Stories You Can Tell

January 14, 2009 · Comments

superhero Marketing a product is hard. Think about it. If you’re the chief storyteller of Skype right now, what are you going to say about the product that will encourage more usage, more uptake, more awareness? The product is fairly solid, has a known set of features, and is one of a few “name brand” products in the Voice over IP space. So what can you say about it?

Companies face this trouble all the time. What will you say about Pepsi? How will you talk about the Ford Flex tomorrow? What should Titleist tell you about their Pro V1 balls?

The Stories You Can Tell

  • Talk about the people. Who drives a Flex?
  • Talk about success. Who used Pro V1 balls to change their game?
  • Talk about change. Did Pepsi help a community with an important project?

One often-used point of view for storytelling is of the newcomer. For instance, in the upcoming movie Coraline, the story features a young girl who discovers a mirror world where things are much darker and more strange. We see this world as she discovers it, from over her shoulder, so that we’re both discovering it, Coraline and you, at the same time.

Companies are looking at Blogger Relations programs like this. Find storytellers who can explore something and discover it with you over her shoulder. It’s a way to shut out the omniscient voice of marketing from above and to introduce the perspective of someone from the outside looking in.

If you’re Skype, maybe the story becomes how a small village in a corner of Romania learns how Skype connects them to the rest of the world. The story becomes about the people who bring the service to the village, and how things change with it in place. No part of the story talks about emoticons, video in mood, or any other features. It talks about humans and how they experience the product.

Tell Small Stories Well – Idea Handles

When I discover new things, I share what I learn. You probably do, too. When we learn new things, one way we retain them is by teaching others as soon as we have opportunity to do so. Can you tell small stories that come complete with “idea handles?”

Giving your ideas handles means that you create a small story that’s easy to understand, with a clear point, and an understandable value transfer. It’s brief, and snackable, and people can use it in different contexts. Here’s an example:

Glenda Watson Hyatt is a powerful voice advocating for people with disabilities. She has published a book, and keeps up a regular blog of useful information. One thing that makes Glenda unique is that she does this all using only her left thumb. Yes, the “left thumb blogger,” as some call Glenda, is a woman with determination, kindness, and a passion for helping people master the challenges of accessibility for all. Do you know someone who could benefit from knowing Glenda?

The story above is simple, easy to consume, and wrapped into a tiny package that you could take with you. Perhaps you know someone with a disability and it made you think of them. Maybe you’re wondering how well your company or product complies with issues of accessibility and you want to hire Glenda to help. But do you feel the handles of the story? Can you pick it up and run with it?

Look for Stories Everywhere

When you finish this post, stop and think. Where are the stories about your products, your services, your organization, you, the people or places you write about? How are you telling those stories? Are those stories useful? Do they resonate with people?

What comes next in all this is understanding how to move from talking about features into telling stories that make us want to be a part of them. And even when you’re not officially in charge of storytelling at an organization, it’s part of the job. It’s how we learn. It’s a powerful way to convey information. And it’s the way our brains are wired.

What stories do you tell? How do the new tools of the web enable new ways of storytelling? Do you see past the technology and into the human exchange?

Photo credit Kuripan

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  • kaylasexy
    hay my name is kayla her one and olny night mare her family was being meat to her thay hatr her to her brother be mean to her and every time i tell my mom she laughs at me and every time i tell my dad he says dont do it agaun but when i do something to him i beat so bad and he tells me not to do it and then when my brother be mean to me agaun my dad dont do nothing cuse lol hes skinny if someone is rich and you are readying this come to daytone beach fl and i live at sail point bay . thank you
  • Sam
    If you're struggling to effectively market your new brand or business then I must recommend GetMeMedia.com.


    Getmemedia.com is the place to search for marketing communications ideas online. Designed to make access to great marketing ideas easy for brand teams and agencies, it is unique in providing visibility and access to hundreds of marketing opportunities from across the entire market place.

