The content marketer's secret to making your brand storytelling snap, crackle and pop!

In other words - using your senses to get more creative with content and ooze with personality.

​Sight. Smell. Sound. Taste. Touch.

When was the last time you used any of these in your content marketing?

It's about making your content relatable, engaging and fun. Authors use this technique all the time, incorporating senses in their writing to capture attention and evoke emotions with the reader. It's how they draw you into their story and it's what makes you not want to put a book down - usually without even realising. The same can be achieved with your own brand storytelling. So let's break it down:

Sight
Around 65% of people are visual learners and the most common and easiest way to create imagery in writing is through sight. You do it all the time without realising, but next time you write something, why not take it beyond the obvious green tree?

Just introducing the sense of sight will take your copy from sounding 'OK' to crafting something truly compelling that your audience will want to read and connect with.

Smell
Mmmm, does the scent of a particular fragrance ever remind you of anyone, or does the aroma of something baking in the oven bring you back to your childhood? The sense of smell is powerful - and don't dogs know it!

A smell can bring back or recreate a sense of nostalgia, and you can accomplish this too with your brand storytelling. It's an effective way to get your audience lost in the moment. There are heaps of tips on how to describe a smell when writing, so all I can say is give it a go!

Sounds
Now this is where you can really get creative. Onomatopoeia sounds like an ominous word, but what it really means is words that imitate sounds in writing.

If you're a comic book fan then you'll be all over this notion. Words like 'Kaboom' or 'Zap' are what I'm talking about. There's no limit to what you can come up with - making up your own words is half the fun. And who knows, it may even shape some of your brand language, if it gains enough traction!

Another way you can use this sense is to use words that depict a sound. For example: Beep, crash, growl, slam, swoosh, yelp...I think you get what I mean here. 

Taste
Did you know there are only 5 types of taste sensations your tongue can taste - sweet, sour salty, bitter and unami (savoury). But there are of course many different ways to describe these.

If you're writing about food then for sure you'd be using this sense all the time. But if you aren't, then it might not be something you would naturally consider. So, one way you could use the taste sense is through describing a personality type. Using metaphors is another way you can introduce taste into your copywriting.

Touch
This is probably the trickiest of all senses to convey in copy. But the best way to approach this is to think about the sensations that relate to something you would touch. Consider temperature and texture when trying to integrate touch in your writing.

For example, your feet on a sandy beach can feel smooth, velvety, silky, mushy or if it's hot sand - burning!

Final thought: Don't over do it
As a copywriter, I tell my clients all the time not to overuse exclamation marks. The same goes for this. You may think of yourself as the next Charles Dickens, but unless you're heading down the novelist's path, don't go hell-for-leather.

Using this technique in your copy isn't going to work for all of your content marketing efforts, so just experiment where appropriate and be tactful. Too much and you might evoke the wrong kind of emotions from your audience. And, of course make sure it stays aligned with your brand language style.

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