In his book, All Marketers Are Liars, Seth Godin discusses the power of telling authentic stories in a low-trust world.

Godin explains that before telling someone a story, he tells it to himself. “The goal of every marketer is to create a purple cow, a product or experience so remarkable that people feel compelled to talk about it.

“The challenge lies in figuring out what’s remarkable and actually making the remarkable happen.” But, before we can share the story “with friends, colleagues or the Internet, we need to tell it to ourselves….Politicians call these talking points. Retailers call it an experience.”

Godin presents the qualities of a “great story,” one that engages an audience’s imagination.

• A great story is true – not just because it’s factual but because it’s consistent and authentic.
• A great story makes a promise – fun, money, safety, or a shortcut – bold and audacious and worth listening to.
• Great stories are trusted – because trust is so scarce, the marketer has earned credibility.
• Great stories are subtle – allowing the consumer to draw his own conclusions.
• Great stories happen fast – quickly engaging the consumer…or not.
• Great stories appeal to our senses – not as much to our logic.
• Great stories rarely aim at everyone – just those who will identify and spread the story.
• Great stories aren’t contradictory. “If your restaurant is in the right location but has the wrong menu, you lose.”
• Great stories agree with our world view. Godin asserts that the best stories don’t teach us anything new. Instead, they agree with what we already believe, making us “feel smart and secure.”

Ready to tell your great story?

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 5th, 2010 at 10:27 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.