()It has been 25 year since the internet saw its first banner ad. Despite the fact that the internet has revolutionized almost every aspect of our society’s life, companies still advertise online in a stone age.

You wouldn’t be surprised if the average consumer doesn’t recall any banner ads from the website they last visited. Why? Because banner ads don’t grab attention or affect emotions, consumers are known to tune out banner ads.

Consumers can also avoid these ads by using blockers or DVRs.

What grabs the attention of consumers? Good story.

Smart marketers are looking for innovative ways to use storytelling to entice and hold consumers’ attention, and to influence their behavior.

This is not a guess. Science supports stories and emotions as a way to engage an audience.

Pressboard, an internet content marketing platform believes stories are the best way to connect with consumers.

For example, a person can feel a connection to a story when they hear, read, or view it. The brain releases the hormone oxytocin. “feel-good”The hormone that is associated with sex, childbirth and other activities that promotes bonding and connection. Psychological research has shown that stories can influence individuals’ actions and motivate them to make changes.

Pressboard launched an experiment website, iwantmorecats.com. This site allowed users to see photos and videos of cats, instead of banner ads. According to Jerrid Grimm (Pressboard CEO) and co-founder, the website proved very popular.

“Our not-so-secret goal is to help all companies market themselves through stories and in doing so, slowly rid the world of banner ads,”Grimm speaks in an interview with Adweek

“People just don’t like ads, not advertisers, not publishers and definitely not consumers,”He notes.

Pressboard says that meaningful content outperforms banner advertisements when communicating with consumers.

Companies such as Pressboard can help you connect brands with media publishers to track which stories are most popular.

These are some of the tips that will help you create a compelling story.

* Engaging emotions with a personal story, such as a triumph over adversity;

* Developing a relationship with your audience by highlighting real people in your content, whether that’s employees or customers;

* Using visuals that support the story and catch the reader’s eye;

* Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and open with your audience, making your brand more relatable;

* Influencing public opinion of your brand by sharing the story on social media where discussion can happen.

Marketers can only change their behavior, but it is equally important to build emotional connections with readers.

This is how marketing companies can build a relationship and make their audience long-term customers.

Visit www.brandstorypower.com for more information on harnessing the power stories have to make brands memorable. pressboardmedia.com.