Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Storytelling as good marketing

We all love stories - and we all know that we all love stories.

So why do we so often forget to use them in our marketing? A good story grabs attention, keeps your reader or listener engaged and curious, and is a fantastic way to demonstrate how your product or service can help someone.

Stories are also fine teachers. I remember going to real estate school and how much the lessons came alive when our instructor told about the things that happened to real live people when someone bent the rules we were learning.

Things like the crook who talked about 50 people into buying the same vacant lot and NOT recording the sale for 60 days. By the time the 60 days were up and all those people realized they'd bought the same lot, he was long gone. It must have been a hot market back then - or else the lot was priced so low that people were jumping to grab it.

Anyway - If he had merely told us that we needed to insist that our buyer's transactions were recorded immediately because bad things can happen, it wouldn't have made such an impression. Just think - I heard that story over 20 years ago!

So what kind of story can you tell that will somehow relate back to what you offer?

Can you tell a story that will teach your audience that they need what you offer?

Can you tell a story that will show how much you care about your customer's best interests?

Can you tell a story that shows how many ways your product can be used?

If you think about it, you probably have some true stories that would interest your readers. So... think about it!

2 comments:

terrirains said...

Right on. Storytelling can be such a valuable strategy for marketers. People respond to narratives on an almost visceral level. It's powerful stuff.

Marte said...

Thanks for adding your comment!

You might also enjoy: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Write-a-Marketing-Letter-Theyll-Read&id=1028800