Friday, August 22, 2008

Stories That Resonate

I read a very interesting marketing blog today by Seth Godin sharing the idea that your story best resonate with someone in your audience. Too often stories are created for the sake of the storyteller and often fall short of their objective to compel folks to buy things. A simplistic, mundane approach to storytelling, but isn't motivating audiences what marketers are trying to accomplish?
Then simply ask - What is the state of my audience, when crafting your story.
What is their worldview or lens on this topic? Understanding this allows you to craft a story that can & will resonate with your audience. The challenge is for you to build a story around this audience knowledge and then make it compelling enough to 'stick'.
Does negative political advertising resonate with voters? Will comparison advertising compel shoppers to buy a particular brand over another? Based on what's served-up now, apparently yes. The important point here is to be clear about the state of your audience or target market. Take the time to better understand what 'lens' your audience has on and how you can craft a story to resonate with them. Sometimes this knowledge of your viewers may drive the data you choose to showcase & ring true with this audience. Remember, there are always three sides to every story: Audience, Data & (mythical) Storytelling.

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