While there are far more channels than ever before and far more ways to approach marketing, we live in a world where people can opt in and out of content with at any time with just one click.

This means that the only people reading your content are people that have explicitly given you permission to contact them. This alone goes to show just how important it is to share positive and engaging content.

Once you lose a contact by sending them unhelpful content, you’re likely going to lose them forever. However, one of the easiest and best ways to keep your users engaged is through storytelling, and more specifically, sharing stories through email marketing.

Here are some ways you can keep your email audience engaged with you or your brand from day one.

#1 – Share Personal or Insider Information

Social media was created to stay connected with people, whether it be friends, family, coworkers or brands you love. Why not bring this idea into your emails by giving people an exclusive insight story that they won’t be able to find anywhere else?

This way, you can entertain and engage your audience in an authentic way that builds a relationship with them, as well as helping them feel connected to you and a part of your community.

#2 – Feature Your Customers’ Stories

Use a success story from one of your customers. This can be a case study where you simply share the story of your customer and how your product or service helped change their lives for the better. But be sure to make it about them, and not all about you.

“Sharing their experiences can be a great way to build trust in your business and your products, as well as educating your customers and giving them all the trust they need to make a purchase of their own”, says Oliver Davis, a communications professional at Academized.

#3 – Share Your Origin Story

Another one of the most popular stories that businesses should share with their customers is the origin story of where your brand, product, or service came from. This is Step #1 in the Story Cycle System™ where you define your #1 position in the marketplace. The Business of Story also has several free or premium brand storytelling tools to help you craft your inspired brand origin story if you haven’t yet written it down. As a bonus, these origin stories keep your employees and stakeholders aligned with your mission and brand.

#4 – Share Your Goals and Future Plans

Just like you can tell your closest friends about where you’ve come from, sharing similar stories with your customers can be a great way to keep them connected with your brand by telling them your goals and aspirations so they can feel excited about what’s to come. 

“You can talk about how you’re going to improve your products and services, how are you going to improve certain aspects of your business, and what are you going to do to make your customer’s lives better? Explain it all within a story for the most engaging presentation,” shares Harry Runswick, a brand manager for Paper Fellows.

#5 – Improve Your Writing Skills to Tell Shareable Stories

Last, but certainly not least, ensure your content is presented in the highest possible quality. Keep it simple, and most of all – shareable. If you doubt your skills, here are some online tools that can help;

As you can see, there are plenty of ways you can incorporate storytelling into your marketing emails, and if done correctly, it can be one of the most effective ways of marketing. Test to see what works for you, so you can ensure you’re doing it the best way for your business and for your customers.

Freddie Tubbs is a communications strategist and business writer at Bigassignments. He also works as a part-time marketing consultant at Australian help, and contributes articles to the Vault and Australian reviewer blogs.