Business Stories - Storytelling for marketing is exploding

From the website Brandanew.com comes the statistics of marketing trends for 2015.  The statistic that jumped out at me was "Storytelling has seen a 145% rise with over 142 thousand mentions in 2014."  Those are pretty powerful numbers. I can't verify them for you but I can tell you that I have noticed a jump in mentions of storytelling and the number of people who are becoming "Corporate Storytellers." 

There are all kinds of stories that will work in a business world, future, product development, customer WOWs, product as hero and so many more.  Just a couple of things to keep in mind as you develop your story.  Follow basic story outline, that means there needs to be a conflict and conclusion of some kind.  Keep characters to a minimum, keep facts accurate and the language engaging.  Good luck.  

Business Stories - Why Tell Yours

Jeff Korhan has hit the nail on the head again!  In his weekly newsletter of of 3/2 (www.jeffkorhan.com) he states the fastest way to build trust with a customer is to tell your story.  Many people feel their story isn't that special and shy away from "burdening" others with it.  In reality the fact that your story is not extraordinary is what makes it work.  It makes it easier for the customer to relate to you.  You are not some mythical business god that can do no wrong.  You are human and susceptible to all the foibles of being human.  

Think about it.  Craft a short story that tells who you are and use it.  If it is short, authentic (please don't lie or embellish) and to the point no one minds listening and it may just be the springboard to trust and better business.  

Education is Marketing

In Jeff Korhan's  "new media & small business marketing" newsletter (12/22/2014) he stated Education is Marketing.  Brilliant wording to help the reluctant blogger, social media poster etc.  Many times in LinkedIn training while explaining the importance of posting people ask what to post.  Invariably the best answer is information your friends/clients/potential clients need to know about your industry. 

The idea is to create useful content while staying top of mind.  People don't see this as marketing but it is absolutely marketing.  Think of how many times professionals will accept a speaking engagement with the sole purpose of educating the audience and then find their appearance has generated business for themselves. 

Thank you Jeff for stating the obvious so succinctly.  Education is Marketing!

Business Stories - The Power of the Story

"Wow", and "I knew it" are comments to the below text.  Stories don't have to be long and involved, just engaging.  Think about how to turn those facts into a story. 


The Marketing Minute
      by Marcia Yudkin, Marketing Expert and Mentor
             http://www.yudkin.com/markmin.htm

                 *******************

Which approach attracts and keeps more readers:  a no-
nonsense, just-the-facts style or information interlaced
with stories?

The folks at the BufferSocial blog decided to run a test.
They sent half their list to a page describing a step-by-
step process and the other half to a page beginning with a
story, followed by the same steps.

To their surprise, the no-story version had 300% fewer
readers making it all the way to the end of the article.

Stories involve readers.  Whether we're young or old,
sophisticated or simple, stories reach our emotions as well
as our logical minds.  They get us wanting to know what
happened next and why.

It's no wonder that of the most-viewed TED videos, 30%
begin with a story, twice as much as the next most popular
opening techniques.

Although the introductory story in the BufferSocial
experiment took up 12 paragraphs, stories can work their
magic in just one paragraph or even just one sentence.

One famous story attributed to Ernest Hemingway consists of
only six words:

"For Sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Business Stories - They're Everywhere

Recently a friend finished an intensive 9-month leadership training course.  Her comment was "Every speaker talked about the importance of stories for communication.  It was stressed that all leaders need to find compelling stories and be able to tell them."  It's good to see courses designed to help leaders that include storytelling. 

Yes, speaking is an important skill for leaders but if they just learn to deliver facts and figures without stories they are missing an opportunity to truly engage and educate.  Learning skills of finding the important stories to support your point is the first step.  Crafting the story to include the important facts and figures is the next step.  Finally, learning to deliver the story in an engaging manner is the third step.

Delivering a good story is easiest if the story is authentic to the leader.  That means it is something he/she believes in or has experienced first hand.  It is easiest to tell your own story but others' will work if the tale resonates. 

There are books to help, but the best way to learn is by doing.  Try telling some stories around the dinner table, then maybe weave stories into your next speech and then look for when stories are appropriate at your next C-level meetings or board meetings.  Done right, they are time savers not digressions. 

Business Storytelling - The Power of Stories

Alan Weiss, successful speaker, author, consultant, writes a Monday Morning Memo with tips "to help readers to thrive."  A friend forwarded his April 7, 2014 post.  He suggests using stories as a shortcut to comprehension.  Then he writes "People identify with personal stories, put themselves in the exact place you want them to be. At Princeton, neuroscientist Uri Hasson's research shows that brain patterns of listeners can change to be consistent with those of the speaker when a story is emotionally captivating."

Stories stick, making our messages more memorable.  The next time you have a presentation to do or are hoping to persuade people to your way of thinking, use a story. 

Business Storytelling - The # 1 Business Skill of the Future

Here is a link to a great article about the future of storytelling in business.  The article points out that storytelling is a current buzzword in business and marketing and yet it has been around for years.  I think we got away from true business storytelling when technology became easily accessible.  PowerPoint ruled the day with fact, figures and fatigue. 

Although I do not watch the show regularly, the article made me think of Shark Tank.  I wonder how many people get turned down because they spend their time trying to convince the sharks with facts and figures instead of a good story.  Something to think about if you are planning on trying out for the show.

Check out the article and let me know what you think.

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130802112108-7374576-this-will-be-the-1-business-skill-of-the-next-5-years?trk=mp-author-card