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Stories vs. Personas Sarah Doodley (@sarahdoody.) explores the difference between user stories and personas. She correctly identifies the problem with personas is they can be poorly crafted and so become caricatures of themselves.
Atlanticbt.com where I am the Marketing Director uses Agile project development. Agile always starts with customer stories. Those stories provide the functional needs we program to in a series of "sprints". Sprints are usually one week long and represent a desire to get something in the customer's hands as quickly as possible.
Sarah's piece is an excellent summary of the importance of user stories, how to accurately collect and use them.
Via Gregg Morris, Martin (Marty) Smith
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Elaine Baker looks straight into the video camera and tells her story. Elaine is the owner of Paper Potpourri in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Her stationery boutique specializes in invitations …
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Customers own the story of the brand now. What brands say is far less important than what brands actually do to serve the well being of the faithful. Whereas before, the brand conversation was based on delivery and interruption, successful...
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though brand-created content is not novel, the practice fully bloomed in social-media-saturated 2012. (A salute to the "Brands" that did Branded Content Campaigns right in 2012.
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Great example of the power of #storytelling -> L.L. Bean: The importance of relationships in CRM and social in CSR http://t.co/93Qtz6ua
I've rescooped this article from fellow curator John Kratz because I thought it was so good. It is a great example of how a company ramped up business once it started sharing stories of its customers -- with customers as the heros. Take notes folks! And thanks John for finding and sharing this article.
The year is 2008 and you are in the Financial Services Business. "How do you turn a quiet, sales-driven organization into a B2B marketing powerhouse?" "Consider the story of Lincoln Financial Group, a traditionally sales-centric organization... The 106-year-old financial services, insurance, and annuities company..." "Lincoln Financial had previously conducted research showing that the more people take charge of their lives, including their finances, the better they feel about the direction of their lives." "While others in the category seemed to be drawn to using fear in their advertising, we felt the time was right to try a new, more optimistic approach." "...the campaign showcased a video of women of all ages showing how they take charge of their lives and provided educational content to help women do just that. The PR focused on the research results. The Chief Life Officer ads continued the "take charge, optimistic theme," which was reinforced in social media. "And how has the integrated campaign done?" Read the success story here: http://www.fastcompany.com/3002425/creating-winning-b2b-integrated-marketing-campaign
Via Ken Jondahl, John Kratz
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"Have you ever looked at your marketing materials and thought, “that’s not really me?” Been there. In fact, my (thankfully last) resume comes to mind. And, oddly, my mind wandered a bit, thinking how most marketing materials similarly fail to tell us what’s really unique about a brand."
Well, I am embarrassed to admit this, but the author of Story Works, Sharlene Sones, asked me to review her new e-book months ago -- and I am just now getting to it. My apologies Sharlene! But better late than never I guess.
I love this book. For several reasons:
Size & readabililty -- this book is constructed so you can easily flip through it. And it is laid out so it is easy to read and digest. Perfect! I can't tell you how many posts and e-books I ignore because the layout makes it too hard to read. And I wouldn't want to subject you to that either. Sharlene's book is a breeze to walk through.
Content -- Sharlene does a masterful job at guiding us through the business applications of story. She touches on everything from marketing/branding, unique proposition, sales, to leadership, culture, career development, and back. Whew! That's a lot of territory to cover. But she does it well.
Sharlene explains how story will make a difference in these areas -- and WHY it does. And she gives us tips for using story in several applications. As a bonus, there are lots of story quotes to add to your list, along with examples from companies to make her points.
What I particularly like is her focus on story as conversation -- and that story sharing is where the real leverage is in org story work.
I may quibble a bit on some of Sharlene's points -- are testimonials really stories? Depends on the definition you use. For me, not so much. But the bulk of Sharlene's material is so right on, I am not going to be so picky.
Sharlene also tackles 'engagement' as a topic and brings to light the story dynamics involved in that. I think there is still a lot to learn about storytelling and engagement in business, but this gives us a good start.
I wish there had been more focus on listening, too. Implied in Sharlene's book is how transformative stories can be in business. A lot of what she talks about is story at the transactional level -- even when story provides inspiration and meaning. For example -- when a business is really in the story groove, stories have the potential to change both the teller and listener. Story as transformation in business is the next frontier I think.
