Storytelling … the key to great content
I was talking with someone the other day about BIG idea. He wants to change how we used social media – and to make it “work” better for those business and organizations that can’t afford to hire experts, basically another online tool. I applaud his idea – but I told him he needed to start creating the “story”. He talked about the technology, he talked about ease of use, he talked about being able to access it from anywhere – what he didn’t do? He never made me want it. It sounded like a dozen other social media tools out there – nothing special.
Stories aren’t about creating false impressions, they aren’t about “marketing” or advertising – they are about people. At the end of the day, it all comes down to people – what they do, what they think, how they feel.
We’ve all heard the saying “sell the sizzle, not the steak” – but I believe it has to go deeper than that – it has to go to the essence of “why the steak in the first place”. What’s the story there – can you help the “reader” see themselves in that story.
If you have a deep desire to change something, and a way to change it – then think through the story of how that can happen. Create a feeling, create the mood, create the motivation for someone to say “Yea, I want that, I can see myself doing that (or buying that, whatever)”. Create the story behind all the people involved – in the big idea I mentioned, there are multiple people that would benefit – they all have a story, write it for them
Stories are more important than you think – start writing yours today.
