When we were children, our parents used to tell us stories before we went to bed. As we grew, we gathered around campfires and told stories to one another for a scare or simply out of interest.

Even as adults, we still gravitate toward stories. We’ll binge-watch a sci-fi thriller or true-crime serial on our streaming service, foregoing much-needed sleep to see the ending.

While it’s no secret that humans like stories, researchers believe the reason why is quite simple: it’s a survival skill (https://bit.ly/4on1WCb).

Since we aren’t the strongest or hardiest species on Earth, we have survived over time as a result of our creativity. And that creativity is kept sharp by stories highlighting our common dreams and aspirations — and the need to stay alive.

And you can use this attraction to tales, narratives and yarns to help you in business.

Telling your story

One of the best ways to win a customer’s business is by differentiating yourself from your competition. As a plumbing company, you do pretty much the same thing as other plumbing companies: stop leaks, unstop drains and pipe or repipe houses. 

While you may use some newer technology to find clogs underground or repair sewer lines without ripping up the yard, the fact is that you and several other plumbers have similar skill sets and offer similar services.

However, the one thing you have that your competition does not is your personal story. 

Maybe you started working as a plumber after your father died and you had to be the breadwinner in the family. Maybe you were a troublemaker, destined to end up in jail, until your favorite uncle took you under his wing at his own plumbing company and taught you the tricks of the trade. Or maybe you were good with your hands and loved solving problems, so you opted for trade school over college.

Whatever your story is, it needs to be told if you want to stand out in a crowd.

Marketing alone can’t get in-depth narratives out to your target audience.

That’s where public relations comes in.

Building emotional connections and trust

While marketing and public relations are related, they aren’t the same thing. Marketing includes all the activities you pay for to promote your services and make customers aware of your company.

PR is the practice of managing the information you put out to the public to influence their buying decisions. Whether you are telling your own story or getting a reporter to tell it for you, the exposure PR generally provides is known as earned media.

Earned media is generally produced by a third party through an interview and without payment. It can also be penned by your team as expert plumbers providing insight or advice in a trade publication.

And it’s through this earned media that you can tell your company’s story or provide the type of advice that earns the trust of others in the profession or from the community you serve. Sharing your personal experiences helps you build trust with your target audience and shape brand narratives.

When customers feel a personal connection to your brand, they become more invested in you or your company and are more apt to choose your company when they have a plumbing need. If your customer experience is good and your story is compelling, you’ll likely gain a cheerleader who will advocate for your company to family and friends.

Captivating your customers

Think about some of the more creative earned media campaigns you’ve seen throughout your lifetime. 

From Coca-Cola’s themes of happy nostalgia to TOMS’ commitment to donating a pair of shoes to charity with every pair purchased to Dawn’s use of its product to remove oil from wildlife harmed by oil spills, these are all stories that have captivated customers.

That doesn’t mean you need to come up with a multimillion-dollar campaign like those companies. All public relations needs to work is a PR partner who understands your industry, knows your business and, above all, has the talent to tell your story the way you would if you had just a little bit of Mark Twain, William Shakespeare or Tony Robbins in your veins.

The power of PR storytelling doesn’t always lie in what the story is, but how it can cut through the mountains of information that fly at us daily to leave a lasting impression.

Yes, you still need marketing and advertising to showcase your services, products and specials, but you also need to tell potential customers why they should choose you.

So, if you need to rise above your competitors to grow your business, scale your company for sale or build a business that can produce generational wealth, try some PR storytelling in addition to your marketing campaigns.