Sunday, August 31, 2008

The Vonage Story

I am a Vonage Phone user. Like so many other businesses they send emails every once in awhile to update subscribers. This time I read through it a bit and noticed a sidebar that said "Tell Us Your Story!". It then went on
Email us at MyStory@vonage.com and you could be featured in our next edition.

In each newsletter a subscriber and his/her story is featured. The stories cover topics like how Vonage is used or what it has meant to the subscriber.

Advertising with a story, great idea, people can relate to it and it gives the hope of having your voice heard in a public way. A true win/win for everyone.

Think about that for your next marketing campaign, incorporate customer stories.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

The Use of Story in Video

Below is a link to a webiste for a video production company. The author makes great points about the need to tell your story when producing a video. If you are thinking of using video in your marketing then you absolutely should read the attached. Remember it's all about the story.

http://biznik.com/articles/make-video-work

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Obama's Story

The Democratic National convention just ran a campaign piece on Obama. Near the beginning Obama's voiceover says "I had to find my story" before I could understand and help others. It was a compelling piece all told through story so you know I loved it. Let's see what McCain's campaign comes up with now. He also has a compelling story.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

More on the 30 second commercial

In the last post I talked about the Elevator Pitch contest that the State of Connecticut and Microsoft held for small businesses. 26 participants each gave a one minute pitch on their business. I learned a lot at the contest including how long a minute is when people are talking about stuff you are not interested in. That's why I strongly advocate setting your pitch to know more than 30 seconds. If you are interesting or if your companion is interested in your business then you can expand on your pitch and fill in a lot of details. Keep it short and simple.

www.carolmon.com

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Elevator Pitch/30 Second Commerical

The Elevator Pitch sometimes called a 30 second commercial seems to be catching on. There are tons of networking events for business people to attend and get to know other like minded folks. Frequently you are asked to stand and tell the group what you do in 30 seconds or less. The Elevator Pitch concept was developed to help you think like that. It assumes that you are in an elevator with an executive or prospect and you have just enough time to pitch from when you enter to when he/she exits. Even if you are not lucky enough to be in an elevator to pitch your business being able to say succinctly what it is you do is important.

Think about some of the nightmares you may have experienced at networking events or associaiton meetings. You nicely ask what it is some one does and they drone on for 2 minutes telling you way more than you had ever hoped to hear. Are you guilty of the same thing?

This morning in Connecticut there was an Elevator Pitch Contest sponsored by the State and Microsoft. 26 business owners and supporters came together to participate in the first (annual?) contest. The rules were strict, you had one minute to get your point across. At one minute you were asked to stop no matter where you were in your presentation. The first 13 people were all cut off mid sentence. It was a great lesson for many in how long they normally go on speaking without even realizing it.

The second half of the group was far more succinct and many had great messages. There were 3 winners who will go on to compete in a State Showcase in September. One of the winners was great because she told the us about the inspiration behind her business and her philosophy. She was totally engaing for the first 30 seconds. Then she went into a bit of a sales pitch but everyone listened because she had us with the story.

Personally I thought this was a great exercise for small businesses because a lot of people got to hear about their business and it really informed the owner about how well/poorly they communicate. I would love to see this type of event repeated for more business owners. They work so hard and sometimes forget that they must sell as well. To often it seems haphazard. Don't be like that, be prepared. Think about a short 30 second commercial that is engaging and interesting to use the next time some one says, "So what do you do?"

www.carolmon.com

Monday, August 11, 2008

Stories to Engage Teams and Ignite Change

On September 25th and 26th in Florida there will be a workshop for leaders on the use of stories. On the notice I received it said that (in part) what you will learn is:
How to Command any audience using the art of storytelling
How to identify the right story for the right audience
How to improve your leadership skills by telling powerful stories
etc.

It is supposed to be very hands-on so enrollment is limited to 20. If you would like more information on this event call Doris Shepherd at 407-560-5600 x 1161.

The leaders for the workshop are Rob Allen, i.d.e.a.s. Chief Storytelling Officer and Rick Stone, i.d.e.a.s. StoryAnalytics Master. Cost is $995 for this two day intensive.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Proof of the Power of Story

In a recent National Storytelling Magazine there was an article by Kendall Haven who has just written "Story Proof: The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story". In the book he sought to prove "that stories are more efficient and effective structural vehicles when used to motivate, or to teach and communicate factual, conceptual, and tacit information. Stories belong as the bedrock of management, leadership, education, outreach, and general communication efforts."

I have not read the book as of yet but through the article he refers to much of the research he conducted or found to support his hypothesis. Based on the work he has done it looks like he has proven his point beyond doubt and that businesses and others would be wise to look at their communication efforts through the lens of story.

You can bet this book is on my must read list. When I complete it I will blog more about it.

www.carolmon.com

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

5 Telling Tips

I just got a link to a New York Times blog article on "5 Tips for Telling Better Stories". The tips are interesting but what I liked was the note about the "increasingly popular storytelling movement". The article also talks about how we all use stories in our day-to-day happenings. If you get a chance check it out, it's cool that the New York Times is talking about storytelling and not just for kids. Try this link but if it doesn't work (I had a problem linking directly) just go to the New York Times site and type in the title.

http://shiftingcareers.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/5-tips-for-telling-better-stories/?scp=1&sq=5%20tips%20for%20telling%20better%20stories&st=cse