Storytelling is a lot more than a marketing buzzword. Stories have mind-attracting power and are like personal guides leading readers and listeners to the prize of knowledge, the satisfaction of curiosity and the fulfillment of desires. Marketers who effectively apply storytelling have real-life success stories of their own to tell.

Every Brand Tells a Story

According to the book, “Building a Story Brand” by Donald Miller, almost every customer success story consists of about 5 common elements:

1. The main character (customer)
2. A problem
3. A hero, leader or guide (the brand)
4. A plan to solve the problem (product/service offer)
5. The call to action that if taken solves the problem and avoids failure (purchase and acquisition)

Let’s take a familiar brand example and narrate its success story.

It’s the year 2005. Lola, a book lover, is one who can spend hours in a bookstore. She has an uncommon reading list that’s difficult to fill and has shopped the same two bookstores in her city for years. When her book choices aren’t in stock, the stores do their best to special order them but some titles have been out of print for years and can be “impossible” to find. Lola becomes frustrated that she’s missing out on the wonderful reading adventures she knows are out there for her somewhere!

Lola has been hearing and seeing ads pop up all over the place about some company called “Amazon.” She’s aware they have something to do with books and CDs and then learns its a website that sells books & music and other stuff online. Out of curiosity, she logs on to a computer at the library and looks up Amazon on the internet. Lola quickly sees the website’s main call to action; you can search for your own titles and authors from around the world!

She types in the title of a cherished volume she’s been unable to find and up come 5 various copies of the book for sale in either new or used condition. Lola has never ordered online but that cherished book is right in front of her on the screen inviting her to buy it. She takes a small leap of faith and pulls out her credit card, trusting that the book will be delivered at a surprisingly fair price as promised. Within 3 days, Lola is curled up on her couch, 8 chapters into her new reading odyssey.

Here’s how this “Story Brand” breaks down.

• Lola the book lover is the main character.
• Her problem is not finding the books she wants.
• A hero-leader in the form of Amazon advertising and its website offer a plan to solve the problem. “Maybe I can find the books I want without the bookstore’s limits.”
• Then Lola answers the call to action – search for and find books on the Amazon website!

Conclusion: Mutual brand and customer success!

Would it be fair to say this specific brand story worked very well?

Every brand tells a story. If you can simplify yours and demonstrate happy endings as Amazon did decades ago, your marketing communications will be easier to implement and much more effective!

What’s your story? Who is the main character? Why and how are you the hero?

If you find writing your brand story to be a challenge, contact us for a no-cost branding and writing consultation. Phone calls are welcomed at (603) 345-7223.

The post The Story Behind Brand Storytelling appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

Video is replacing much of the content on websites, social media and even blogs these days. Most people would rather watch a short movie or let someone tell them a quick story rather than commit to reading and digesting 500 or a thousand words.

I’m here to tell you that you can use video to your business advantage. Perhaps your industry has reached the point where you need well-produced videos in your marketing mix just to compete effectively. Every kind of business can benefit from video by delivering messages in a more dynamic and entertaining way.

Here are the main ways companies are succeeding with video:

• Broadcasting to reach wider audiences with world class production quality.
• Live event streaming – collaborators and audiences interact in real time wherever they happen to be.
• Testimonials – your customers talking directly to your prospective customers in a genuine and validating way.
• Documentaries – to record and preserve important information; to tell your story with compelling visual evidence.
• Industrial videos provide visual clarity of processes and easily understandable proofs of concept in various manufacturing applications.
• Promotional videos deliver your messages with the power of persuasion. You need to promote your ideas if you want your organization to grow.
• Storytelling is an art form that becomes electrified in high quality video productions. If you really want to captivate and inspire your audience, just let them watch your story unfold on screen.
• Motion Graphics provide that extra touch. Enhance and highlight sections to drive your key points home.

I’m happy to report that the growing prominence of video in marketing has added to our content writing work. Most business and institutional videos require a good script. Narrators and actors need lines, and as scriptwriters, we get to put the fire & sizzle into the spoken words – both acted and narrated.

Whether you need simple talking head videos or full scale commercial productions, the available talent in our little market north of Boston amazes me. I’ve worked with a few local video producers and directors whose work I’d rank up there with the best stuff coming out of LA and New York. In fact, some of their clients are in those cities.

In some cases, you can produce engaging video content, even if a little rudimentary, using your own equipment and the right backdrops.  If you click the image below, you’ll see a great way to incorporate video into a Homepage using a simple “About” video that gives viewers a clear sense of what this business is all about while it introduces the personality of the owner.

In some spontaneous contexts, even your smartphone camera will do. Friendly testimonials for social media come to mind.

Keep your ideas interesting and moving at a speed which people can easily follow along, which is pretty fast. Otherwise you’ll lose their attention pretty fast! Remember that “brevity is the soul of wit.” 30 seconds to 2 minutes tends to be within the attention span of most people as long as the message is relevant.

Are you using video in your marketing mix yet? Feel free to contact us if you need help planning or producing your next video project.

The post Video Marketing Power appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.