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Oren Jacob grew up in a family of storytellers. His parents were teachers who were constantly hosting family, friends, colleagues, passersby from around the world — each with their own story to tell.
After spending 20 years at Pixar working on films that revolutionized visual media, he is now the co-founder and CEO of ToyTalk, an interactive entertainment company that enables kids to converse with and learn from animated characters. In fact, the company just released its second season of The Winston Show today.
All of this work required continuous and creative pitching. At Pixar, it was about developing movie pitches for $100 million stamps of approval. And now, at ToyTalk, Jacob has helped raise over $16 million to make their groundbreaking vision a reality.
In all of these situations, storytelling has been a crucial part of making pitches memorable and resonant. Whether you’re talking about your product or your company, Jacob recommends several specific storytelling tactics to both appeal to your audience for the first time, and to forge successful long-term relationships....
You can have the most useful information in the world for your target market but if you don’t package it so your audience can understand, it’s useless. You literally have seconds to win your audience’s attention or they’re onto the next thing.
How do you make your content stand out and grab your audience’s attention? Tell a good story. It provides an emotional connection and context that draws your audience in and makes them remember it....
As everyone scrambles to take part in the new wave of content marketing and as more companies begin to build brand journalism practices, it has become crucial to learn which types of storytelling techniques are most effective and to hone in on creative ways to repackage and share content in fresh, easy-to-digest formats.
So the question you should be asking is, “What makes a good story?” Is it the content? How it’s presented? Or is it how it’s told and shared?We’ve been asking ourselves the exact same questions and that’s why we dedicated all the articles in our latest Kumpambana Magazine to “The Power of the Story”. This edition of the magazine provides an inside look at how stories are being shared all around the world, tips on using social platforms to showcase branded messages, insights on creative and effective ways to build corporate narratives, a definition of brand journalism, examples of content marketing and much more...
Takeaway. It’s not about marketing your small business. It’s about marketing your story.
You have a business you love and you want to tell the world about it so they love it too. Seems simple enough, right? Well, small business marketing isn’t as simple as it seems because it is more than just telling the world about your business, it’s about telling your story along with your business story. It’s about developing relationships not just making connections. It’s about creating valuable content not just spreading a message.
Marketing is something everyone thinks they can do and it can be overwhelming, especially if marketing isn’t your area of expertise. I get the need to tighten the purse strings. I get that you have no budget and you are a one-man or -woman show. It is doable and you can do it! You just need to be armed with the right kind of information and expectations....
Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it” – Hannah Arendt
I’ve been working with brands for 15+ years. Over that time, I have crafted my fair share of “traditional” stories for my clients and their brands. As the strategies came to reflect a greater social influence, I’ve recognized growing trends in how story themes have had to evolve from corporate traditions, towards a more human minded perspective. I’ve summarized the seven most prominent themes as follows...
So what happens if you don’t wrap up your facts in emotion to form a story? Well, if your salespeople don’t introduce the main buying themes with a quick 2-minute story, won’t your salespeople sound like they are reading straight from a product manual? Without a story to give your product context, aren’t your customers left to try to figure out why it makes sense for them to buy, or even worse, why they should care?
And if your salespeople are selling how your product can improve results by 20%, don’t they end up sounding like every other software vendor? Won’t the prospect discount 90% of those claims?But what would happen if they instead shared a story about a similar customer. And this story highlighted in detail the limitations of their current system? Wouldn’t the prospect suddenly see how their system could potentially be improved? Would prospects then be more willing to hear about your solution, because your salesperson first sold the problem? Don’t you agree that you’ve got to open the gap before you can close it?
So ask yourself if your salespeople shared just one story per meeting, and did everything else the same, would customers relate more to what they’re selling?
Businesses are getting better at telling stories through content - either video or text -- and that helps with branding. View these examples to get started.
Brands. Stories. Profits.
Story telling is powerful. Stories help with branding, i.e., making an impression that stands out and sticks in our minds.And businesses are getting better at telling stories through content – whether through video or in text form.
Stories that follow a brand’s theme can be told over and over.Let’s look at some of the best stories in the business and unravel how some brands do storytelling in style...
Using storytelling to sell a product, brand or service isn’t in any way a new concept. The developing technology around us however, has given us new ways in which to engage and interact with our audience. Content marketing has become increasingly important as brands realize that in order to speak to their customers they need to invest in content that matters. The more brands have begun to focus on quality content, the more it becomes clear that storytelling is a key component to the content marketing process.
You wouldn’t (willingly) sit through a terrible film, or keep reading a book that you thought had a terrible plot, so why should people read your content if it doesn’t have a good story behind it?...
Why are you wasting everyone's time telling your company's story?...
