Good Story Marketing

Every great litigator knows that you win a jury with a great story. Stories are memorable. Good or bad. Television is about telling stories. Books and newspapers are all about stories. Steve Jobs once said, “We are either story tellers or tool builders.” Marketing a great product or service is about stories-Good Story Marketing (GSM) - I call it.

We all have heard the famous story of the woman who returned a set of new tires to Nordstrom. Nordstrom explained they did not sell tires. The woman insisted she bought them at Nordstrom. Nordstrom refunded her money. Awesome customer service. Every great memorable marketing program begins with a great story. For the most part, an advertisement is a short story, typically never well done, but still a story.

Stories are usually easy to remember. They have a punch line and are spread from one person to another with a sense of pride. Did you hear the story about Nordstrom? Stories are viral. “Did you hear the story about the driver who could not get his Toyota to stop? It just kept accelerating. It was scary.”And so on. Stories can have an infinite shelf life that extend years beyond the actual event. For example, the bible is often referred to as the greatest “story” ever told, and it is at least 2,000 years old. Marilyn Monroe was a waitress one day, was discovered and a nationally known actress within a few months, or so I heard.

What stories are passed around about you? Your Company? Your product? The next time you are asked something about your business, put your answer in the context of a story that is memorable. Use dialogue. Describe the place. Use the names of people in the story. The details give life to the story and enable the listener to remember the story easier. If you tell the story properly, the ultimate message need never be spoken, it will be obvious to the listener who then can hardly wait to tell it to their friends. Who keeps a good story to themselves? No one.

GSM is not easy. It takes work and some careful thought to convert a real event into a good story, but it is worth the effort.

“How do you keep track of your ideas for your interesting blogs, Mr. Sherwood?” “Years ago my first boss was Berne Schepman. He was, at that time, the youngest CEO of a $500 million company. At our first meeting, Berne said to me, Bob…”

Interested? More on this story later.