I could say more, but I'm running out of space. This book is inspirational and a good kick in the pants for bringing story into your core business activities. If you want a great e-book primer on business storytelling, this is it.
If you want to go deeper, dig into the books by Annette Simmons and Steve Denning.
You do have to buy this book. But you can also download a chapter for free. I have absolutely no affiliation with Sharlene other than we are colleagues and both went to grad school at the Univ. of Pennsylvania.
Happy reading!
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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See photos of your souvenirs and the stories behind them.
Well, here's nifty little example of customer engagement with storytelling. It's the New York Times curating little anecdotes from readers about travel souveniers. The pieces are short and quick, and each one has a photo attached of the souvenier.
What a lovely way to connect and hear from their readers!
Now -- can you do something similar in your business?
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
In this example, a single customer interview netted more than 38 pieces of content. And here are the essentials on how to get your customers to help you.
Love this very clear how-to article for gathering customer stories. The author provides very clear steps on how to get this done. Yeah!
Her best piece of advice is to not do the interviews yourself -- find someone else who is a good listener, maybe even someone outside your company. Excellent tip. Asking customers for their stories is sometimes hard to do. Maybe the story the business wants to hear is not the story your customer wants to tell -- and I don't mean that customers want to complain. I just mean that businesses need to be open to all kinds of stories a customer may want to share. Sometimes it is a lot easier for a neutral party to gather these stories for you.
My only other comment is that the author focuses on case studies. But case studies are not the only kind of customer narrative to write. Case studies are not the only effective kind of customer story to share. Better to just collect the stories and then determine what form to use.
It is fabulous that the author shares how a single story can parley into 38 pieces of content. That is a content creator's dream come true!
Read the article for the author's process, great tips, and a free downloadable book.
Thanks Giuseppe Mauriello @pinomauriello for suggesting this article to me!
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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Story maps use the concepts and tools of geography to tell stories about the world. They combine intelligent Web maps with text, multimedia content, and intuitive user experiences to inform, educate, entertain, and inspire people about a wide variety of topics. Most story maps are designed for non-technical audiences.
Hey -- here's another cool set of tools/templates to use for innovative storytelling!
Want to tell your story using maps? For example, do you have customers across the nation or globe? You can find ways perhaps to share this story using story maps.
This site contains a Workflows & Best Practices guide for how to use and create these maps, and a white paper on Telling Stories With Maps. And then there are free templates to download to get you started!
Hmmmmm -- so interesting. Yet another fab tool for visual storytelling to add to your biz story toolkit!
Original link: http://storymaps.esri.com/wordpress/?page_id=909
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
OMG -- what an amazing video! It is about 12 minutes long -- and eloquent plus thought-provoking. It is inspiring and heartfelt. I know this will feed you well.
Here is how to view it through the lense of small business, enterprises, non-profit work, or social cause entrepreneurship: - There is not one story, but multiple stories of different people that together create or organization -- whether you are a sole proprietor, nonprofit or a multinational corporation. You would think that is obvious, but I can't tell you how frequently people come to me for their 'story' -- their one, defining story. But thinking that way is dangerous and extremely limiting -- and untimately not successful as this Chimamanda explains. There are your stories, stories of customers, stories of partners, stories of staff, stories of stakeholders, etc...
- The tone of today's marketing/branding efforts reflects more the shallowness of story instead of its depth. Depth comes from the many stories, not the 'one'. We instead must engage with ALL the stories otherwise we rob people of their dignity, respect and humanity. That thievery does not create meaningful relationships -- and we are all in the age of relationship building/sustaining if you haven't figured that out yet.
- Over-storying happens all the time -- to silence different voices for the sake of efficiency. The result? Stereotypes that while true, are woefully incomplete. This ultimately creates an inability to reach and engage with more people/markets in your business.
- Stories in organizations and public life can be used to dispossess and malign (our current political climate?) or to bring together and empower. There are dangers in storytelling -- yes, even in business -- and care must be taken so we hear and can operate from a balance of stories for the health and well-being of the organization.
