 Your new post is loading...
Last week, I gave a talk to a networking group on social media marketing. Without slides and a limited time to cover a HUGE subject, I focused on 10 key things that I’ve learned about social media that I think every small business owner should know. Here are my 10 things: 1. Social media is social. It’s about interaction, not broadcasting. This means that you should be having conversations, not just blasting your own promotions all the time (in fact, don’t do that at all.) 2. You cannot outsource a relationship. Be careful if you’re considering outsourcing your social media marketing because you can’t delegate personal connections, and that’s what social media is all about....
...Yes, there is a lot more to content marketing than just one campaign, but the lesson from this very simple idea is as solid as they come – it doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to relate to your clients and give them some value. Next time you are racking your brain struggling to think about what you can write about, take a moment, look around ask the people on the front lines of your business what they think. Take the pressure off – a little creativity and fun might just solve all your problems and win the hearts of some new fans. Giving that little extra...
The Online Journalism Review(OJR) has always been a valuable resource for insight into the transition from traditional into digital journalism. It’s ironic their website relaunch suffers some of the same challenges as traditional media moving to digital.... ...I like the new look and several of the new features. What’s baffling is the lack of social media best practices for this “online” journalism review. What’s missing?...
...In a business climate obsessed with PowerPoint presentations, complex graphs and charts, and lengthy reports, storytelling may seem to some like a soft way of getting hard stuff done. It’s anything but that. Steve’s experience with storytelling is, in fact, supported by the data.
Research shows that when leaders want to communicate standards, stories are a much more effective means of communication than are corporate policy statements, data about performance, and even a story plus the data. Information is more quickly and accurately remembered when it is first presented in the form of an example or story....
Via Karen Dietz
What good is having a content marketing plan if it doesn't create leads and sales for you?
Via Karen Dietz
If you want a seamless guest experience your hotel needs to have a story Heres an example how to turn story ... This is a quick yet very insightful article linking the interior design of a hotel, storytelling, and women's liberation. "Whaaaaattttt??!!" you say. Yep. It's a perfect example of how a hotel got creative and leveraged storytelling in order to market themselves more effectively, and increase sales. The post about a New York City hotel that originally opened as the Hotel Martha Washington. It was the first hotel in the country specially designed for women only. Based on the the building's history, the new owners of the hotel created a persona that typified women who stayed at the hotel. From there they created interior designs that connected together its history, the contributions of 12 women to our world, their identified persona, and their marketing efforts. Brilliant! I love how this company translated storytelling into the physical world through its interior designs. More companies need to be doing this for enhancing both employee and customer experiences/engagement. For all the details, go read this article. Like a chocolate truffle, it's small but rich with a lasting impression! This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it ;
[Very creative storytelling for business ROI ~ Jeff]
Via Karen Dietz
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 ;
Via Karen Dietz
Is your brand focused on transactions or interactions? Why is this article showing up in this collection on biz storytelling? Because the 4 ways brands can build relationships gets done through effective storytelling. I love the 4 points made here in this quick read: branding is about building relationships to generate business, not pushing messages to make sales. As a result, the game is now about human interactions instead of product transactions. What is the most effective way to promote human interaction? Story sharing! This leads to point #4 -- relationships allow for organic discovery -- about your product/service, customer needs/likes/wants, potential innovations, new markets, etc.. The best vehicle for allowing organic discovery is story sharing. Read the rest of the insights here. They make tons of sense. And if you like the ideas but want to know how to implement them -- then bring story sharing (telling your biz stories and listening to the stories of others in return) into your daily work life. This is a game-changer.
Via Karen Dietz
A study on Facebook learned that photos are the best type of content to draw the highest-level of engagement while links draw the least... Here's just a very quick article for you that once again emphasizes that videos, photos and visuals are essential to effective storytelling on the web. Of the 300 brand pages, 150,000 posts, and 700 million likes in the study, photos drew the highest amount of engagement. And if a company wants content shared, then videos were the vehicle to make that happen. There's a nice infographic in the article that I'm going to pin to my Pinterest board to keep handy. Think about how you want to add more photos and videos to your website and content for greater engagement! And thank you fellow curator Debra Askanase @askdebra for sending me this article.
