The Six Most Important Factors in Marketing with Stories
In my last blog post, I suggested different ways in which you can repurpose your marketing stories for maximum exposure and impact. Hopefully, it’s now clear that you can start with any format for your story and repurpose it to another. But there are a few things that I believe are the most important factors to remember in creating marketing stories that work.
These apply whether you are creating your brand’s story, your customer’s story, or your own products or services story. No matter what angle you approach it from these factors are most important to adhere to. If you do these things, you can and will create marketing stories that get results.
1. It’s Always About Your Audience
No matter which angle you are approaching your marketing story from, it’s really always about your audience, it’s never about you. Even when you are telling the story about how you started your business it’s about what you can do for your audience. Always.
2. Speak With Honesty
Whether writing or giving a speech you are speaking to your audience and it’s imperative that you are always straight with them. It takes a long time to build trust but only a few seconds of doubt to ruin it. If you’re honest, your audience will know because telling your story honestly is so much easier than lying.
3. Be Yourself
No one can do you, the way you do you. It doesn’t matter what competition is out there you are still unique and have something to offer that no one else does. If you pretend to be someone you’re not it will be impossible to build a true relationship with your audience. They’ll know. Almost immediately.
4. Focus on Clarity
Instead of worrying too much about grammar, punctuation and proper sentence structure, instead, focus on being clear with the words you use and their meaning. Words do mean something, so ensure that you and your audience agree on their meaning and whatever you tell them will resonate.
While I said not to worry too much about grammar, punctuation or spelling – don’t forget about them altogether!! They really do make a difference to how easily your story can be read.
5. Talk With Your Audience Not at Them
It’s important when you write copy that you use a conversational tone, with real words, not buzzwords, or inaccurate and confusing terms. While writing, picture your audience of one, in your mind’s eye and simply tell them your story. For real.
6. Forget About Marketing
It’s tempting when marketing with stories to revert back to sales page tactics but remember you’re not writing a sales page. Although you might use stories on a sales page, the story itself is different. The more you can share with your audience and be a resource to them the better.
As you share your own story, focused on your customers, and ask them for feedback and to share their stories, something really special will happen. You’ll build a strong relationship, one that will carry you forward as you create new products and services for a loyal customer base who will become storytellers for you on your behalf. Marketing with stories is that powerful.
If you have any factors that you consider important please do add them in the Comment box below.
Next week is my last blog post in this series on marketing with stories. I’ll go over what we’ve learned and given you some food for thought as you progress on your journey to market with stories.