In the end, your success in working with stories for engagement, connection and meaningful relationship is all about awareness, intent, and deep listening -- and getting really smart about the power of storytelling. Enjoy watching this video about the depth, richness, and beauty of storytelling that will help you truly engage with those around you.
As Chimamanda says at the end, reject the single story and regain a kind of paradise.
Many thanks to Gregg Morris who originally curated this for his Story and Narrative scoop.it.
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
Via Gregg Morris
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Listening is one of the four fundamental competencies of a professional sales person, and yet, many sales reps fail to do it well.
Want more business? Want to engage customers? It is all about listening!
Here's what I like about this article -- it is all about listening and doing it in such a way that it actually evokes stories.
There is even a script given that is actually leading a potential customer into sharing their story. This leads to (as the author says) "From a sales person’s perspective, the more we listen, the more different positions, motivations, opinions, and nuances we are able to understand and accommodate. The wiser and more capable we become. Since we are able to understand an ever-growing panoply of positions and opinions, we are able to feel a rapport with more and more customers, and move closer to a consensus position with them."
There are good examples and how-to tips here that will help you listen better and evoke stories from customers. Enjoy the read.
Review written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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Everything you need to know about how to host truly unique storytelling parties. With storytelling ideas, storytelling kits, seasonal party ideas.
Hey --it's Sunday and a perfect day to relax and plan for summer fun!
I ran across this article that has nothing to do with business storytelling but is a treat nontheless -- Plan a storytelling party! It sure will to build storytelling skills plus learn amazing things while having a good time with friends and family.
On this website there is everything you need to know to throw a successful party.
Now if you really wanted to apply this to your organization, use all the ideas and suggestions here, just shift the topics to fit your needs. Throw a storytelling party for employees! Throw a storytelling party for customers! Just remember to keep having fun :)
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her Just Story It Scoops at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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Logo Garden (A dozen easy ways to use your customer stories for social media! http://t.co/t5zAp1hk #entrepreneur #logos #branding)
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As marketers we all know that storytelling is an essential part of connecting with prospects and customers. Scott Monty (@scottmonty) and his team at Ford
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What's the story of your business? Are you wondering how storytelling can help your marketing and sales? To learn about the power of storytelling, I inter
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Do people still care about longer-form blog posts and narratives to tell stories in the era of Pinterest, YouTube, and Twitter? The answer is yes.
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10 Ways Customer Stories Help Companies Sell http://t.co/3JwGufQB via @Savvy_B2B...
Woo hoo! If there was any doubt about the necessity for crafting and promoting your customer's stories, then this quick post will dispell them all.
Customer case study specialist Casey Hibbard shares some research from Gartner about the impact of customer stories on sales, and then lists specifically how customer stories can lead to business growth.
As I'm rebuilding my website, I'm taking Casey's advice -- and hope you do too.
Oh -- but make sure you are actually writing customer stories to share and not testimonials. Testimonials are critical -- yet they are mostly valuable opinions from customers about their experience with you. That's part of your 'story' but they often are not really stories.
Soooo -- write mini-stories or storied case-studies about your work with customers to receive the full impact of your customer stories!
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. So you have hit upon an idea – A Killer Idea – one you want to share with others and let others seek guidance from it.
To help us with our biz stories -- or stories to launch a product or service -- my colleague Raf Stevens has written this terrific post.
This article helps us put flesh to the bones from the ideas presented in the earlier article on using stories when launching a product or service: http://www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it/p/3126539298/to-successfully-launch-a-product-you-have-to-tell-a-compelling-story
What to take away from this article? Stop using stories to blast your message and start crafting your biz stories from the life of your customer or prospect.
Raf includes great examples and clear thinking about this so go read his piece so you can start crafting real and emotionally engaging business stories to tell.
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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How to use two basic plots to define your business’ content strategy, while keeping the customer as the hero of the story.
I love this article! It puts anyone's content strategy into a fabulous storytelling context, and gives all of us a way to think about our websites from a narrative perspective.
The ideas here are very helpful and fun to play with. The author, Kat French, did a good job.
Using The Quest story format, you can easily share your customers stories.
Using The Boy Meets Girl format, you can evaluate your website and tell/share your biz stories much better.
The other blog post links at the end of the article look worthy of exploration also.