Via Karen Dietz
|
Inspired by a reader's question, CMI takes a closer look at challenges B2B marketers face at both small and enterprise businesses. Check out our 9 ideas for solving some of the biggest content challenges... ... Andy’s question inspired us to take a closer look at some of the content marketing challenges faced by North American B2B marketers who work at small businesses (companies with 10 – 99 employees), as compared to their peers at enterprise organizations (companies with more than 1,000 employees). We’ll also share some insights on ways content marketers can address these issues — regardless of the size of the organization they work for. In general, both groups are similarly challenged with producing the kind of content that engages — and it is the top challenge for enterprise companies. In a way, I think it’s encouraging to see this as a top challenge, as it shows that marketers are focusing on the value of quality over quantity. And, there is good reason why engaging content matters: Customers and prospects who engage with content are more likely to reach out or initiate a relationship with your organization....
... If you’ve got Google +, you simply need to log in to your account and click “Start a Hangout”. From there, you get a series of prompts that take you through the steps you need to get schedule and start your Hangout. Be sure to check out Hangouts on Air, a feature that gives you the opportunity to broadcast your Hangout to others on your YouTube channel, on Google + or on your website. And while it has got a lot of pros, Google + does have its cons. One of which, is that you’ve got to have a Google ID to use it. That also means that for people to join your Hangout, they’ve got to have one too. And the more apps you add to your Hangout, the slower your connection speed, resulting in lag time. So how you use Google Hangouts to market your small business? Here are seven ways to help you get started....
... Engagement marketing involves more than understanding computer and mobile technologies, apps, software, and computer language, just as traditional advertising is more than simply visual technology, music, video creation, and printing. Engagement marketing is not merely a simple combination of traditional advertising and public relations, with elements of customer service thrown in, as suggested by Richard Branson and the Virgin Group. Engagement in social media is a distinctly different type of communication supporting true relationships and requiring an approach with deep consumer understanding, support, and value extending beyond the exchange of commercial communication. Engagement in social media looks more like a commercial friendship, using authenticity, transparency, empathy, and celebrating the value of the network, not the firm....
Your content is good. You know your material. You know how to put words together in a way people want to read. You're nearly there. But the game isn't
Via janlgordon
In our social media-infused world, traditional marketing logic just doesn't work. I had earmarked this article to share with you awhile ago and just found it again when cleaning up my emails. Better late than never! Here's what I love about this post -- it makes no bones about the fact that marketing is changing. And if you haven't gotten with the program, get on board quick! Now, I don't agree that ALL traditional marketing techniques are dead. But the author Bill Lee sure does make a great case explaining how things are changing. And his statistics are riveting. And I also like that he shares with us what we need to do to stay with the curve: Getting into community marketing Identify and promote customers that bring value (and not just based on how much they buy) Help your customers build social capital Involve your customers in creating solutions together What's story got to do with it? Stories are the way the points above happen. It's all about the stories you share, listen to, promote, ask for, engage with, and retell. And hint hint -- these are your customer stories mostly! Go read the article for all of Lee's insights. This will post will definitely get you thinking differently. This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it ;
Via Karen Dietz
StoryLab is a new hub for innovation with a big aim: to radically improve public conversation in the U.S. and around the world. Everybody talks about it, but CDS actually knows how to do it. To change the world, you first have to change the story. Here is an organization I think everyone should know about -- the Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS). They have been, and continue to provide world-class training in digital storytelling grounded in the power of a story dynamics to make a difference. They are launching a new project -- StoryLab -- which aims to engage people in changing stories that keep us stuck, limited -- like our political discourse, violence, aids, etc. -- and expressing those stories that eliven and enoble us. Truly great work. So why am I curating this and what has it got to do with business? Well -- imagine applying these