In 2008, the famous book by Christian Salmon Storytelling. The machine for making stories and formatting minds was published. Although it was not the first time we heard about this term, its irruption would surprise the panorama of communication with a new way of understanding the use of stories in the message.
The storytelling theory, after all, does not cease to have its origin in Aristotle’s Rhetoric, so necessary for the creation of speeches and for the art of convincing with arguments. Thus, the principles of pathos, ethos and logos are perfectly applicable to the current panorama of digital content, with stories that empathize with the audience, maintain ethics and reputation from the point of view of the brand and, of course, convey a logical and credible version of the facts -something especially important in the era of the so-called fake news-.
The figure of the journalist is currently experiencing a resurgence, precisely thanks to the proliferation of new digital content. Media such as Vice, Playground or Buzzfeed have been true pioneers in their way of understanding the type of publications that have the best performance on the Internet – sometimes, unfortunately, to the detriment of quality. However, the logical evolution of this trend has come naturally to brands, who have seen great opportunities in the content, both for the known actions of branded content, and simply to position their websites through SEO research and viral stories.
Storytelling: a great tool for hotels
Few would think that a story could be suitable for a hotel blog. We’re used to posts that talk about the wonders of the tourist destination, the establishment’s gastronomy, or the children’s activities available, but we don’t pay attention to the kind of product a hotel currently sells: experience.
Gone are the days when accommodation establishments focused on prices and rooms. The consolidation of Instagram and other social networks is one of the main reasons that have made hoteliers rethink this concept, and that is where storytelling has its place.
Isn’t it more interesting to tell the story of two people who fall in love and get married in a hotel than simply to describe what services are offered for the celebration of weddings? The world of the hotel is full of stories that are worth knowing and with which we can cover each one of its fields: employees who have spent half their lives working in the establishment, a new menu concept with its corresponding influences or even the chronicle of a stay as if we were a family on their first holidays.
Forced to live with SEO
Storytelling is a fantastic option to give a personal and journalistic touch to your content, but it is also worth highlighting a reality: reading diagonally has become the great habit among digital readers. This, added to the intention of improving the organic positioning of hotel websites, forces the editor to analyze and understand more and more SEO terms.
Many times we find hoteliers who regret to see how the effort invested in the development of blogs is not reflected in the number of visits. All our lives we have been told about journalistic tools to attract the reader’s attention: big headlines, plain language, the five ws of the first paragraph (what, who, where, when, why)… but we didn’t know that it would have to be us who adapted to the users’ interests.
Direct selling, especially through the web, is a unique opportunity for hotels… that’s why it’s important to take care of positioning down to the smallest detail. Indeed, content marketing is obliged to be understood with SEO, but that does not mean that we have to refuse to continue telling interesting stories. You will soon discover that the so-called ‘keywords’ are not an impediment to your creativity but a real incentive. Even more, if the muses have to get there, you’d better get caught with the keyword research prepared.
