Posts Tagged ‘story’
The Most Powerful Person In The World
During the summer of 1994 while on a lunch break at his new company NeXT, Steve Jobs struck up a conversation with some of his team in the lunch room about power. Here’s what he told them. “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda…
Read MoreOffers Vs. Offerings
Every July, (winter here in Australia, maybe summer where you are) and six months out from Christmas the big chain stores have an all caps ‘TOY SALE’. The toys are unremarkable, and they are marketed in an unremarkable, 20% off, when they’re gone they’re gone kind of way. The lesson is don’t miss out. Next…
Read MoreWhat’s The Story They’ll Tell About You Tomorrow?
Don’t let anyone kid you. Telling your story, or the story of your business is hard and most people struggle with it on some level (how to write an about page is one of the most visited posts on my blog). But there’s a trick to tapping into the heart of your story. Start where…
Read MoreWhy More Is The Wrong Place To Start
The end goal of all marketing is more. More customers or subscribers. More sales and increased profits. This is the reason business strategy questions and answers often begin, (and end) with the ‘how to’ of getting more. But more is the wrong place to start for two reasons. When you begin by asking, “How can…
Read MoreWhat Does Disney Do?
Only one thing. They set out to make people happy. The Mickey Mouse balloon sales are a pleasant side effect of that. A souvenir of that time when the visitor felt the way she wanted to feel. In business we often set out to sell the cause, forgetting that what’s really valuable is the effect.…
Read MoreCredentials And The Fraud Police
If I had a dollar for every person I know who is making a difference doing something they care about yet feels insecure about their right to be doing it, I would be funding a very nice round the world trip. There’s the interior decorator who longed to be a stylist but doubted that she…
Read MoreWho Is It For?
They’ve put a beautiful Christmas tree in the foyer of our local leisure centre. It stands almost three metres tall, complete with the usual baubles and wrapped presents underneath. The tree would be perfect if it wasn’t for the temporary barrier that surrounds it on four sides, (you know the kind, the type with the…
Read MoreThe Easy Way Out
A $6000 full page advert in a magazine with a readership of 200,000 people might feel like a bargain. All those eyeballs connected to all those credit cards just waiting to discover you. Now all the advert must do is convince people to pick up the phone. Buying ads feels safe, but handing over advertising…
Read MoreSelling The Benefits
Tell stories, don’t write descriptions. Speak to hearts, not minds. Paint a picture of the effect. Tap into the senses. Illustrate the impact. Describe the joy, the relief, the pleasure. Give people a reason to care. Show them how you’re different. Then let them know why it matters. Image by Cliff Ravenscraft.
Read MoreStory Is The Universal Marketing Tool
Story doesn’t discriminate. It’s not dependent on a big advertising department or celebrity endorsement. It’s the universal marketing tool available to anyone. That includes you. When Target had a store in every suburb. Zappos had a story about delivering ‘wow through service’. When Borders had floor upon floor of books you could touch. Amazon had…
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