examples of strong, in-depth storytelling content dominate, acknowledging different parts the artform plays in projecting a brand.
Howie Chan is a marketer passionate about learning and building leadership skills. Blog posts cover the many uses of storytelling, with thorough tips and analysis of the most important parts.
Get Storied
Get Storied pitch themselves as leaders in teaching business storytelling, with content that’s sure to inspire those passionate about innovation, culture and the bigger general picture. And, let’s face it, who isn’t?
A Storied Career
A storied career is about using storytelling in your job search. By building stories around your skill sets, accomplishments and qualities, you attract people to you and differentiate yourself from the competition.
Ian Sanders
This blog is run by Ian Sanders, a speaker who shines the light on businesses and trends through storytelling. One of his pet topics is how entrepreneurs can stand out from the competition by telling stories about themselves.
Jonah Berger
This blog is run by Jonah Berger, the author of the book ‘Contagious: Why Things Catch On’. He shares about virality through word of mouth. Inevitably, you need storytelling that is compelling enough for WOM to take place.
Maggie Patterson
Maggie blogs about marketing insights, in particular, storytelling. She shares about various storytelling techniques, such as turning your clients into the hero and using their journey as a case study.
The Story of Telling
Run by Bernadette Jiwa, the blog covers storytelling within brand strategy. She also covers broader topics such as caring for the customer, creating a problem / product fit and productivity.
Brian Solis
A digital analyst, anthropologist and futurist, Brian Solis’ is all about the way disruptive technology influences business and society. His unique perspective is well-worth taking in for the aspiring forward-thinkers of business.
Branding Strategy Insider
An initiative of The Blake Project, this blog is pitched at business leaders in marketing and brand strategy. The emphasis on building brand equity makes it a valuable resource for business storytelling.
Presentation Zen
Presentation Zen is a terrific resource for business leaders or storytellers looking to lift their presentation skills. Blog topics cover anything from infographics to delivery techniques and the art of persuasion.
John Sadowsky
Speaker and business coach John Sadowsky posts great content that inspires business leaders to show influence through storytelling. Blog posts often discuss how important reflection is in the pursuit of growth (hint – it’s OK to chill out).
Decker
Like many blogs here, Decker presents a healthy blend of communications leadership and self-improvement material. The cool thing here, though, is that the blog is supported by a range of contributors, which means a range of perspective.
Insead Knowledge
Insead lives up to its tagline, “The Business School for the World”, as a myriad of blog posts are sure to inspire the 21st century, millennial leader to upskill. Topics range from the stock market to innovation and portfolio careers to social impact.
Corpstory
Corpstory is another ‘go-to’ online hub for those in business, a blog focused on general business topics, with a storytelling focus. Among insightful examples of successful corporate storytelling, posts like the one on virtual storytelling make Corpstory worth checking out.
TED
An abbreviation of ‘Technology Education Design’, TED is nearly impossible to surpass as far as digital resources are concerned. Beyond business storytelling and leadership skills, TED exists to broaden horizons and inspire ideas.
Brian Tracy
‘Success’ is a core buzzword across Brian Tracy’s blog, whether it’s personal, business, sales or leadership related. As a professional speaker, it’s no surprise that he regularly posts about presenting tips and techniques, perfect for business storytellers and leaders.
Calvin – Digital Storytelling
The Calvin College blog curates various links related to storytelling and its place in the digital world, often targeted at millennials (i.e., college students).
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
The Salesforce blog delves into the art and value of business storytelling, as well as the opportunities to tell stories through social media.
iO9 Blog
If you’re looking to inspire with the power of great business storytelling, turning to Pixar is not a bad idea, at all. This renowned animation studio lays out the steps as well as anyone could.
Constant Contact
Here are some more destinations for building great storytelling skills using social media.
Top Rank (Harness Millennial Employees)
For the business leader keen to win over those in the emerging workforce, here’s a blog post from Top Rank about harnessing the power and drive of millennials.
Future Lab
Here’s a list of business storytelling-related blog posts from Future Lab, illustrating how the process fits into the bigger picture.
Firepole Marketing
Firepole features a number of blog posts discussing business storytelling in a sales context.
Harvard Business Review
A simple search for ‘storytelling’ on the Harvard Business Review site will lead to content covering storytelling with a strong business and strategy bent, perfect for the budding business leader and influencer with a communications background.
Please include attribution to highspark.com with this graphic.
Share this Image On Your Site
To Wrap It All Up
So there you have it.
50+ blogs that will boost your business storytelling skills and increase your leadership influence.
Obviously, there are blogs we might have missed out that provide excellent storytelling tips. Do include your favourite ones in the comments below.
The post 50+ Inspiring Blogs For Better Business Storytelling appeared first on High Spark Blog.
