story telling

Storytelling

Great Marketing is About Storytelling

Great Marketing is About Storytelling 840 1120 Marsh Williams

Once Upon A Time...

We met with a prospective client recently on another disaster recovery project, our term for someone who hired an unprofessional organization to help them create a website. 

All the usual suspects were present in the form of the story: great company, great brand, incredible product and an unbelievable, crappy, digital presence.

But here’s the part we want to get into…

The owner has a friend who they referred to as, “a programmer who said that they could build the website.” Now at first blush, there may not seem to be anything wrong with that but after cogitating (word of the day) on that for a while it hit me. Websites are not about programming; period. They’re about storytelling.

So embrace that fact and think about the people you would want to create and tell your story; think about your reaction to someone who says I’m a programmer and I can build your website. Let us clarify right here that there are programmers who are great storytellers, but the primary skill for developing a great marketing program of any kind is the storytelling capability. That trumps technology of the delivery mechanism every time.

So to help if this happens to you we’ve put together a small list of things to ask anyone who says they can “build your website.” Top five things to ask someone who wants to help with your website.

What Does Building A Website Mean?

Building a website is a technical process, but designing a website takes a very different skill set. Designing a website takes the ability to ask you questions then package the answers in a compelling and engaging manner. Once that is done it’s time to “build the website.”

What Do You Think The Website Should Be About?

Any great story has a hero, whether it be you, your product, your passion for excellence in what you do, any of these items should be featured in your website.

What Should I Expect From A Good Website?

Interest, the purpose of most websites is to create enough interest on the part of a visitor to engage and learn more about an organization as a precursor to purchasing.

How Do I Know You Can Do This?

Listen to what the person/company tells you. Are they immediately jumping into demo mode showing you a series of projects, or are they talking with you about their ability to gain an understanding of your story and retell it using all of the capabilities of the Internet? If the person or company you’re speaking with doesn’t take the time to ask questions and “get it” they will not be able to tell it to others.

I want to see some of your work and talk to at least five of your past clients.

Yes, this may be a predictable step in the process, but do it. Talk to several clients and see what they say about both the end product but as importantly the process.

  • Was the company responsive?
  • Did the company regularly communicate with you about project process and approval stages?
  • What’s the best thing you can tell me about your experience with them?
  • What’s the worst thing you can tell me about your experience with them?
  • What’s the one thing I need to make very clear to them before hiring them to tell my story?

Think About It

To measure the success of a storytelling approach in marketing, focus on engagement metrics such as increased time on site, social media shares, and comments, along with conversion rates indicating a direct impact on sales or inquiries. Successful storytelling examples span industries, from Nike’s inspirational athlete stories to Airbnb’s customer experience tales, showcasing brand identity and customer connection. 

Common pitfalls include losing the brand’s voice in an attempt to tell a story, making the story too complex, or failing to align the story with the audience’s values and interests. For a more in-depth exploration, consider looking into marketing and storytelling best practices, case studies, and expert advice on effective storytelling strategies.

As a final point supporting our position, read this quick Blog entry from our friends at Oxford Academic.

So let us ask, does this change your perspective on the task of creating a website or digital marketing program?

Photo credit: Jim Pennucci

DesignPlan

Building a Successful eCommerce Site – Part 2

Building a Successful eCommerce Site – Part 2 776 415 Shout Out Studio

In part one of building a successful eCommerce site, we talked about how the location of a brick and mortar store is the equivalent of the search engine results for an eCommerce site. The gist of what we were talking about is putting the business in the best position for high volumes of traffic. However, high volumes of traffic to your business, whether it be foot traffic or Internet visitors, isn’t going to do any good if the business can’t convert the sale. So let’s look at another consideration that applies to both brick and mortar stores and eCommerce sites; Design.

Brick and Mortar Interior Design = eCommerce Site Design

Quality design makes people feel at ease, it lets them know you are serious about what you do, and it adequately reflects your brand. Good design not only reflects well on your brand, it also influences how people buy. In a brick and mortar store, you have the advantage of employees to communicate the brand’s message to potential buyers, but eCommerce sites often don’t have the luxury of face to face communication. This is where design becomes even more important. Consider these things when you start to think about your site design:

Vet Your Designer

Do your research here. Look at their past work. Either ask them for references or look up contact info for someone they worked for and just ask them about it. Actually, do that! You might find that they were slow to work with but they communicated every step of the way, which is much better than someone who doesn’t communicate at all and gives you a finished product that vaguely resembles what you want.

Ask Them To Tell You a Story

So you found someone who designs some pretty slick stuff, great! But how are they at telling stories? If they are simply asking you what design choices you want and not at all about what makes your business unique and different, walk away. Just like that. Find someone else. There are hordes of people out there that have the technical skills to make a website work and look good, but most don’t possess the traits required to tell your brand story AND make it look good, which is what sets apart a successful eCommerce site and a mediocre one.

Set Yourself Up For Flexibility

We have written about why we love WordPress here before, but I can’t stress to you enough the importance to have your site built on a system that you can manage yourself. Most designers, and frankly people in general, tend not to be the best communicators, especially when you need something done urgently. The power to make changes yourself will be priceless over the life of your business.

One should place just as much importance on site design just as one places importance on the interior design, product placement, and customer flow of a brick and mortar store. In the end, good design will last the life of the business and pay for itself ten times over. Take your time and find someone who can help tell your story with finesse and efficiency.

Stay tuned for part 3 of Building a Successful eCommerce Site.

Photo Credit: xJason.Rogersx cc

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3 Strangers at Home in the People Business

3 Strangers at Home in the People Business 880 461 Nathaniel Seevers

I’m sitting down to write this out of the blue post at 11:30 am on this here Friday morning and I’ve already had the pleasure of crossing paths with 3 cool strangers in 3 hours. All of them passionate about their work. All of them interesting and genuine.

All of them with great names too….weird.

These 3 new strangers; Bren the coffee shop barista, Slade – a networking connection, and Monroe over at the electronics store have me feeling inspired this morning. Yes, people do still go to the electronics store.

Now, I meet new people often and I visit a number of different coffee shops and retail locations. People are typically friendly and helpful in Columbus, so what made these 3 folks so inspiring? read more

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