    Use http://www.getmemedia.com/ to kickstart your new business ideas.
  • Check out my post from today which expands on this subject - Sticky Stories Can Compel People to Act Now and Buy - http://is.gd/gIBh
  • NRI
    this is a wonderful article on branding and your insight is spot-on.
    thank you!
  • Hi Chris,

    I read your stuff faithfully - one of my 'must reads'. I also read Glenda Watson Hyatt's blog faithfully - and her book was inspirational to me. She is my hero in more ways than one - to see her featured was a treat.

    Since we are from the same part of the country (grew up in RI and went to school in MA) it's also nice to hear a bit about your everyday life - where you are eating, what you are buying, etc - storytelling that lets the reader feel as if they know YOU. Nicely done.

    Regards,
    Mary McD
  • Talk about resonance. I popped out of the post to check out Glenda's blog — amazing inspiration. Thanks for sharing, Chris, and great stuff as usual.
  • Does anyone else write a narrative as they live an experience? A really cool cheap writing exercise I tell students all the time is to imagine yourself as a third-person narrator telling a story of your most banal experience..

    Walking up the stairs, for example..

    "The slightly balding, middle aged man pulled himself up the short staircase, breathing heavily as he went. The old bannister creaked under the strain. As he paused on the landing, bathed in the bright early morning sun streaming through the dirty skylight above him, he sighed as he remembered .... " etc...

    Keep doing that and everything you do, everything that happens around you will be a stream of narrative that you easily write as a blog post, an essay, a speech or a book. Instead of a passive stream of iPod music, you will be writing your story...
  • Thank you so much for this post! I always read about how important the story is and I love to hear a good story, but sometimes I have a hard time telling one. Your post makes it feel much easier to make the connection between the product/brand and why it matters. Chris, you make this look easy! I blogged about this awesome post and how it helped me too, so thanks again.
  • Thank you so much not just for a great post but for all the comments (with extra tips) that were generated. @Jason - the story you just shared was priceless!
  • Enjoyed this.

    David
  • I like to relay anecdotes about what has happened to me, my family or some of my friends.
    I find that most people can relate to at least some of the stories I've told.
    People remember idea or products longer when they've been told about something that's happened, rather than reading a list of attributes, I think.
    It gives them a frame of reference and puts them in the shoes of whatever point you're trying to get across.
  • Absolutely. Every single person reading this post should read "Made To Stick" by Chip and Dan Heath. The definitive book on storytelling, IMHO.

    Their best example is Subway. The campaign they used immediately before Jared was "6 under 6" (6 subs under 6 grams of fat). The Jared message was the EXACT SAME message of healthy eating at Subway. But one campaign was a boring fact. The other was a story. Presto! Marketing gold. Side note: The agency that came up with it was originally shot down by Subway. They believed in their idea so much, they got a single franchisee to run it locally, and then came back to corporate with sales data. That's conviction.

    A more recent example is the BestBuy TV ads over the holidays. Nothing about the products, but all about how the products improve lives. Nice work.

    Thanks for reminding us that features and benefits are not inherently memorable or interesting.
    j
  • Stories are great but now more than ever, companies/advertisers/what-have-you have to keep it real. Never assume what you're reading is about a real person, place or thing. A little while back my friend Drew McLellan of http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/ fame wrote about a local Iowa homebuilder who decided to use "faux" or composite advertising... http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/2008/12/soc...
  • Great post Chris. You share some great ideas about how to tell stories effectively. Thanks!
  • People love stories, makes things more interesting and easier to follow. Helps engage the reader.
  • If you're Skype your story can be, "My company's on Oprah, dudes" and watch your users go through the roof!
  • Stories are entertaining and help us remember new information. I also use short stories in teaching business law, which adds interest to the typical lecture. A variety of stories, which you will develop over time, can attract many clients by showing how your services or products can meet their needs. Appropriate stories also demonstrate your understanding of your clients' needs.
  • rss
    Good idea. I'll use this for my website promotion.
  • Isn't it amazing that for all these amazing tools and technology we have at our disposal, what we are all really doing is what people have been doing for centuries - telling stories. Your post is a wonderful reminder that what people ultimately desire is to connect with other like minded individuals. Thanks for the great read Chris.
  • Great post, Chris.
    I want to add a thought from Andy Sernovitz: tells a authentic stories - Emotion & Ego: making people feel great for sharing.
  • Authentic stories are the most important thing you can communicate to your audience. But the hard work at the beginning is figuring out who your audience is and what vehicles they will listen to.

