Many companies have set being strategically data-driven and attending to grips with their information as key organisational objectives. The flexibility to successfully talk any insights derived from this information is central to conducting these objectives and facilitating change throughout the enterprise.
That is the place information storytelling can play a vital position. In information storytelling, information, visuals and narrative mix to speak advanced info and insights in a fascinating and actionable manner.
In addition to being a strong talent to make use of internally, information storytelling has the ability to convey your model and what you do to life to your prospects and create compelling narratives which can assist to draw the eye of your audiences, construct consciousness and drive motion. This piece will determine what makes information storytelling resonate, discover strategies to make use of, and look at cases of impactful information storytelling in motion.
Why is information storytelling so impactful?
The idea of information storytelling is fascinating. It pertains to the power so as to add creativity and flavour to an information situation that connects qualitative evaluation with a compelling narrative, making it come alive to the viewers in the identical manner tales have been used to cross on concepts and folklore for a few years.
Analysis exhibits the human mind is receptive to tales, with one Stanford Advertising and marketing professor suggesting that folks bear in mind tales as much as 22 instances extra successfully than they bear in mind details alone. Analysis has additional proven that when information and a narrative are used collectively, audiences are moved each intellectually and emotionally. The explanation for that is that tales are recognized to extend cortical exercise throughout the human mind and while you take heed to a narrative, you contextualise it inside your individual experiences and concepts, which then creates a neural reference to the storyteller. This results in people feeling extra engaged with the story.
Firms have entry to very large quantities of information to make sense of and switch into actionable insights. In Econsultancy’s Way forward for Advertising and marketing Report, Paul Duxbury, International Lead for the Repeatable Development Mannequin Programme at Haleon, described how he sees communication as the important thing to fixing this:
“The most important problem is how you’ll current information in a significant manner. Having obtained this sea of information and sea of measurement info, how do you then create compelling and helpful insights and tales to speak these insights that may really inspire groups to do issues in a different way?”
Knowledge storytelling subsequently turns into an important talent to have, whether or not you might be working in a technical, information, advertising and marketing or gross sales group to rework information and insights into persuasive narratives which can assist to assist data-driven choice making. To make use of information storytelling successfully additionally requires having a strong underlying information basis the place there may be confidence in what’s being introduced.
Knowledge, visualisation and narrative can mix to create participating and, extra importantly, actionable insights. Supply: Econsultancy’s Information to Knowledge Visualisation and Narrative.
Knowledge storytelling strategies: The story mountain
There are a variety of various storytelling strategies that may be thought of. One I notably like relies across the idea of a ‘story mountain’, since it’s one which could be very relatable, being crafted round the concept each good story has a starting, center and finish.
A key advantage of adopting the story mountain, as described by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic of ‘Storytelling With Knowledge’, is that it helps the presenter keep away from leaping straight into the perception. As a substitute, this strategy ensures there may be build-up and context that takes an viewers from the start of the information story to the center. It’s then that the perception will be introduced, which varieties the center of the information story, together with a transparent motion or a decision to take an viewers to the top of the information story.
The story mountain construction works effectively for the reason that human mind can also be acquainted with this strategy, so through the use of it in information storytelling, it can resonate effectively with an viewers.
Knowledge and insights: Begin by establishing context
To create the start, there needs to be context. Present the framing round your story by beginning with the “why.” It is very important clarify to your viewers why the information issues to the corporate’s particular enterprise aims or objectives.
For instance, if presenting gross sales information traits, align these traits with any targets or the impression on income, or modifications out there and whether or not it’s rising, or examine efficiency in opposition to rivals. The main focus needs to be on relevance and context, serving to stakeholders perceive why the information being proven is vital.
Visualisation: Carry the information to life
Use visualisation to transform a dataset into one thing that permits which means or perception to be simply derived from it and will increase your viewers’s engagement together with your information story. Efficient visualisations assist to distil advanced information into simply digestible insights.
Take into account who the viewers is and what they should know and use that to resolve what format most accurately fits the use case. Guarantee charts and different visualisations solely embrace what is important. The easiest way of displaying information to a CFO wouldn’t essentially be one of the best ways of displaying it to a salesman, for instance.
Purpose for simplicity and contemplate what codecs can assist remodel advanced datasets into intuitive narratives that may information your viewers via the story and key insights. Having spent numerous years of my profession with duty for net analytics, one of many largest challenges I used to be typically confronted with was the necessity to assist groups perceive what the information and stories had been exhibiting in order that they may contemplate what motion to take consequently.
