From our earliest days, we are entranced by stories. Watch any small child listen to Mommy reading a book, or to Daddy relaying a story about his childhood. As we grow older, the power of stories does not diminish. Why do we all love to watch movies? Stories make our worlds go ’round.
In business, we must tell stories, too. Regardless of how mundane the topic may seem for any given business, the decision-makers in every industry are all human beings… and human beings respond to stories.
In my profession, I am responsible for sharing essential information that connects my clients with their customers. I take this responsibility very seriously. There is a big difference between providing people with information (which rarely generates a good response), and truly connecting with people through a compelling story. My job is to make sure my clients are connecting and engaging deeply with their prospects and customers, because if they’re not, they’re not going to get results.
When my team embarks on creating a website that offers an engaging experience, storytelling is a major focal point. When we write copy for people, we do not just put words on paper and hope someone will read them and respond. To the contrary, our first order of business is learning through a process she calls “discovery.” Discovery is an essential first step in ultimately capturing the essence of a message, and thus being able to tell a story that causes the right reaction–the reaction you need from your customers to increase your business success.
This week I encourage you to examine the story you’re telling on our website: Is it compelling? Does it touch human emotion? Does it address pain points and illustrate how they may be solved? Is it even a ‘story’ at all? If what you’re saying about your business does not meet these criteria, you’re losing opportunities to gain customers and their loyalty every single day. That can be changed in an instant, simply by creating, and sharing, the right story.
To your success,
Steve Johnsen