Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 27 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: 9 points to consider when creating and telling a great marketing story
— From All Marketers are Liars: The Underground Classic That Explains How Marketing Really Works-and Why Authenticity Is the Best Marketing of All by Seth Godin
Seth Godin, marketing guru, talks about telling stories in his book All Marketers Are Liars Tell Stories. His premise is that “successful marketers are just the providers of stories that consumers choose to believe.” And he calls a story that a consumer believes a lie. Why? Because we tell ourselves stories about the things we want and we believe them. Otherwise, why would we pay top price, say hundreds of dollars, for a pair of sneakers or a smart phone or some other product that costs very little to make in China? Clearly, it’s the story we tell ourselves about said product, and it’s the same story we embellish and tell our family and friends afterwards.
If you have a story to tell, Godin points out 9 attributes of successful stories to capture your audience’s imagination. Please note that while the book has a tongue-in-cheek approach to lying, you must tell the truth and your story must be authentic to resonate with your audience. And this is a perfect segue into the first feature:
1. A great story is true. “Not true because it’s factual, but true because it is consistent and authentic. Consumers are too good at sniffing out inconsistencies for a marketer to get away with a story that’s just slapped on.”
2. Great stories make a promise. “They promise fun or money, safety or a shortcut. The promise is bold and audacious and not just very good—it’s exceptional or it’s not worth listening to.”
3. Great stories are trusted. “Trust is the scarcest resource we have left. No one trusts anyone… As a result, no marketer succeeds in telling a story unless he has earned the credibility to tell that story.”
4. Great stories are subtle. “Surprisingly, the less a marketer spells out, the more powerful the story becomes. Talented marketers understand that the prospect is ultimately telling himself the lie, so allowing him (and the rest of the target audience) to draw his own conclusions is far more effective than just announcing the punch line.”
5. Great stories happen fast. “They engage the consumer the moment the story clicks into place. Great stories match the voice the consumer’s worldview was seeking, and they sync right up with her expectations.”
6. Great stories don’t appeal to logic, but they often appeal to our senses. “Pheromones aren’t a myth. People decide if they like someone after just a sniff. And the design of the Alessi teapot talks to consumers in a way that a fact sheet about boiling water never could.”
7. Great stories are rarely aimed at everyone. “Average people are good at ignoring you… If you need to water down your story to appeal to everyone, it will appeal to no one. [You need to] match the worldview of a tiny audience—and then that tiny audience spreads the story.”
8. Great stories don’t contradict themselves. “Consumers are clever and they’ll see through your deceit at once.” Make sure you are congruent, constant and consistent in the story you tell.
9. Great stories agree with our worldview. “The best stories don’t teach people anything new. Instead, the best stories agree with what the audience already believes and makes the members of the audience feel smart and secure when reminded how right they were in the first place.”
ACTION
TODAY: Are you telling a story to your customers? Analyze the story against Godin’s points. How good is it? How can you make it better in an authentic way that will resonate with their worldview?
FUTURE: Whenever you are about to tell a story about your business, your products or services, run it by the 9 points above to make sure that it will indeed resonate with your customers. In the trite-but-true example, remember that people don’t want a drill; they want a hole in the wall to hang the family picture of a lovely and most memorable vacation.
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