At a simplistic stage, one strategy I’ve used is a picture of a widely known stadium equivalent to Wembley for example the dimensions of web site guests and what number of instances they’d have crammed the stadium.
Narrative construction: Develop the story with a logical stream
A coherent narrative needs to be structured, and a compelling construction is important to assist the understanding of information and insights. In information storytelling, the information visualisations function key gamers within the narrative however the story weaves these visible components right into a compelling narrative to offer a fuller image.
Following the story mountain construction of starting, center and finish can assist craft a narrative that follows a logical stream but in addition makes an emotional reference to stakeholders.
One other widespread construction that can be utilized to information storytelling and different conditions equivalent to writing and presenting concepts is the Minto Pyramid Precept. This can be a communication framework and methodology developed by Barbara Minto, who’s a former McKinsey & Firm marketing consultant and writer of The Pyramid Precept: Logic in Writing and Pondering.
Which strategy and construction for information storytelling is chosen can be knowledgeable by the viewers being introduced to and the extent of element they’ll want.
How Agena makes use of information storytelling to underpin its enterprise and assist purchasers
Knowledge storytelling generally is a highly effective exterior communication device in addition to an inner one. A consumer-facing enterprise may use information storytelling to show its impression or model function, as seen in the best way that Airbnb weaves narratives into its press releases for example its impression throughout the globe. Its 2024 article, ‘How we’re utilizing information to make journey extra open for all‘, as an illustration, presents information from Airbnb’s ‘Challenge Lighthouse’ to show the corporate’s progress in enhancing the equality of lodging bookings within the US.
For B2B corporations, utilizing information storytelling and creating compelling narratives is commonly described as the very best kind of B2B advertising and marketing content material, appearing as a strong approach to talk advanced info to audiences and current options to their challenges and alternatives.
Agena is a number one business-to-business supplier of parking and software program options. The corporate’s Chief Gross sales Officer, Deep Sen, shared in an article that Agena needed to be a data-led organisation and use the ability of information storytelling to drive enterprise selections and create shopper worth.
Some key examples embrace the best way wherein the group has collated information round all automobiles coming into a carpark over a given time frame and constructed a compelling narrative utilizing the information and different information factors. Agena’s group frolicked understanding their purchasers’ aims equivalent to enhancing motorist expertise and maximising revenue, and developed a compelling narrative round occupancy to offer suggestions equivalent to further onsite presence to assist motorists, altering shift patterns, and coaching schedules for staffing parking and incentivising parking throughout low occupancy intervals.
One other instance entails the emissions information they collate for all automobiles visiting their purchasers’ automobile parks. By efficient storytelling, they describe how they’ve been capable of analyse this information to assist purchasers meet their sustainability aims and determine actions round serving to them cut back the carbon footprint of their automobile parks and assist how they drive their EV charging technique.
Whether or not you’re a model seeking to have interaction a B2C or B2B viewers, information storytelling generally is a highly effective approach to construct connections and show the experience you will have and how one can assist potential prospects and construct loyalty with present prospects.
Having the proper abilities and expertise
To make use of information storytelling successfully, people have to really feel assured of their capacity to analyse information and assemble a compelling narrative supported with the suitable visuals.
Constructing information storytelling abilities via additional coaching and improvement, in addition to exploring how numerous information instruments and platforms are used, can all assist in supporting this course of.
AI and machine studying instruments even have the capability to analyse tens of millions of information factors about buyer behaviour, determine patterns, uncover traits, reveal hidden relationships, present automated summaries of information, and create visuals. These can all assist storytelling, however human intervention remains to be required to grasp which patterns and traits are vital and situate them within the context of the broader enterprise.
Mastering your information storytelling abilities will assist you to encourage and drive motion out of your insights to assist data-driven decision-making in addition to appearing as an efficient tactic to ship persuasive messages to your prospects. Subsequent time you need to ship that impactful message to drive motion, you may observe these easy steps to assist body your findings utilizing information storytelling:
- Knowledge and the why: Choose information which is related and guarantee it’s dependable and correct. Body your story with context round any numbers and insights and why they matter.
- Visuals: Use acceptable visuals that may assist your story and remodel advanced information to convey this to life and emphasise key insights in a manner that engages your viewers.
- Narrative: The narrative ought to provide context and which means to the visualised information to assist understanding of the insights in a compelling manner utilizing a transparent construction with a starting, center and finish.
- Adaptation: Tailor your messages and story to your viewers and contemplate what format will finest meet their wants.
