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.

When marketing was a soapbox and companies held the bull horn, that statement made sense. To get noticed, you had to yell the loudest, to create a most eye-catching graphics, to have the best deal (Del Taco anyone?). You had to wow the buyer with the most eye-catching, earth-shattering marketing campaign ever.

How true is that statement now?

In the age of the Internet and social media, where information is prevalent and there is no lack of naysayers, does this still hold true? I ask the question because I am constantly reminded in my industry (where most the buyers know their tech inside and out) that savvy buyers see through the bold, and focus on the details.

Sure, the bold might grab their attention, but if there is no substance behind it – no substance to satisfy their need – then the buyer will walk away. Unless the product or service is truly earth-shattering, there are simply too many options (including those they’ll develop by themselves) to keep the buyer focused on you.

In the world of entertainment technology, I propose a qualification to “Go Bold or Go Home”. Go Bold if you can back it up. Go Home if you can’t. Differentiate yourself and your product in real terms (real features, real benefits). The buyer may not be wowed all the time, but they will certainly see how it applies to them, and that connection will get them thinking…and talking.

I agree that with so many more people in an organization now communicating to potential customers via social networks, it is more difficult to control the message. I also agree that one-way preaching of rigid marketing messages makes for pretty boring social media conversations (and marketing, for that matter). But that doesn’t mean the marketing message is irrelevant.

In fact, the message is more relevant than ever. Here’s why:

With so many touch points for your message, it’s now easier for customers to get confused about your offerings and why those offerings are different than the next company’s. If your message doesn’t flow from a  set of values, how can you expect the customer to understand what your product is and how it can help make their life easier (better, cheaper, etc).

This does not mean that companies must try to control the conversation. But it does mean that companies should develop messages that communicate purposefully, and that are broad enough to allow conversations to happen.

I ran across this article randomly, but found it pretty engaging. As a copywriter and marketer, it reminded me of just how awful a presentation can be when it includes too many words, too many bullet points and not enough kernels of wisdom.

If you are like me – someone looking for a way to avoid the dreaded Flying Stink-o-Potami – this article is definitely worth a read. While it may not simplify the creation of presentations for you, it might just give you that little bit of advice needed to keep your audience from yawning. Enjoy.

Tradeshows Still Work

Trade shows are still a very vital form of marketing. Despite the growth of social media, there is no substitute for meeting face-to-face with your customers. It’s networking in its purest form.

What’s Your Hook?

Frankly, very few people really care about your business. You need to make them care. If

you decide that a particular tradeshow is the right place to reach your audience, then ask yourself this: Why should someone care about your company? Are you introducing your company to the market for the first time? Are you launching a new product? Are you announcing a strategic partnership?

No Hook? Consider Other Strategies

If your company is exhibiting with no real hook, you may be better served considering other strategies. Send your sales force to walk the floor. Set up meetings off-site. Work with a partner. Throw a happy hour at a local bar. But don’t spend the money on a booth and all the effort that goes into it.

Set a Goal

Unlike some forms of marketing, tradeshows are measureable. When thinking about the show, ask yourself how you will measure success. Is it in names or qualified leads collected? Is it in demo CDs you’ve handed out, or the number of people that showed up at your speaking event? Whatever it is, make sure you can measure it. (I know some of you will disagree, but the number of drinks served at your happy hour isn’t a form of measurement.)

Package Your Message

Once you’ve decided internally that you have something to say, it’s time to start thinking about how to say it. Or, put another way, how to package it into a campaign. The campaign does not have to be ground breaking, although ground breaking is nice. Short of that, clear and memorable is just fine. Think about it this way: If your customers could walk away with one message, what would it be and how do I make it stick in their heads?

Fund Your Idea

At the same time, you should be weighing your campaign ideas against your budget. You may have big news, but only a small budget to communicate it. If that’s the case, your campaign may have to be more guerilla than you originally intended. Better to know that going in than to have your campaign fall flat due to budget.

Start Focusing on the Details

If done well, your message (and the campaign you build around it) should provide you with a general roadmap for the tactics you need to employ at the show. In my next few posts, I’ll take a closer look at many of those tactics, including what to think about pre-show, at the show, and post-show.

Advertisers love it because they are no longer relegated to the oft-overlooked side bar. Online sites argue that their editors know their readers best, so who better to write the copy. Even if this is seems like a marriage of the long-divorced church and state, I argue that both advertisers and sites are missing the point. There is a reason why TiVo exists, why print ads are dwindling in number and why social media is gaining steam – consumers don’t want to be interrupted.

So what does all that mean for copywriters who have built their careers on catchy ad slogans? For the savvy copywriter who knows how to evolve, it can spell opportunity.

Consider these points:

Internet search is based on words – Web sites are ranked according to the fancy algorithms that google and other search engines employ. Those algorithms are based in large part on written content, e.g. how many times a word is used on a page; whether a word is bold or not; whether graphics and tags have descriptive text to support them; and so on.

Keywords drive awareness – In today’s 2.0 world, it’s all about relevance. Fancy graphics and classic TV spots might grab your attention (interrupt you), but well-chosen words written by smart copywriters can connect relevant messages to the right audience.

Social media is based on written conversation – Twitter and Facebook are based on written conversations. Copywriters should learn how to join those conversations for their benefit, and the benefit of their clients.

Traditional media is not dead – Even though some forms of traditional marketing are decreasing in importance, they are by no means gone. Flyers and brochures, press releases, videos, case studies, white papers, print and web ads – all of these techniques are still used across marketing departments and throughout agencies.

Companies still need messaging – I’ve saved the most important for last. Everything above is just a tactic. Crafting corporate and product messages, and ensuring that they are flowing through the right forms of media in the right way, is still critical to a company’s success.

Marketing is changing. There is no doubt about that. But with that change has come new opportunity, especially for copywriters who are willing to embrace the shifting landscape.

Not exactly.

Just because you can write does not mean you know how to write for marketing purposes, how to define corporate messaging, or how to pen copy that calls customers to action. Just because you can write does not mean you can advise companies on what to say to help them jump to the next step in their growth.

Messaging (for a client or for your own organization) is a learned skill and it requires in-depth knowledge of some very broad topics, including:

1) Branding – What are your company’s mission and vision? How are those defined in its culture, its structure, its products, its messaging, its design?

2) Positioning – How does your company position itself? Has it ever really defined its position? What are its objectives? What are its products’/services’ unique selling propositions and benefits?

3) Competitive Landscape – Who is the company up against? What are those competitors saying about themselves and their products/services? How does that differ from what you are saying?

4) Knowledge of the Customer – Which messages work in the market and which mediums do customers use to pick up on those messages? Which tone works best?

5) Marketing Communications – What are the specific rules of certain marketing communication mediums? How can you combine those mediums into an integrated messaging strategy? How do you write for specific mediums so that your words have more impact?

Hundreds of great books have been written about each one of these areas. Some of my favorites are: Crossing the Chasm, The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, and The Copywriter’s Handbook. Just take a quick look at Amazon, and you quickly begin to understand how much there is to know.

So sure, everyone can write. But not everyone can effectively take corporate concepts and mold them into marketing messaging and messaging strategies that drive sales.