    It's that old saying, "If a marketer tells a story in the forest, and there's no one around to hear it, does the story exist?"
  • Story is an incredibly powerful tool in marketing. Far too often companies play only in and around the other two metaphors of marketing: War and Science. War, where you target consumers or flank your competition. Science, doing market research or learning how to influence your consumer. Story allows a brand to project meaning and make an emotional connection.

    It’s an interesting coincidence that you mention Coraline as our consultancy spun out of the animation studio that created the film. While at the studio we found that the brands that communicated the most effectively where the brands we treated like characters in their own stories. They resonated on an emotional level with consumers. They related to them like they would a character in a movie or play. The most successful brand characters we created were ones where we had defined the world they lived in, their desires and what conflict propelled the story. Conflict is the engine that drives the story, it is what keeps it interesting. Conflict is a good thing, because when it is over the story is over.

    Every company has a story they are telling whether they realize it or not. Many companies have been intuitively communicating this way for years. The danger in not having the meaning and purpose of your brand defined is the possibility of losing control of your story to your critics.

    Excellent and important post Chris. Thanks and keep up the great work!
  • I just received a "story" that I am planning to blog about in my gmail inbox! I got lucky this time, but I will keep in mind your idea to keep looking for the stories.
  • The story, the story, the story. We all have good ones within us, but some of us don't realize the value of our experience.

    For instance, I counseled a Corp. Media Relations VP recently who was torn that her Executive wasn't relating to customers and staff with "stories." Little did she know, this Executive was well-equipped with stories to share. In my private meeting with him, he revealed off-handedly that he'd been getting to know his customers by joining the technical crews that make house calls, albeit under cover as a "marketing assistant." During these visits, he had some very positive human experiences, very worth re-telling.

    As you say Chris, it's good to just "stop and think" about the stories we possess and their value to others.
  • Lisa Sperling
    Humanizing a brand -- that's what makes a product more ink-worthy. I've enjoyed bigger successes telling the story of how a former actress dreamt up her multi-million dollar shapewear company following her double brain aneurysm recovery than what her shapewear does for a woman's figure. It allowed her company Sassybax to touch the hearts of women, and not just their curves and bulges.
  • Yes, thank you for that thought-provoking post. I'm in danger of becoming fragmented beyond recognition; often dropping balls as fast as I am picking them up for all of the accounts and entities I have - or simply letting them lie idle for lack of time to start them back in my juggling rotation.

    Hmmm, maybe it is simply a matter of getting one's story straight for each piece of their puzzle and not engaging in chatter?
  • Interesting, making me think about what's in it for the brand ambassadors who tell the story. Beyond the positive experience in using the product is recognition of value of comments. The act of brand ambassadorship and being a storyteller help define a place in a community or story circle of sorts.
  • We're a TV society these days --- so we relate more easily to story lines then to fact presentation. To be honest --- it's an easier way to write in most instances. If you draw on something personal --- an experience you've either been involved with or had personally, there is a core of reality there that gives you something to spin off that touches people. You only have a few short moments to grab their interest before they move on to the next thing on their list. Something personal will usually get their attention. Great post.
  • Thank you, great post. EXACTLY what I needed to hear. I have really been struggling with social media for the past year. I have accounts everywhere and Twitter has sucked so much time out of me of late. I also have three different blogs for three different projects. No wait, four. Man. I also have four different websites. It's all too much right now. I need to consolidate and just be at one place.

    Tony
  • There's also the next step: what stories can you enable your customers to tell about your company?
  • Chris-

    Excellent post as usual. People relate to stories and they can see themselves or someone else they know in a story. When someone gets to that point, then they are moved to action. Great stuff.

