Blog, Content Marketing, content strategy
superwoman flying to the rescue

I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago whose world has recently been turned upside down. She compared it to reading a book or watching a movie when you know bad things are about to happen to the main character.

You don’t want bad things to happen to them, because you love them, but you know that, if they don’t go through the tough times, they’ll never emerge the badass they need to be.

So, yeah, things are tough for my friend now, but they’ll only make her stronger, and hopefully lead her to better things in the future.

As a storyteller, of course I love this idea. Not only have I seen it in countless books, movies, and TV shows, but I’ve written my share of hero’s journeys, both for my fiction, and in my marketing content.

If you’re wondering what the hero’s journey has to do with marketing, that’s what this post is here to explain.

I’ve talked before about the importance of storytelling in marketing. That post specifically talked about what I like to call the Cinderella Formula. It is by no means the only story formula used in marketing or elsewhere, but it is one of the most common formulas.

Another common formula is the hero’s journey, so let’s talk about what that is.

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What Is the Hero’s Journey?

Think of the plot of your favorite myth or legend. Chances are pretty good you’re thinking of a hero’s journey. It tends to go something like this:

  1. The hero is living comfortably until they get called to go on a quest. Sometimes they accept the quest right away. Other times they refuse at first, then a mentor or sage might show up and talk them into accepting.
  2. The set out on their quest, sometimes with companions, other times on their own.
  3. They face trials and tests they have to pass to get the thing that prompted them to set out on the quest.
  4. They get their reward. Sometimes it’s a physical thing they have to bring back home to solve a problem: medicine for a plague or a special weapon to kill the villain. Other times it’s something less concrete, like knowledge of how to solve a specific problem.
  5. They return home with their reward to fix whatever problem sent them on their quest in the first place.

We see the hero’s journey in everything from The Iliad and The Odyssey, to The Lord of the Rings, to The Hunger Games trilogy.

As with the Cinderella Formula, the hero’s journey can be incredibly effective in content marketing because it’s familiar. They know the beats of the story, which means they have an idea of what to expect, but they’ll stay engaged because they want to know how you handle each beat: what makes this story unique?

Why Use the Hero’s Journey in Content Marketing?

Let’s start with the benefits of incorporating any kind of storytelling into your content marketing.

First, people are primed to engage with stories, so if you want people to keep reading past the first paragraph, tell them a good story.

We are also primed to remember stories, and what good is your marketing if it doesn’t make you memorable? You can give us all the facts and statistics, but most of them are going to go in one ear and out the other. But find a way to put those facts and statistics into a story and you make them concrete to your audience and now you have a way to help your audience make sense of the information you’re giving them, which will help them remember it.

The second benefit to using the hero’s journey in content marketing is that it gives you a chance to put your audience in the story.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the Cinderella Formula precisely because it’s so easy to put your audience in the center of the story, but Cinderella isn’t a hero. She doesn’t go on a quest. She does as she’s told and lets things happen to her.

By incorporating the hero’s journey into your content marketing and putting your audience at the center of the story, you make them the hero. And who doesn’t want to be the hero of their own story?

How to Use the Hero’s Journey in Content Marketing

Knowing the benefits of incorporating the hero’s journey into your content marketing is not the same as knowing how to make the most of that formula to engage and convert more leads. So let’s talk about how you can use the hero’s journey in your marketing content to make it more effective.

Introduce the Problem

Young girl looking at question marks

Something needs to prompt our hero to go on their journey. That means they need a problem to solve.

Identifying their problem should be the easiest part of this story because it’s the problem you’re in business to solve. It’s what prompted them to look for information on the problem, which is what led them to your website.

Now you just have to convince them to go on a quest to get what they need.

Introduce the Mentor/Sage

In this story, you are the mentor/sage. You provide them with the knowledge and resources they need to be successful on their quest, but at the end of the day, they are the ones who need to go on the quest and face their trials.

Lead Them Through the Buyer Journey

The words "Follow me" over a pic of a man straightening his tie

Obviously your audience won’t need to slay any dragons or climb the Cliffs of Insanity. Instead, the purpose of their quest is to gain the secrets you have that will help them solve their problem back home (or at the office, depending on the problem you solve).

The tests and trials they have to face are the tests you design to determine whether they are really your ideal clients.

For example, let’s say you’re a business coach and your lead magnet is a checklist people can use to make sure their business is set up for success. If someone downloads the checklist, then reaches out to you for coaching, you’ll want to ask what results they got from implementing the checklist. If they say they didn’t even look at it, or maybe they glanced at it but didn’t have time to apply any of it, then they’re probably not a good coaching client because they’re unlikely to do anything you tell them to do, and then they’ll blame you when they don’t get results.

Or you’re a digital marketer who likes to start every client relationship by analyzing their website for a fee. If they don’t like the idea of paying for a website analysis, they probably won’t like the idea of paying for any of your other services, which means they’re not your ideal client.

Reward the Victorious Hero

The goal of the buyer journey is not just to prequalify your leads. It is also an opportunity for them to learn about your business, what it’s like to work with you, and whether you’re a good fit for them.

Hopefully, by the time the hero has emerged victorious, you’ve both agreed to work together.

This is when you provide your services and they get to return home with the knowledge you gave them, or the help you provided, and live happily ever after.

Want to be the heroic marketing coordinator who brings home fantastic content for your website? We can help with that.

If you would like to continue on your quest with us, you can sign up for our newsletter in the space below so you can get knowledge every week. You can also see what we’re up to by following us on LinkedIn and YouTube.

Alison is the owner of AV Writing Services. With a degree in English and Psychology, and almost a decade of experience working as a professional content marketer, Alison is committed to helping her clients use high-quality content to grow their online visibility.