On Words and Business

Have you ever tried to write a marketing piece for multiple audiences?

It can be a big challenge, no matter who those audiences are.

There are examples of success in creating two levels of information from the field of entertainment.

Who is the primary audience for any of the animated feature films of recent times, like Toy Story 3 or Up? The adults who buy the tickets and accompany the children. The children are effectively the secondary audience.

Think about the pop culture references or moving and rather complicated stories being told in both of these films. Stories clearly written to keep the adults interested–the little ones in the audience for the most part don’t understand or care about that stuff. To oversimplify…the children care about the pretty colors and the action and the talking animals and toys. The adults are crying and sighing while the kids are laughing, because we are watching different movies. And we both like what we see.

How can we translate lessons from movies like that like into creating marketing materials for more than one audience? Is it even possible? Or desirable?

Everything I learned about content marketing I learned in kindergarten*:

1. Share
2. Play fair
3. Don’t take things that aren’t yours
4. Look and wonder
5. Ask questions
6. Balance work and play every day

*With thanks to Robert Fulghum

Bland. Boring. Uninspiring.

That is what happens to your writing when you don’t take a point of view.  You can never satisfy every person in your audience, so don’t try. It makes the final product wishy-washy.

Write with verve. With passion. With confidence. Take a stand.

People will appreciate that. Your enthusiasm will shine through. And that makes your writing eminently readable. No matter the topic. Even the seemingly mundane topics of business.

Description: Writing stories for business content (even if you are never going to share the story). A long time ago people didn’t read much, but they listened to and remembered stories. Use the elements of effective stories (such as strong theme and plot, vivid imagery, drama) to change the way you write.

Assignment: Identify your favorite speakers and think about how they tell their stories, and what it is that appeals to you about it. Do they have you sitting on the edge of your seat in suspense? Or laughing or crying out loud? Consider how the words would sound if presented differently, to discover how much of the power of the story is in the words and how much in the way they are said. Rewrite the driest piece of corporate speak you have ever written as if this person, this expert storyteller, wrote the script, is presenting it to you, and you are loving it.

Example: One of my favorite keynote speakers of all time was Dave Barry. The conference was in San Antonio and to this day, I remember the story he told us about visiting the Alamo for the first time. Sure, it was funny. But I’m not sure it would have been as funny if told by someone else. He knew how to deliver the story for maximum effect. That is one speech I think about when trying to perfect my stories and my writing.

Have you ever started reading a book and the first line didn’t grab you? But you read on anyway.

Then the first paragraph didn’t really sing to you. Yet you continued reading, knowing it must get better, otherwise it wouldn’t be a best seller.

You realized the entire first page was really boring. Nevertheless you persisted because you figured it wouldn’t have been published if it wasn’t interesting and well written.

After reading the first chapter you seriously questioned why the author couldn’t express him- or herself more cleary. Still you endured because a friend told you it gets better after the first two chapters.

Unless you are being forced to read this book, why keep reading? What is the return on your investment of time?

Think about your marketing pieces. Do they grab the reader from the start?

Here are some storytelling hints to help you create content that makes them want to read more.

When creating your content marketing plan, make sure stories are part of the equation. You build momentum and excitement by telling stories your customers will enjoy and want to share with others.

Here are 5 attributes to consider when writing your content, thanks to this blog post by Heidi Cohen. If you are having trouble imagining how to incorporate these attributes, think of your favorite novel or your favorite movie and how they used these elements to move you. It’s the same thing with your content–it doesn’t have to be dry just because you are writing about a business topic.

1. Emotion. Think about phrases and descriptions that will connect with the audience you are trying to reach. Paint a picture with the words you use. What kinds of action or language draws you into a story?
2. Identification with the protagonist of the story. This character doesn’t need to be epic, just relatable. Once the audience cares about the protagonist, they will follow him or her almost anywhere.
3. Memorable. Follow the basic timeline of a story, and make sure to have a beginning, middle, and end. That helps your audience remember what they read. Feel free to jump around in time or in thought to add creativity or surprise, as long as you remember to tell the whole story.
4. Easily adaptable. Think about fairy tales and how easily you can change one to tell the story you want to tell. They aren’t necessarily simple stories, but they are easy to remember and easy for readers to enhance with their own elements.
5. Easily sharable with others. If your content follows these steps, your audience will want to share your stories with others. It’s easy for them when the basics are simple enough to repeat and the content is easily downloadable and shareable.