As businesses open up and welcome customers back, building trust will be key to making people feel comfortable venturing out.

As businesses open up and welcome customers back, building trust will be key to making people feel comfortable venturing out.

Telling stories is one of the best tools for building connections and showing off the steps team members are taking to keep themselves and their patrons as safe as possible from COVID-19.

I’m not just talking about Instagram stories, but stories across all marketing channels— including the story you inadvertently tell the customers in front of you.

Our brains actually retain 70% of information from stories, but only 10% from data and statistics, according to Speakingcpr.com. In general, we use feelings rather than facts to evaluate a business, and those feelings influence our trust and intention to buy.

This is why people are asking their favorite brands to speak up right now (and back it up with hiring practices). It takes so much more than a black box or a single post with a box of disinfecting wipes to build loyalty.

Stories help build relationships with a community, and that’s what social media marketing is all about — a back and forth dialog, and a connection. And those connections build both short term sales, and long term loyalty.

Stories can build connections and confidence
A good story balances emotion with just the right amount of information, and a great story is easy to understand and simplifies big ideas in a way that sticks in people’s minds. The highest quality video or imagery doesn't matter if it doesn't connect with your audience and respond to the moment.