This "look at us! we're so smart!" style of marketing has become woefully common in the post-Facebook era. People--particularly young people, I note--seem convinced that business communication consists of telling people about YOU.But in business, it's never about you. It's always about the customer....
Discover how your company can easily integrate characters and stories consumers want to share into your content, as well as examples of brands getting it right. The best marketing transcends corporate messaging, and becomes stories about people and characters which beg to be shared.
Aflac’s duck has been telling their company’s story for around 13 years now, and has increased their company’s recognition from 13% to 90% of consumers along the way. While content and social media best practices may change, few marketing tactics have more staying power than brand storytelling.
Storytelling isn’t just for brands who can claim over a century of history, like General Electric, or IBM. It’s for any company with the savvy to create a consistent customer experience online. As Debbie Williams of SPROUT Content puts it, your story is made up of “all that you are, and all that you do.” Brand storytelling isn’t about creating the perfect hero on your first try, it’s about finding ways to integrate your company’s history, goals, values, and audience into every component of your content marketing strategy....
Think of web television as a nuclear family. It all started with TV — the traditional type. Along came the web, which, in many ways, was TV’s polar opposite: interactive, responsive, progressive. As much as TV was about tradition, the web was all about change. From this unlikely pairing came little programs that, when viewed together, make up an episodic web series, or webisode. Webisodes share some of the attributes of each of their media parents; yet they also bring a whole new generation of brand storytelling opportunities to life. It’s this pedigreed combination of the web and television that some big brands are experimenting with as a way to provide distinctive and uniquely engaging content to consumers. As one of the most engaging forms of branded content, the episodic web series has a lot of appeal. For example, just like a TV miniseries or a series of books, a good web TV series can help forge an ongoing relationship with target consumers: Once viewers have been drawn in by the entertainment value of a webisode, they’re likely to stick around to see what happens next — and to visit related YouTube channels, Facebook pages, or other touch points that are part of your branded environment. They’ll get to know your brand a little better. They may even start to like it more than they realized....
...So the question is: Why is a story so important to your personal branding strategy? First of all, it sets your brand apart as unique. Every brand has its own story to tell, but yours is the only one of its kind. What drives you? Why did you enter the field that you find yourself in today? You’d be surprised at what details will intrigue the reader and give your audience an idea of what your brand is really about. Perhaps one of the most effective characteristics of a story is that it humanizes your brand. It’s easy to launch a brand, but the story behind it can leave your target audience wondering where it came from. What is your actual purpose? What drives your actions? Was it the right opportunity at the right moment? Now consider how your brand has affected others. How have you impacted the lives of those involved with your brand? Has it always gone smoothly? Are you new at this? What’s your experience prior to the creation of your brand? What is the story behind your personal brand? While the story for your brand might satisfy your present audience, the aspects of your personal brand story can turn you from just a brand into the personification they can truly relate to....
The Art Of Storytelling In Business Communications And Public Relations... ...Consider this line: The problem for many companies is that the very things that make push marketing effective—tight, relatively centralized operational control over a well-defined set of channels and touch points—hold it back in the era of engagement....
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Earlier this week, Coca-Cola declared the corporate website dead.
Take one quick look at their new corporate website and I think you will see an example of the future of quality content marketing. They are clearly displaying how the art of storytelling not only can influence our preference for a brand or product, but surely their intent is to also reach a search engine position of respect and power....
Who doesn’t love a good story? I know I do. Especially one that inspires me to think differently or incites me to do something.
I also like to find stories elsewhere… especially ones that have personal meaning to the people who tell it. Every company has a story and the best way tell it is through the people who LIVE it.
In a recent post, O.C. Tanner says “every team has a narrative, and every company could do better at incorporating storytelling into recognizing their employees. Whether your company has an epic story, a storied history, or has a vision of the future, the way you recognize your employees’ efforts and contributions should be tied to the stories you tell....
Sharing a compelling story is a memorable and powerful content marketing strategy, especially for prospective customers. Here's how to find your narrative...
...Using email marketing and social media allows you to not only provide valuable information to prospective customers, but to showcase who you are and what your business is all about.
Sharing a compelling story through those platforms is a memorable and extremely powerful content marketing strategy, especially for prospective customers.
“Narratives are meaningful, remarkable storylines that enable people to easily understand who you are and share why you matter. A good narrative conveys your business purpose, perspective and personality, which needs to be very specific to you,” says Chris Berger of Berger Brands, which provides brand marketing, PR and business development strategy and services to organizations such as This American Life and Public Radio International. “The secret lies in finding your spark and then fanning it into a fire across everything you do.”...
Takeaway.
Done right, your blog introduces you to your audience so they will WANT to do business with you.