same principles and ideas to the stories you share about your business, engaging your organization in this kind of deep story sharing that changes the world, and engaging with customers to create profound partnerships that make a difference. Hmmmm -- I think there are lots of opportunities here and StoryLab is showing us the way. The video on the StoryLab page also mentions supporting the project through donations. That is up to you. I have no affiliation with the Center other than our mutual love of story and its transformative power, and an amazing conversation I had a few years ago with founder Joe Lambert. IMHO, thank heavens they are doing this project. There are so many others in the field of story that also work with story for transformative change. Let's keep hooking up. It is in this spirit that I bring you StoryLab. This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it ;
Via Karen Dietz
In our experience, it's rare for a diverse group of headstrong Executive Education participants from around the globe to agree on anything. Our research has shown that more and more leaders — from organizations that range from computer-networking giant Cisco Systems to Hindustan Petroleum, a large India-based oil supplier — are using the power of organizational conversation to drive their company forward. I love this article! Why? Because it reframes leadership, organizational change, and employee engagement as a conversation. Finally! The authors don't directly mention storytelling, but if you are going to have a meaningful conversation, you know that storytelling is going to be a part of it. Actually, promoting conversational storytelling is what I've practiced for years in my org development work. And it's a natural for anyone connected into business storytelling. This notion fits perfectly with the emerging recognition that stories -- and stories told in conversation -- are the path to change, effective leadership, and engagement. I like the research the authors shared, also. This article lays the foundation for where and how to engage in conversations/storytelling that make a difference. And don't forget to read the comments at the end of the post -- there's lots of good info there, too! Enjoy this different perspective.
Via Karen Dietz, janlgordon
You’d think that a problem makes for an interesting story. But when it comes to telling the story of game-changing innovation, the “problem/solution” model is broken. This is why so many brands and causes have a hard time telling their story. When it comes to business, you want to introduce a paradox, not just a problem. What a great post from colleage Michael Margolis on how to re-think the problem/resolution elements of a story into presenting the possbility & then the obstacle being faced. This is an especially important insight for nonprofits to get because the problem/resolution set up starts out with a negative -- which can be a turn-off for people. As Michale says, we are surrounded by enough problems these days. So turn the problem/resolution dyamic on its head and shift to presenting the possibility/obstacle dynamic instead. That way you are leading with a positive, and then presenting the obstacle to overcome. Obviously then people's participation in the cause/business will help the obstacle be overcome. Or part of the obstacle has already been overcome with people's help. Now, I would suggest doing the same for any business -- present the possibility and the obstacle, and then the resolution or call to action. I be you'll feel better setting up your story this way, and so will your audience. Let me know how it goes!
Via Karen Dietz
"STORY" IS THE NEW "CONTENT." As buzzwords go, story isn’t entirely bad -- for years I’ve pushed clients to be storytellers. I’ve berated the descent of story into a furtive sea of “content,” stripping all emotion from human pursuits. I love this post and its irreverent attitude. It is quite refreshing in this day and age when 'storytelling', 'branding', and 'content' are such pervasive buzzwords and hyped as the cure-all for everything. There are great reminders in this article that great business stories are not sanitized, and that there is danger in always crafting a happy ending. Only sharing your 'success' stories eventually undercuts your believability. We know there have been mistakes, trials, and tribulations along the way and we want to hear about those too. Why? Because it makes you human. As the author Gary Goldhammer says, storytelling is about people. Brands aren't about Hollywood actors, and "companies are not logos. There are human beings behind them all." There are more insights here in this quick post -- reading it is almost like hitting the 'reset' button when we forget the fundamentals of storytelling after getting caught up in the hyped-up excitement about story branding, social media, content creation, and technology.
Via Karen Dietz
|
This is an important study for PR professionals concerned about ethics. It highlights some of the big challenges for strategic PR people speaking up about ethical issues to senior management, clients or colleagues.