Successfully using stories to sell programming

Storytelling is not just an aspect of the marketing at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Continuing Education, it is front and center.
When the Edmonton, AB-based program’s Continuing Education program launched its 2016/2017 calendar, it had a whole new theme and concept. Student ambassadors were selected to represent each of NAIT Continuing Education’s main programming categories and to introduce the Department of Education’s new theme of Pathways for Success. Overall, the entire catalog had a refreshed look that still maintained the identity of the brand.
In the calendar, NAIT’s Continuing Education programs are brought to life by colorful photos and real-life stories from students. Each student story is enriched with a direct quote, details on the program and the student’s current outcome.
The General Interest section opens with Larry Womack, a Culinary Boot Camp student.
“A summer boot camp was the perfect opportunity for Larry, recently retired, to fine-tune his cooking skills. Womack says that you don’t have to be a culinary master or even a foodie to benefit from the class. What matters for him is learning new recipes, meeting new friends and having fun.”
Larry Womack’s story and all the student ambassador stories end with a call-to-action encouraging readers to learn more about that person on the program’s website. The URLs are short and memorable, nait.ca/larry, in this case, making it easy for people to visit the corresponding landing pages on whatever device is most convenient at the time. The landing pages include a variety of stories, videos and photos, and are linked directly to program details including dates, information on how to apply, and related courses.
NAIT Continuing Education staff found that the seamless transition between print and web, enhanced the reader’s connection with the program, while also providing valuable analytics to better understand the behavior of their customers.
The team who worked on developing the theme and content of the new calendar took special care to think about their target audiences in all stages of the project – from selecting the student ambassadors to developing the web pages and taking photos.
The NAIT Continuing education team used data trends and insights into the preferred communication methods of their target audience – social media, search and the NAIT Continuing Education website – to drive the web directed and integrated aspects of the calendar.
Aside from introducing the new theme and producing a high-quality piece, ultimate goals for the new calendar design included: increased registrations as well as driving traffic to the new Continuing Education landing pages, and NAIT was expecting to see positive results.
The creative and smart use of stories in a high-quality, impactful brochure and online is an innovative approach that more programs could benefit from, even on a smaller scale.
Using Stories to Sell
Below are some tips to help you craft stories that will engage your readers and increase your registrations:

1. Choose a subject that will resonate with other customers and to which they can relate. Focus on a challenge or issue that is shared among your participants.
2. Choose a story that is true and motivating and representative of what others in your customer base are experiencing.
3. State the issue, the participant’s experience, and the positive outcome.
4. Use photos or video to bring your story alive.
5. Not only can you create stories about your participant’s positive experiences, you can create stories about your organization that brings you alive to your participants and create a positive relationship with your customers.