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Have you ever heard something that makes you stop?
Steve Kayser’s article “In These Tough Times Here’s a Way to Print Your Own Currency Legally … with Content” had that effect on me.
In the article are the words: “You got no story. You got no game. You got no game – you got no business.” In other words, companies need to use relevant, “educational, entertaining” stories to help sell their solutions.
Got it. Check. I’m with you Steve.
Or at least I was…until I saw this: “Story-selling content is the new advertising, marketing and PR currency“.
Huh? Stop! Did I miss something?
Story-telling ain’t new
Good marketing has always focused on stories, even in the “old” tactics of print ads and PR. Heck, even in the days of snake oil salesmen. Framing the “pitch”, the corporate message, the product message, the service message, etc. in the context of a story that solves customer’s problems is a device that has been used since the dawn of marketing.
Now granted, as Steve suggests in his article, some companies have no story. Others companies have stories but can’t “sell” them to save their lives. Still others are great at “telling” stories, but can’t back up those stories with fact (Vaporware anyone?). That does not mean, however, that storytelling is new. That relevance is new. That framing marketing messages to address customer needs is new.
Then story-SELLING must be new, right?
Maybe what Mr. Kayser meant was that the delivery mechanism has changed. Social media is becoming an increasingly critical portion of the marketing communication mix. And it requires different rules of interaction and engagement. Different styles of writing. Different channels for delivering the message.
But is that really “new”? Not really.
“Re-learned” is probably more accurate. After all, before newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and the Internet, marketing was conducted face-to-face. It was, for the most part, social. Sure, the salespeople stood before the crowd and shouted the pitch. But the crowd could shout back. Or throw tomatoes.
The point is, even back then, storytelling AND story-selling were both central to the process.
So What’s the Point?
“The truth is that your business success, whatever business you’re in, hinges on your ability to create remarkable content. Remarkable problem-solving stories. But no matter how great or remarkable your story may be, it still has to be discovered or found first.”
Mr. Kayser, I couldn’t agree more. This is the point. I just want to know when this became a new idea.
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Hi Eric:
Thanks for the note. It’s not new. I don’t think I said that. In fact the oldest “Brand”in the world is a story. Homer. What I was referring to is that now every company has to be able to tell their story in a compelling manner to help build their business. Brian Solis and Tom Foremski talk quite eloquently about it themselves. Me – not so much.
BUY
Used to be you would buy advertising to tell your story and help grow your company or create awareness. But it’s ultra expensive and not very effective for small-to-medium size businesses.
BEG
You could, (as my friend D.M. Scott says) beg the media to cover you and tell your story. Anyone that’s seen the precipitous decline of the media knows that’s not a very efficient use of your time either.
THE SOBER STORY
There are over 26 million small-to-medium businesses in the US – the most powerful job creation engine of economic prosperity in the world (Okay right now it’s sorta sucking – but historically speaking).
Many of these wonderful businesses have incredible products, solutions and services that will never see the light of day because no one will ever really here about them. Find them. They can’t afford advertising. The media has been decimated. And Trade Journals? Give me a break – they have all but disappeared, at least in the technology industry. And that was one place you could typically get fairly good coverage with your content. Our Expert Access E-zine (http://expertaccess.cincom.com) has more subscribers (180,000) than most trade journals. And, we have over 110 contributing authors – only 10-15 of them are actually company people. Which leads me to …
CO-JO’S AND BRAND JOURNALISM
My article was referring more to what I call “Co-Jo’s”(company journalists). Company storytellers. We help train and use them. Our writers have to have journalistic styles and sensibilities. Be open, authentic, honest, objective and transparent. David Henderson Http://www.davidhenderson.com and David Meerman Scott Http://webinknow.com refer to this as Brand Journalism. I like my term – Co-Jo’s.
Company storytellers have the ability now to go direct to their buying audience – bypassing the media and expensive advertising. But it’s really hard to break the corporate mentality of using words-drained-of-meaning. Corporate gobbledygook. Death sentences. Anesthetic writing. Seriously, have you seen any news releases that don’t start out with “The Leading Provider,” The Market Leader” and all kinds of flim-flam-flummery? I’m in the technology business- software. Go check out any technology company news releases, white paper or product story. Easier to learn Japanese.
(技術会社新聞発表、白書あるいはプロダクト物語をチェックしに行ってください。 日本人で学ぶことがより容易です) (sorry – couln’t help that, my son is in Japan right now)
HOWEVER – I am quite fond of this news release.
http://ow.ly/2vUqW
I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better, more authentic quote in any corporate news release than this …
“This report, though completely fabricated, was multi-sourced, well illustrated, in fact, exceptionally illustrated, and adhered to the highest standards of ethically fabricated journalism.”
SIDEWAYS
Sorry, got a little sideways there.
At the bottom of the article I listed several sources to help people that may not be as advanced or experienced as you are. All of them I like, or have personally interviewed or written with.
SERIOUSLY
If you’re trying to keep up with the mind-boggling speed of change going on in the business world, both the new media applications, social media platforms/networks, and use story and story-selling to help grow your business, the books and people I noted as resources can be a great help.
I wanted to add Al & Laura Ries to the list because Al is such a great writer – style and substance – but his emphasis is on PR.
Well – that was an adhoc, off-the-cuff response. Excuse any spelling errors or grammar
Hey – thanks for stopping by and reading my post. How did you come upon it anyway? I’m in Cincinnati and you’re in California? I see you’re a Pepperdine guy? I have a friend teaching there right now I think – Elliot McGucken.
Hi Steve:
Thanks for the response – I get what you’re saying. Not sure I agree 100%, as many companies still BUY and BEG with great effect. I do like the Co-Jo and Brand Journalism approach though.
I came by your article from your Expert Access newsletter, which was sent to me. I’ve never met Elliot at Pepperdine. What does he teach?
[...] I stated in an earlier post in August 2010, storytelling in marketing ain’t new. Marketing in its earliest form was based on the sharing a compelling stories with a potential [...]