It’s what the big advertisers pay billions for… just the right combination of words that move buyers to action.
Too many of us, however, are so in love with the technical aspects of our work, we think others will love it, too. That’s a huge mistake and may be why you’re not as successful as you should be.
Think about it:
- A Diamond is Forever
- You’re in Good Hands With Allstate
- Nationwide Is On Your Side
- The Ultimate Driving Machine
- What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas
Now give some thought to these everyday business examples:
- Gambling v. Gaming
- Coffee Server vs. Barista
- Medium or Grande
All these examples compel you to feel something or visualize something or both. That’s what you’re after because when people feel, they act.
So, instead of defaulting to the numbers or the technology – you know, the places you’re really comfortable but make others’ eyes glaze over – make that dry information come alive with stories. To make it easy, I encourage you to broaden your concept of storytelling to include all kinds of engaging information such as case studies, statistics, quotes, current events, images, videos, GIFs, anecdotes (business and personal). You’ll also want to consider using metaphors which enable you to compare your complex deliverable to something encountered in every day life. Sports metaphors are particularly common – He dropped the ball. She hit a home run. It’s game time! (Though I just heard JP Morgan is discouraging sports metaphors in the interest of not being sexist. I’m not sure it will work, but it’s an interesting thought.)
How do you find these stories? They happen to us almost daily. You just have to exert some discipline to capture them. Start what I call a content journal. Jot down everything that pops into your mind or that you see that you want to consider for use. It can be as simple as opening a document file or you can use an app like Evernote. I like Evernote because it syncs across my platforms and I therefore don’t have any excuse not to capture them. The only parameters are they have to be somehow related to your business and that you may be able to use them to engage others. Don’t let the good ones get away!
After that, you strategically place what you’ve collected into your technical presentation that makes that dry information come alive. Where? How? That’s a newsletter for another day.