Stories are life. Stories are built off of every day occurences and the little things that happen in life. Where did we… as marketers… go wrong when telling the story? All businesses and products are built off of a story. What is the main point of marketing… Is it fulfilling a need? Is it creating a product that actually helps an individual? Is it selling your wares… period?
A story is something that creates a safe haven for an individual. You are building a message that should be involved in the story of your customer’s life. It should (and must be) the connection that brings in additional customer and evangelists for your brand.
You want your customer to get to a place… a place where they agree with your terms and conditions. A place where they say, “Yes. I do need, want, or should have that product or service.”
A place where they approve your service and believe/know it will work for them… in any capacity.
What is the series of events that drive a person to a specific point: buying your product. What are you telling your customers? Is your story bland… Boring… Normal?
I see normal marketing everywhere. Brochures… Smiling billboards… Postcards… Facebook updates…It is normal and plain. There are no new story lines. There is nothing to pull me into the brand. The stock photography you bought in 1980 is not going to sell me on buying a house. The telemarketer that just left a message on my cell phone is not going to trick me into buying your magazine subscription.
And… the direct mail piece you just sent me asking me about my retirement plans… is definitely not going to pull me into your luncheon.
My friends and MY preferences are going to sell me on your product. I want to pull your information at MY will… at MY discretion. Notice a trend here?
It is about me… how are you speaking to me? Nay… how are you listening? Do you know what I want as an individual… are you allowing me to interact?
If you are not…
You have a long way to go… shift that paradigm and interact.
Randy Clark
As usual Kyle… you have me thinking. How do you begin a conversation, tell a story, about need, when the customer doesn’t yet realize the opportunity? For example, at TKO Graphix one of our products is fleet graphics (vehicle wraps, decals etc, think West Coast Taco). Organizations who believe that current marketing best practices should include a mix of social and traditional media, who also know the cost per impression on wraps, that research firms offering this service, more than likely will reach out to us. What about organizations who do not know? What story do you tell? How do you find their interest and need? Of course, I could have replaced wraps in this question with many products and services, like social media, or twitter marketing or the latest greatest thing-a-mo-appy. How do you give answers to those who have not asked the question? What story do you tell them?
David Warren
"A story is something that creates a safe haven for an individual. You are building a message that should be involved in the story of your customer’s life. It should (and must be) the connection that brings in additional customer and evangelists for your brand."
Great Point Kyle! You are exactly right!
David Warren