Your small business blog and website are tools. Done right, your blog introduces you to your audience so they will want to do business with you.
Set the foundation and make it easy for your audience to make the buying decision. You can do that by giving them the information they need in well-crafted pages that tell a story and set you apart....
Welcome back to the countdown of 50 Brands With Amazing Brand Stories. I’ve shared some of my favourite stories so far, but now it gets down to the nitty-gritty as we delve into the top 20.Today we continue the countdown by looking at 20-11, but should you wish to see the previous editions, do so here: 30 – 21 l 40 – 31 l 50 – 41
It begins with listening. Understanding what your audience is interested in and how they want to interact with your brand....
My philosophy is simple. The traditional channels for storytelling may have changed and are certain to change more, but what remains constant is the power of listening, of earning your way into a conversation, and respect for your audience. This is the foundation for a new communications contract between businesses and stakeholders that’s based on genuine engagement....
Kevin Spacey's comments about the Netflix release of "House of Cards" contains a road map for brand storytelling worthy of global enterprise brands.
...In the video, Spacey himself speaks to the potential benefits of this innovative distribution strategy, proclaiming, “Give them [the audience] what they want, when the want it, in the form they want it in…”
The success of House of Cards (as well as that of the latest Netflix series to be released en-masse, Orange is the New Black) proves that this distribution model can work. But how might it apply to content marketing, which operates in vastly different ways than the business of television? And, more specifically, how might a nontraditional release schedule like this impact corporate storytelling?
Here are some key insights, derived directly from the words of Kevin Spacey, that all content marketers need to take to heart...
We talk a lot about the importance of storytelling when it comes to your small business or nonprofit blog or website, and even how you use social media. We’ve moved away from merely spitting out messages, particularly hard sales or marketing messages, and are now emphasizing the need to tell your story.
Your story as a brand, your story as an owner or manager, and the stories of your employees, customers, and clients. Telling your story isn’t just a matter of having something to talk about. There are actually a number of reasons why it makes good sense, and why you should take the time to rethink your online strategy, and begin telling your story...
Your competition can copy everything you do except for the story you tell.
Stop slugging it out with your competitors for a trickle of long-tail traffic. Content Marketing Institute’s Chief Strategist Robert Rose explains how you can crawl out of the trenches and get noticed by shifting your focus from search engines to storytelling.
Your competition is optimizing for the same keywords you are. More likely than not, they even follow the same recipe that you do: research keywords for the different stages of the funnel, spin up a post for each, and wait for Google to deliver new prospects. Even if you tweak your optimization to get ahead, a competitor will notice, copy it, and leave you back at square one.
Instead of relying so heavily on search engines to deliver customers, make your content the lead generator by telling a compelling story that engages readers, gets shared, and produces conversions. Robert Rose, Chief Strategist at The Content Marketing Institute, sat down with OpenView Labs to discuss why storytelling is such an important differentiator in today’s content-saturated marketing landscape and how you can get started....
I conducted a storytelling workshop last week.
Yes, the objective for the session was to help this corporate PR team apply the concepts of storytelling in business communications.
But I’m hoping for something bigger.
I’m hoping for two interrelated actions: - They question the status quo.
- They experiment in their day-to-day jobs....
Is relocating your nascent company to a startup hotbed worth the price of admission A Renobased entrepreneur weighs the pros and cons.... ... Creating a startup is hard enough without the additional expense and stress of moving, of not having friends and family around, and of not knowing where the best restaurants are. So I decided I had to make my new venture work in the place where I was already established. My point is that while there are benefits to planting yourself in a hub, there are plenty of advantages to setting up shop in a more isolated place. For starters, when I started ShortStack three years ago, I already knew where the best brew pub in Reno, Nevada was--so I haven’t wasted any time or money on bad beer! Here’s how to start a business wherever you are...
Customers own the story of the brand now. What brands say is far less important than what brands actually do to serve the well being of the faithful. Whereas before, the brand conversation was based on delivery and interruption, successful brand conversations are now participatory in ever more technology driven channels. Storytelling is at the very heart of how we humans share and connect what we value about our heritage, our communities and ourselves. Brand storytelling is about connecting the outer value the brand provides to the inner values of the customer. There must be a deep affinity between the two or the relationship is just a transaction. The foundation for this affinity is built on the shared stories between brands to consumers, customers to brands, and consumers to consumers. Like all relationships, there has to be chemistry. Brands have it or they don’t. How well these collective stories line up with the experience customers have is what creates “insistence without substitutes” in the minds of customers....
Via massimo facchinetti, Jesse Soininen
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Valuable insight into the role of storytelling in pitching to venture capitalists and applying it to other business presentations.