Messaging is about telling an audience something; storytelling shows them something. Engaging social-purpose storytelling can shape the way people think and feel, and motivate them towards a desired action.
Storytelling is the timeless language of humanity and one of the salient factors
defining our species. For businesses embedding social purpose, the message is
clear: Relying on the old comms playbook and stating your social purpose
endlessly won’t get you far. Instead, you can drive your message home by telling
meaningful stories that show how your purpose is making a difference.
“For social purpose to really come to life, it has to live in the hearts of mind
of the people responsible for it,” Bill
Baker, founder and principal
of BB&Co Strategic Storytelling — a firm
specializing in business storytelling — told Sustainable Brands®. “And
there is no better way to connect with those people than through storytelling —
using stories to shape the way they think, the way they feel, and motivate them
towards a desired action.”
Social purpose aligns an organization with something deeper than the bottom
line; it’s a social contract made with society. So, when an organization such as
the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC)
articulates its social
purpose,
the public demands accountability. Going beyond the traditional mediums of
reports and press releases, BCLC is working to incorporate authentic, tangible
stories into its communication and engagement initiatives — to show how its
social purpose is “generating win-wins for the greater good” instead of
telling stakeholders that it is.
“Because BCLC is involved in lotteries, gaming and gambling, some might have a
misperception about the organization and what drives and motivates it,” Baker
said. “And in fairness, some of that misperception might be warranted based on
the activities of private, for-profit gambling companies.”
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BCLC, however, is different. It’s a Crown
Corporation,
which exists to serve the public. With a mandate to conduct and manage gambling
responsibly, BCLC operates to give back to the citizens of British Columbia and
help communities grow. Unlike the private companies that dominate the US
gambling landscape, BCLC is committed to leveraging gambling and lottery to
further the public good.
“There is a story around BCLC’s social purpose that needed to be told,” Baker
said. “But first, it needed to be found.”
“Storyfinding” is the process of uncovering a story that’s always been there but
hasn’t been fully explored, expanded or articulated; BCLC is a perfect example
of storyfinding.
“This story didn’t come out of thin air; it wasn’t created from scratch,” Baker
said. “It’s always been part of the organization, from its original mandate —
but also its culture and the hearts and minds of its staff.”
In BCLC’s case, adopting social purpose meshed well with its public-good
business model — something that probably wouldn’t be as natural a fit for a
private, for-profit gambling company. That’s not to say that all for-profit
companies have to trade in their LLCs for 501(c)(3)s. Still, many for-profit
companies interested in social purpose will face a fork in the road. One path is
unwavering commitment to that purpose; the other diverges toward the bottom line
alone.
“If they’re not taking the former path, then they’re not truly a social-purpose
organization,”
Baker warned.
Bringing stories to life
Baker — who has been providing storytelling training for over 15 years — said
“the work of storytelling isn't rocket science;” and he has trained rocket
scientists. To start, get over the intimidation factor, realizing that “I don’t
have to be the best, most dynamic, life-of-the-party storyteller to tell the
right story and make it a good story.”
Next, strategize, craft content and deliver — that’s the difference between just
telling any story to any audience at any time, and telling the right story to
the right audience at the right time.
“Just because you have a story to tell doesn’t necessarily mean your audience
wants or needs to hear it,” he explained. “Make sure it’s relatable, make sure
it’s relevant; and to some degree, make sure it’s reflective of your audience.
When an audience sees themselves in a story and can relate to a story in some
way, they’ll connect with it in a more meaningful way and that story will have a
more lasting impact.”
Baker thinks about storytelling as a pull strategy rather than a push strategy.
Organizations such as BCLC will always have strategic messages to push into the
marketplace. Stories, however, help show messaging in action, reifying it for an
audience.
Messaging is about telling an audience something. Storytelling shows them
something.
Is your company ready to tell the story of its social purpose?
Philanthropy; corporate social responsibility (CSR); and environmental, social
and governance (ESG) strategies do not constitute social purpose. ESG and
CSR
generally mean supporting an external cause, lessening or increasing certain
impacts, etc. Social purpose is more encompassing: It must become part of the
fabric of an organization, so much so that it drives and shapes the way it does
business.
“Social purpose can’t be a bunch of
words
put up on a lobby wall or the end of an annual report,” Baker said. “It
literally has to shape and drive the way that organization does business; and
not every organization or company has the wherewithal or courage to take that
on.”
A major requisite to becoming a social-purpose organization is that the people,
culture and leadership must truly believe they exist to impact the world beyond
revenue. The company also must believe it has the ability and responsibility
to do more than sell goods or services, and must consciously make tough choices
aligned with its defined social
purpose.
Social-purpose storytelling engages team members, customers and other
stakeholders mentally and emotionally. Having a social purpose reinforces
customer commitment, increases social capital and drives innovation. What’s
more, it invites new hires at all levels of tenure. In fact, new hires have
cited BCLC’s social purpose as a significant influence on their decision to work
for BCLC. Thus, social purpose is more than a communication tool — it’s
essential to attracting, recruiting and retaining top-notch
talent
in the 21st century.
“When you have a strong social purpose and you’re bringing it to life through
the stories that your employees themselves are telling, it creates wonderful
alignment and engagement among staff,” Baker said.
By understanding how to approach the fundamentals of storytelling — through
strategy, content and delivery — people realize it’s not an insurmountable feat
gifted only to the eloquent of mouth, but that telling good stories is hardwired
into everyone’s DNA. So, why not do it in business? With that realization,
employees and organizations can put storytelling to work in their own
communications for better people, better society and better business.
Published Feb 7, 2023 7am EST / 4am PST / 12pm GMT / 1pm CET
Christian is a writer, photographer, filmmaker, and outdoor junkie obsessed with the intersectionality between people and planet. He partners with brands and organizations with social and environmental impact at their core, assisting them in telling stories that change the world.
Sponsored Content
/ This article is sponsored by
British Columbia Lottery Corporation.
This article, produced in cooperation with the Sustainable Brands editorial team, has been paid for by one of our sponsors.