    Take care,
    Bill
  • Justin
    Great post, Chris. This approach works in journalism, as well. Of course, it's sometimes overdone, but narrative leads are a common way to draw people into a larger topic.
  • Storytelling is astonishingly powerful as marketing medium also because it reaches past peoples' knee-jerk reactions to standard interruption marketing and speaks directly to emotion. It draws readers/viewers in and, a well told story, gives them a way to spend a few minutes not being pitched, but being moved, entertained and informed.

    Plus, from the standpoint of a "psychology of persuasion" obsessed copywriter, if the story is constructed the right way and shared with the right audience, it allows your readers to step into it and see themselves in the characters...and decide that the character's resolution would work for them, too.

    That's where the marketing impact can really hit a home run. If reader has a problem that is similar to the person in the story and the character in the story resolves her problem with the product or service you've been hired to help market, there is a certain amount of transferance that happens. You don't even have to end with some version of "if you have the same issue, try out the same product." It's automatic, subtle, yet very powerful.

    Exceptional therapists use this technique all the time with patients and people like Milton Erickson were legendary for their ability to tell a story that changed a patient's state in a single session, but they call it "therapeutic metaphor.

    In fact, if you'd like to learn how to construct stories that do this amazingly well, there is a book by David Gordon called, Therapeutic Metaphors, that breaks down the entire process. It was written originally for therapists, but it's also a tremendous tool for marketers who are looking to hone their storytelling abilities and use those stories to create compelling marketing outcomes,
  • Lori Rozelle
    Just this morning I was laying in bed thinking about storytelling and wanting to find examples of speakers who model this storytelling well in their presentations ... and there you are with your latest post on the subject! Perfect timing. Thank you for a better explanation of the benefits of storytelling. I also like what you said about idea handles.

    Chris, could you lead me to some good examples to watch on YouTube of speakers who use "story" well? I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks!
  • Chris,

    This is gospel. Been passing this around all morning, so thank you for a great post. It all comes down to connections. People want to experience things with other people and I think in particular the web and social media are the most authentic way to share discovery that's scalable and available.

    BUT I'd say the most important thing in effective storytelling in marketing is that it is authentic. Period.
  • Very thought provoking thank you. Got me thinking that we need to do a better job at educating our clients/businesses/"old school" execs that in order to tell stories, it's no longer OK to just use words (i.e. vetted corp materials, press releases, etc) and oral comm (i.e. interview, press conf). The best stories incorporate visual aspects, sounds, reader/listener/viewer participation, personality. We have so many tools at our disposal in which to achieve this, we just need to let it be known to the "dinosaurs."
  • Storytelling is a very tough skill to develop if you don't have it naturally. It really is the hability to build images that will last in people's mind. Think of the teachers you had in college. What information that these people delivered to you that you still remember today? I bet you that they're all strongly related to a story.

    Product information or product "experience" ain't no different. Humans look for stories they can relate to, not specs in a brochure because after a while, they'll still remember that story and forget all the technical info.
  • This is a great post. I am not an experienced writer and always looking for relevant content. (brainfood) I will start to collect some of the customers attachment stories and e mails and ask for permission to include in our company newsletter. Thanks again and look forward to your updates.
  • Great post. It's like Chicken Soup for the marketers soul. Keep simple. Keep it clear. Theories are great but I want to hear your story because it makes you real.
  • I like this: "...telling stories that make us want to be a part of them." Good story is about a reader and how she can help other people.
  • Storytelling was how information got passed along before ink was invented. It is the essence of communication, whether it is amongst friends/peers/users/customers, or between a brand and its customers.

    I think Storytelling is extremely powerful on so many levels. It is often used in building a personal brand - instead of telling others your professional title, you share your war stories and interesting experiences. Great speakers are excellent story tellers. Not only do they deliver the points, but people actually remember them!

