Is Fiction Necessary in Business Have you ever wondered whether fiction is essential in today's real world?

In recent times, across many industries, there is a growing gap between desire and reality. Irrespective of the product or nature of the business, it becomes imperative for entrepreneurs and brands to realize that emotional narratives have a greater impact. It plays a powerful role in engaging with the audience as humans are essentially hard-wired creatures and their decisions are largely influenced by varied emotions.

Emotional storytelling is an integral part of an entrepreneurial journey, which comes into action at various stages as pictured below:

• The Nature of Storytelling

Stories are told, typed and texted across every single moment. We listen with all our being when we are told stories, and we own them when we say them in our turn. However, it must be acknowledged that stories change with every telling, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Whatever the truth of it is, every story takes you on a journey of personal introspection and becomes very familiar to you.

• The Advent of Digital Media

It is evident that digital media is making it easier to record your stories across every platform. It is becoming almost effortless to pull out your smartphone, record a story in your desired format and share these digital stories with millions of people around the world - relatable content or a great story.

• Stories Grab Attention

As entrepreneurs who are also marketers, we tend to realize that we are encroachers in people's lives. Very few people actively seek out advertisements; in fact, in the digital age, most people are looking for ways to decrease the amount of marketing in their lives. Be that as it may, when you're trying to run a business you have to get the word out, so we try to find ways to do that while ingratiating ourselves to our audience—or at least trying to make sure they don't hate us.

Storytelling or your brand narrative is one essential way to do that! People are intrinsically more interested in reading or watching something fun than they are a string of boasts or list of stats and features. Yes, once a prospect is interested in your brand those things can help close the deal. But that can't be what you lead with.

Important Factors to Consider for Brand Narratives:

• Keeping a brand narrative from inception through evolution for an overall experience

• All brand touchpoints have to carry the true story in some way or the other right from marketing to sales and HR to operations to the last straw in the narrative

• Stories won't alone potentially build interest in a brand; brand followers can spread the word about your business even if they don't buy anything

To conclude, being part of a story is enticing; everyone wants to be a part of something. As storytelling, it's just a part of human nature. As an entrepreneur, it is very beneficial to leverage that natural inclination when we sell to someone. And storytelling itself is a big part of how we associate with each other.