So go enjoy this delightful -- and helpful -- piece!
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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To really know customers you must engage them face-to-face.
This is a handly little article reminding us all that data and "likes" can only take us so far. If we really want to know our customers to help guide for innovation, marketing, business relationships, and ultimately business growth, then face-to-face interactions are imperative.
OK -- now we've gotten that message, and we are in front of a customer, now what? How do you maximize your time together?
The practical answer is to ask for, and listen to, their stories! That is what this article does not say. Yet that is your path to success.
What stories do you ask for? Ask them to share with you their experiences of your product/service, your company, your marketing/branding, or whatever burning question you need an answer to.
Just remember, most people ask information questions where they get lots of description but little story. That's not so helpful. They will ask someone to describe what they like about their product. In return they will gets answers like, "I like the blue color, and how it fits in my hand." interesting, but not so helpful.
Ask for EXPIENCES instead: "Tell me about the first time you used our product and what that was like ..." In return, you will receive a story rich in material and meaning: "One day I was really struggling one day to open a jar. For some reason my arthritis was really bad that morning and I couldn't get the strength to open that jar. I didn't want to ask my daughter for help because i hate feeling dependent on someone just to open a jar! A friend had given me your handy opener as a gift but I hadn't even taken it out of its packaging yet. That morning I grabbed it but had a devil of a time getting it out of its plastic wrapping! I finally took a scissors to it, which means I probably have blunt scissors now [HINT for changing packaging]. But I finally got it opened and used it on that jar I was struggling with. Voila! It was so easy! I had that jar open in a jiffy. Your design made it very easy in my hands. I checked out your website to see if it came in other colors so I could give it as a gift to friends. Was kind of disappointed in the color selection but I'll make do. I'm sure they will appreciate its ease and cool design like I do."
You get the picture -- haven't customers share experiences is much more valuable. From the little story above you can now dig deeper into the story, or keep asking for later experiences.
Enjoy this process. Take your time -- no need to schedule 20 interviews to aquire tons of material. A handful will do to get you started. Remember you are going for quality, not quantity. You will learn as you go and interviews down the line will be richer and more complex because you will have gotten better at evoking stories from your customers.
I would love to hear about your experiences doing this activity!
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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Editor's Note: This fictionalized case study will appear in a forthcoming issue of Harvard Business Review, along with commentary from experts and readers.
Fiction Smiction -- I run across this scenario regularly in my story work. Particularly with companies with a strong aesthetic vision.
So the case study is very real.
It's a great read. And a perfect example of using a storied case study (not all case studies are, BTW).
But to get back to the dilemma -- - What would you do?
- How would you handle this?
- How would you leverage story to move beyond this impasse?
Can't wait to hear your responses :)
Read the full article here: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/06/case_study_should_you_listen_t.html?awid=5160472941370235642-3271
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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Every use of your website is a conversation started by a site visitor. Think about it: why do people come to your site or app?
If you read my review and article on this same page ("Forget About Content Management...") about moving away from content management systems to developing audience development systems, then this article explains more about how to do that. Yeah!
I really like the specific examples and concrete steps laid out in this post. It all makes sense to me!
Once again, while never mentioning storytelling per se, the article is all about using stories and story elements to generate conversations and engagement with customers/prospects. Like: converse with personal prounouns, invoke action using verbs, and write visually. Sounds like storytelling to me.
So go grab this article and its tips so you can continue developing audiences and engagement to build business success.
Review written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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One creative and immediately available way to develop your staff outside the training classroom and “outside the box” is to turn them into what I call...
What a great article that's also a quick read. Here the author gives 6 creative ideas for how employees can capture stories within your organization to keep a constant stream of stories coming in.
This is what I call 'sustainable storytelling.' A ton of focus these days is on crafting and sharing your biz stories for marketing, branding, sales, etc. Read some articles, take some workshops, and you are all set.
But what is mostly ignored is how to imbed storytelling as a core competence within your business. For storytelling and story sharing to be a core competence, there must be processes and structures in place to bring you a constant stream of stories to listen to, craft, and share.
This article has some great ideas -- and they sound like fun, too. I hope this gets you thinking about different ways to continue to capture stories for your organization!
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her Just Story It Scoops at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it
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