Telling stories is not only one of the oldest forms of
communication; it is also one of the most effective. Accepting this statement
as true should help you see why creating a business story is a reliable way to
connect, and to create a bond with your customer that helps you rise above your
competition in their eyes.
A story can make you cry. However, a funny story can also
make you laugh until your stomach hurts. It touches your emotional sensor that
is deep down in your mind. How can it do that? What is the power behind the
story telling?
When you are telling a story to your audience, you make a
connection to them in humanity level in such a way that it is not as dry as the
spec sheet of a physical electronic device. The process of building the
connection sets the frame of image in their mind.
You can not control the outcome of the story, but you get to
touch the desire which motivates every human. The desire that reflects current
view of the world and goals they want. The most important key point is to learn
how to hook and reel them. Learn how to put a great bait-- the story, that can
tap into a core of human needs; you’ve got yourself some pretty good bait.
In order to have such a good bait, you must have the story
as real as possible so that the audience would have the image etched an image
into audience’s mind. Story has a strong impact in universal audience if it is
very real to them.
The story must be related to the topic that you present. It
must be related to the situation that your audience is having a problem with.
It depicts the solution to the problem in the story. In another word, you have
to Know how to satisfy what they want and fulfill their demand. Say a “Yes” to
what they want and figure “How” to deliver it later.
So there is no need gesture, body language, and facial
expression required. Painting your story with words to express the image in
your audience's mind is good enough for article marketing.
You can use a story to persuade, influence, and motivate the
audience. Here is a good article about what you can include as your article
story. It describes about your experience, ex-customers, testimonials, case
studies, and surrounding events for your story. For more details, check the
article, The Most Important Element of Your Marketing story.
The story can last for a long time after it is told Free
Reprint Articles, but no guaranteed strategies to influence.
You and your company should learn from the lessons we are
seeing in the political arena to create your story and sell it to your
customers. By create I do not mean make it up, but show people who you are,
what you have learned and how this relates to your business and your customers.
I still remember Lee Iacocca's personal appeal on television to get people to
do business with his company. His challenge to the American car buyer was bold
and simple, "If you find a better car . . . buy it!" Surely no one
would make that kind of statement unless they were supremely confident in their
product. Consumers bought the dare and it saved the company.
Other stories have been used to put a face and an image on a
company. Disney did it twice; once with Walt himself, and later with Michael
Eisner -- both of whom came into your living room via television to tell you a
story and create an image. They don't call Walt Disney 'Uncle Walt' for
nothing. It was done to create a particular image and it succeeded.
Although stories are unique to the company and individuals
running them, they do follow themes. Examples are the "Mother"
(Oprah), "General" (Iacocca, Jack Welch), "Statesman" (all
former Presidents), "Wizard" (Steve Jobs), "Explorer"
(Richard Branson), "Faithful Servant" (Al Gore), and "Wise
Man" (Warren Buffet). Naturally, these themes rise and fall with the times
-- as heroes sometimes turn into villains then goats and back again to hero --
ala Martha Stewart.
What is your story? What is the story of your company and
your brand itself? How did it all come about and what is the connector to your
market and customer base? The more you are able to answer these questions, and
more importantly, the more you understand the importance of the story and
constantly reinforce its feature, the stronger the bond you will build with
your customer.
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