At the risk of “belaboring” the point (get it, because it’s Labor Day weekend?), it’s Friday and thus time for the Friday Fix, which is our weekly run-down of who’s saying what about content marketing. In today’s Fix, we talk about fixing problems with social media marketing as well as your content strategy. Additionally, we delve into the power of storytelling and how it cuts through digital clutter. We also look at visual storytelling tools and at the marketing potential of Snapchat. All in all, it’s a great day and the Friday Fix is a great way to kick off the weekend holiday. Happy reading!
Once Upon a Profit: What Sellers Need to Know about the Power of Storytelling
Mark Godley isn’t telling us anything new with the fact that stories are emotive and have the ability to not only be memorable but also to build relationships; however, then Mark proves his point by sharing a story about the time he accidentally sunk a fishing lure into his brother’s head when they were young (oops) and the subsequent (hilarious) retrieval. Is it cliché to say that we’re hooked? Mark’s story makes his point before he goes into the rules of storytelling which include being honest, intimate, and fitting the situation. Well played, Mark, well played. Also, we hope your brother’s okay.
The ‘Once-Upon-A-Time’ Strategy: Retailers Bet on Storytelling to Bypass Digital Clutter
For anyone who dismisses the ability for stories to translate into sales, Barbara Thau’s article is a must-read. In this piece, Barbara speaks reverently about the importance of stories in our lives while also revealing an experiment conducted by Marketing Insider Group where 100 creative writers created stories about $129 worth of items that were then listed on eBay. Thanks to the stories, the “test yielded a net profit of $3.6 million. One $1.49 paperweight later sold for $197.50” because of the story attached to it.
3 Non-Manufactured Storytelling Techniques that Make Readers Take Action
offthegridnews.com
Per Elisabeth Erskine, audiences are highly-discerning, which is why stories have to be so well-told that they compel audiences toward action, not demand it. Though it takes skill to tell a truly great story that is emotionally evocative, there are some good strategies for calling readers to act that are more compelling than commanding such as calling for action at the story’s height, creating a lifestyle that speaks for itself, and inspiring action through a cause-based social media campaign.
7 Tools You Need for Visual Storytelling
Chances are, you weren’t a photography major; however, you still need to be able to take fantastic photos for visual storytelling (if you don’t know why, please call us, and we’ll get you in the right “frame” of mind…get it, like pictures?). All kidding aside, in this article, Katy Katz gives the details on seven visual storytelling tools that can help make your audiences’ heads turn.
11 Ways Business Can Take Advantage of Snapchat’s Marketing Potential
This collaboratively written piece by the Young Entrepreneur Council reveals all that is glorious about Millennials’ favorite social media tool, Snapchat. Key among these benefits are: storytelling and tracking, an increase in employee engagement, productivity, networking, building trust with customers, and more. Basically, what the YEC is saying is that even if you think that Snapchat isn’t for you or your audience, you should check out the platform because, well, you might be surprised by engaging your audience in a different format and / or by attracting a new audience all together.
What No Man’s Sky Teaches Us about Digital Storytelling
Kyle Harper touches on several critical points that would behoove anyone wanting to succeed with content marketing to be mindful of. He focuses on the initial inspiring success of Hello Games’ approach with their video game, No Man’s Sky. Using persuasive video and digital advertising, the small-studio game was able to garner a lot of excitement. They used social media, blogs, and Q&A to their advantage, and then…well, let’s just say that the product failed to deliver on its many promises, which resulted in not only a lot of returns but also a potentially permanent loss of audience trust.
What Mind-Controlled Drones Mean for the Future of Digital Marketing
pcgamer.com
In this article, Nicola Brown reveals that the previously sci-fi-only concept of mind-controlled drones has just entered the realm of reality (chances are, you probably don’t even have a regular drone yet). Anyway, drones are great for capturing video and photographs from an aerial POV, but this new latest advent will likely translate in how our audiences and we interact with content. Nicola projects that human-computer interfaces will lead to a more fluid and changeable storytelling landscape.
5 Content Marketing Trends to Plan Your 2017 Budget
It’s officially the last month of FY 16 and whether you operate on the fiscal or calendar year, it’s time to get your priorities in order for 2017. In this article, Jon Simmons provides five key trends to be mindful of as you plan your 2017 content marketing budget. The trends are: live stream video; newsletters; storytelling; native advertising; and virtual reality. Jon explains what each trend is and why you should invest in it.
How to Fix a Content Marketing Strategy Problem
In the same way that you have a business plan, you should also have a content marketing strategy. Your strategy guides and coordinates your content marketing activities and ideally navigates your ship toward the shores of success; however, if the compass (strategy) is broken, then you’re just going to drift along until a shark eats you (best-case scenario, we assume). In this piece, Gavin Drake focuses on how to fix a sinking strategy to ensure you do more than idly coast along.
6 Ways the Olympics Won the Gold in Content Marketing
nbcolympics.com
Okay, we know you don’t have an Olympic-sized budget to pull off content marketing wins on the same level as the Games, but that doesn’t mean you can’t adapt some of their strategies for your purposes. In this run-down, Ryan Buckley highlights some of the ways that Olympic content marketing took home the gold. Storytelling through re-tweets, inspiring through video, and addressing social issues with blogs are just a few things that earned top marks.
Mistakes Your Business is Making on Social Media
There’s no question that a social media strategy is essential for your brand’s voice and reach; however, there is a method to the social media madness in that there’s a right way and a wrong way to do social media. For example, posting too often or posting everything you stumble upon can actually do your brand more harm than good. Check out this piece to learn key tidbits such as why quality usurps quantity, why you need to have a clear voice, and why all of your social content doesn’t have to pertain to your organization’s services.
Avoid making social media and content marketing mistakes; contact the experts at The Storyteller Agency who care about telling your brand’s story in an authentic voice that’s true to who you are.
