Years ago, I remember one of my college professors giving a lecture about the importance of storytelling. From early days of traveling actors and entertainers in the Middle Ages, we've all been fascinated by stories.
Think about Shakespeare. He made a morose guy whose dad died into a classic [Hamlet] and Disney re-discovered that story a few years ago and made The Lion King [which is Hamlet with lions, if you ask me].
Stage plays and movies are simply elaborate storytelling.
What is the story of your business? This is a topic you need to think about, if you haven't already.
I was fascinated by this blog about Using Storytelling to Ignite Word-Of-Mouth Marketing.
"If you don't believe me, just ask Nielsen. Its 2012 survey of global trust in advertising, which asked consumers what influenced their purchase decisions, found that 92 percent of respondents trust (completely or somewhat) recommendations from people they know. Even if they don't know someone, they still trust that person's opinions more than any other kind of advertising (70 percent trust consumers' opinions posted online). A distant third was editorial content (owned media). So there's no question that while paid, owned and earned media are partly responsible for growing awareness and loyalty, they are no match for the influence of people.... So how do you get people talking positively about your brand? That's where storytelling comes in."
I was chatting the other day with a lady who asked me why I started blogging. I said I started it because after I adopted my daughter people kept asking me in emails and calls "How is she doing? Is she learning English? How do you like being a mom?" and I got tired of writing 10 emails a night. So I started blogging and gave everyone a link to follow. Life got easier. I got more writing practice.
That's a story.
I have a friend who became an attorney because she wanted to have the power to positively affect the lives of her clients. Whether she is drafting a will, or fighting for the rights of of parents in schools, she is passionately about helping people.
I have another friend who was in college when his dad died, and he became a medical malpractice attorney.
I have a very close friend who always dreamed of being a healer and finally decided last year [age 52] to go back to school and get a degree in acupuncture. She is happier now than ever before.
Stories are what make your brand unique. They are interesting to people. Make sure your website reflects your story somewhere, and tell it in an engaging way. I'm glad to help with that, if need be.