At age 7, my primary school teacher taught me the art of storytelling.
Every Monday, as pupils in Class 1, we wrote in our ‘News’ books about something that had happened to us over the weekend. We told our young lives in stories.
Why am I telling you this?
My early storytelling skills have more to do with marketing than you might think. Here’s why.
Want to be influential? Tell a story
Even today, and especially in business when we lack the time to read thoroughly, stories make reading much easier. If our writing is easy to understand, people take action. This action moves a prospect closer to a sale.
Stories work well as a marketing tool in a number of ways. Here are 3 of them.
- Personas
- Case studies and testimonials
- Product or service demos
1. Personas
Who are you writing to? The first task in preparing any communication is to understand your customer.
How is your service, product and company relevant to her?
How will your customer’s life improve when she is using your product or service?
The questions are simple but need in-depth research. When written as a story about the customer’s situation, as a persona, the research comes to life.
The persona is given a name and a photograph and is spoken of as a real person. It focuses the minds of marketers on customers’ real needs. It avoids assumptions and focuses on facts.
Before you write your next sales letter or marketing email, compile a persona for a group of people and see what you uncover.
You’ll soon start to see improved results when you write with more focus.
This is just a brief introduction to the value of personas. Please get in touch to find out more.
2. Testimonials and case studies
The best stories to write about are the ones about happy customers: case studies.
What happens when we read about great products and excellent service? We scan the page to see who else is saying so.
People seek the reassurance of others. We want to know what people like us say. This influences our decision to buy.
This is the role testimonials and case studies play in generating more business.
Why recommendations help your business
It’s not enough for you to say you are an expert. Customer testimonials show evidence of your reputation.
If you have acquired and helped happy customers over the last 20 years, your words are meaningless to the reader (and will be disregarded) unless others are saying so too.
Recommendations prove we can be trusted.
When someone else who has purchased from you says your service is “good” the customer believes it to be true. When you say so, it is less believable.
How to add testimonials and case studies to your website
- Give them page of their own.
- And, add quotes from clients alongside descriptions of your service or products.
Satisfied customers are your best source of resales and referrals. Don’t miss out on this valuable stream of business.
Would you like me to help? Please get in touch.
3. Product or service demos
A demonstration showing a customer using your product or service is most helpful. Not only that, it’s highly persuasive.
Show your prospective customer how simple it is to use your product and she will see the difference it will make to her life.
A demonstration is easy to remember and, using video, easy to include on your YouTube channel, website and emails.
A video demonstration is of value especially to people with a visual style of learning. To all of us, a video is easy to watch and remember. People will be persuaded to buy your product if they can easily understand how it works and how it benefits them.
It’s important to write a concise script and, when filming, get to the point quickly.
Combine the video demo with a free trial, or a free gift, and this extra incentive will boost your sales success even more.
Please share your experiences
What high persuasion tips are you able to share? Which powers of influence have worked best for you?
Get in touch
Would you like to know more about writing a case study or persona? Please phone or email. I’ll be happy to advise.
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