Be the Author of Your Success
A good story will help readers connect with your company or product.

By John Jantsch

People today are bombarded by so much information that they have become numb to anything that feels like advertising or, during political cycles like we recently went through, blatant fabrication.

Small business owners should resist the temptation to copy what passes for advertising today and, instead, focus on telling the truth. I don’t mean to imply that companies are lying about their products or services; I just mean they aren’t giving us any reason to believe in, or trust, what they have to say.

The Marketing Story
So, how do you capture the consumers’ attention? Tell them a story. Speak to them honestly about why you got into business. Show them your pain. Tell about your struggles. And, most of all, give them some reason to hope.

Create a marketing document that tells your story, and you will find that you can use it in a variety of ways. The marketing story is an effective tool because it allows you to do several things that traditional marketing or advertising does not.
People learn through stories, which are an effective way to simplify a complicated issue. Stories can create emotion, and people buy on emotion, then rationalize their decision with facts. Stories are easier to remember because people can more readily relate to them. Most important, stories build trust.

• There are a number of basic types of stories that you can use in marketing your company. “Who I am” stories encourage the reader to connect with you and your company personally.
• “What I do” stories help potential customers better understand your products or services.
• “Vision stories” paint a picture of a dynamic future.
• “Values in action” stories illustrate slogans such as “we try harder.”
• “Lessons-learned” stories show the human side of experiences—both the good and the bad.
• “I know you” stories demonstrate to the reader that you have walked in his shoes.

Using a Good Story
As you create your marketing story, keep your unique selling proposition (USP) in mind. The marketing story can be an effective way to illustrate your most important marketing promise or core message. Choose a story that links the reader to your USP.

Good stories have personality, and they connect with the reader by revealing a simple truth.

Once created, marketing stories need a caretaker. Someone in the company needs to own the story and give it a passionate voice. Your story should be so focused on the target market that customers can see themselves as characters in it.

Put your story on your Web site. Make it a part of your marketing materials. Print it on the back of invoices. Hang it in the hall. Tell it in your newsletter.

Use it to help present your company in an industry award competition. Tell it at an industry conference or tradeshow. A good marketing story even can help you recruit employees who relate to the story.

Bringing it Together
A good marketing story must be true. The story also must be somewhat entertaining. Facts and figures can add credibility to a story, but emotion and personality keep the interest.

Keep it simple; a 13-year-old should be able to understand and appreciate the story. If you have a teenager, then you know what a challenge this is. Pass this test, and you know you have a winner.

Your story should take no longer than 3-5 minutes to read or tell. Anything longer and you had better have some intriguing plot twists. For an example of an effective marketing story, visit www.noonshine.com/story.htm.

John Jantsch is a marketing coach and creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System. You can get more information about the Duct Tape System and download your free copy of “How To Create the Ultimate Small Business Marketing System in 7 Simple Steps” by visiting www.DuctTapeMarketing.com.