It’s Story Time!

Jody BrittIndustry News

story

Most of what I love about marketing is a good story. My earliest “what I want to be when I grow up” answers were a writer and journalist. As an adult, I’m an avid reader who can hardly keep up with my book/wine clubs in between running a consulting business, instructing online classes and trying to be the best parent and partner I can be. But still I am captivated by the power of a compelling narrative.

When I was little, I created my own books, complete with full script, character dialogue and illustrations. My days as editor of my high school and college newspapers furthered my love of writing and organizing thoughts into stories others would find interesting. Now I help organizations build compelling stories to grow their business. When I ran across the term “signature brand story” – I thought, that’s it!

“Stories are a hot topic in marketing because they have been shown to be superior to facts in getting attention, being remembered, changing opinions, stimulating social activity, developing emotion and, curiously, communicating facts.”

More simply put, stories take the generic marketing term “messaging” and turn it into engagement. How do you get people to not only listen, but react, to your story. Simply put, a signature brand story needs to be intriguing, authentic, engaging and strategic. It’s diving beyond your mission and vision to why you created your organization – finding and conveying that passion to your customers.

This article suggests finding a hero – the key character in any good story. There are countless examples from top global businesses, but clearly, yours needs to be unique to you. What would make you want to read your own story? Is there a character deserving of a showcase from which you can build a following? Who might be reading your story (and what kind of characters do they like)?

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