    Marketintg communication, in my opinion, is a form of storytelling. Or should be. The trick is how to find the right "story title" and format to get AND keep listeners' attention.
  • One of the interesting developments of late is the introduction of user generated 'stories' as ads. Although this idea is nothing new, I think that many organisations have historically been somewhat reluctant to place the storytelling responsibility directly into the customer's hands. The most recent example that springs to mind is the case of Microsoft's 'I'm a pc' ads. By encouraging the submission of UGC along a general theme the customer was given the opportunity to tell their own stories. The result, whilst simple, is an incredibly powerful message. Although the Microsoft ad doesn't really explore these opportunities to its fullest potential, it is a positive first step into letting the customer create the brand as they see fit

    TLR
  • Interesting post. We always encourage our clients to take a storybranding approach when we work on refreshing their identity. This is partly because we work with a lot of educational clients. For example, to rebrand a college, we would try and find the story behind the organisation from its key stakeholders: governors, tutors and of course, students. More often than not, this process helps people within the college connect with the new brand, but also those outside too.
  • It's that holy grail that marketers, advertisers, PR folk and other attention-grabbing industries are after - the everyman hook. We have a product - we know the people - where's the connection?

    Real world solutions to pre-market development is what we look for all the time, from both a consumer viewpoint as well as a company one. As a consumer, I'm more likely to buy Joe's Fishing Pants if I know that, by wearing these pants, Joe could wade deeper into the stream and catch the better fish.

    As a company, if I can connect that story to the product I have, my job just got at least 50% easier.

    Why is fiction so much more popular than non-fiction when it comes to book sales? Because fiction offers us the chance to look at the story from whatever angle we choose - the author gives us the idea and we adapt it to our needs at that time.

    Storytelling is the same - adapt it to our needs and we're sold. That's why it's such an important tool. That's why perhaps businesses need to re-evaluate their approach. Either that, or be satisfied with the non-fiction crowd...
  • Hello Chris

    Thank you for your great advise. I am never sure about what I write, if it conveys the correct message. This approach takes the fear out of the writing process.
  • AussieWebmaster
    Good selling comes from skilled storytelling. It is what makes successful cons work. You get the people interested in your story. It is not a sales pitch - it is a commitment to an adventure. Especially in our space where many are new and/or eager to get involved with this exciting media.

    Though I may be telling them what I will be doing for them, it is always couched in "we".

    We will be building traffic to the site, using Google in so many ways ( a term that brings enthusiastic smiles and wide eyes from most), and then we will venture into social media - this is where will all get to have some fun. Promoting the company, engaging potential customers with creative videos, funny stories that get people amped on products and services... we need to create personas that people will warm to like close friends....

    You get the idea - it is the fun part of the endeavor, followed by the well written proposal and then commencement of the work
  • I've been a fan of the storytelling approach for years, sometimes to a fault of late as I get too anecdotal for my own good. That technique always has resonated with audiences. Readers ... customers ... clients ... users ... whatever the heck we want to call them, are drawn in when there's a person they can relate to or emphasize with. That's the handle your'e talking about.

    Just a gut feeling, but I suspect this approach will be even more effective in the coming months/years. With major chunks of the population ticked off at major institutions, from banks to politics to the auto industry, the human approach might well be the only thing that works.
  • Stories come to life when a part of you is in them. Telling a story about someone else is never as personal, exciting or inspiring than telling one about yourself. Your company, and your products are a part of you. When you tell them from that point of view they come to life to your audience.
  • Dal Wolf
    Stories are everywhere and that's how we are all "hooked". Nice post Chris.
  • Very good advice. I will think about what stories I can tell about my product and what I am doing with it. I love the change of perspective here...thanks for opening up my eyes to a whole new way to present our product!

    Troy Malone
  • It all comes down to what makes a good story: good characters and good action (rising tension, climax). Chris, you nail all three in your suggestions.

    And yes, big or little, it doesn't matter. What matters is that there is a character people care about, facing a problem we want him/her to solve, and a resolution that leaves us satisfied.
  • It's totally crazy that you just wrote this post and had something about Skype in it because I just finished writing a post earlier today about how Skype is a More powerful social media tool than facebook and twitter.
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