Story-Telling: What Every Good Marketer Knows…
Posted on May 13, 2008
Filed Under Marketing, Quantum Leaders | 1 Comment
Seth Godin has reposted a list of insights and best marketing practices on his blog. I suggest you read (and save) his entire post as it is a manifesto on what 21st Century marketing should be.
Four of his points relate to the importance of story-telling in marketing:
- Good marketers tell a story.
- Effective stories match the worldview of the people you are telling the story to.
- Living and breathing an authentic story is the best way to survive in an conversation-rich world.
- Reminding the consumer of a story they know and trust is a powerful shortcut.
Beyond’s Seth’s own observations, there is an emerging awareness within the business community of the power that story-telling holds in effective communications. Two books on this subject which I can highly recommend are The Story Factor by Annette Simmons and The Elements of Persuasion by Richard Maxwell and Robert Dickman.
At Quantum Leaders, we ascribe to the notion that story-telling is a powerful vehicle for not only effective communications, ethical persuasion and influence; but also as a means of shaping and realizing the meaningful purpose of the 21st Century organization.
Have you given thought as to what the story of your own organization is? Not just it’s past and present, but more importantly, its’ future? Have you communicated that story to your people? To your customers?
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I’ve had the pleasure over the years of helping business leaders find the words to tell their stories. Some were new to the business world, some not so new. In most cases, they were stuck in a place that was too close to the technology, the product or the process to see things form their customers’ perspective. The “Ah Ha!” moment is always fascinating.