conventions and a story worth telling

[blockquote text=’Behind every small business, there’s a story worth telling.’ quote_author=’Paul Ryan’ text_color=” width=” background_color=” border_color=”]

Regardless of your political affiliation, that is a statement everyone can agree with.  Each of us, including our companies, have a story that is not only worth telling, but has an audience waiting to hear it.

The term marketing can sometimes have a negative connotation but really it’s about storytelling and connecting.  That’s what the conventions try to do.  The stage, the music, the images, the words are telling a story to create a brand.  In this case, it’s a personal brand.  President Bush and I would debate this word, but he completely captured the concept.  And every time he said “brand” in a meeting, he would wink at me. Love that man.  He has an incredible personal brand.  Agree or disagree with him; you know his story and what he stands for.

The process by which a person, a campaign or a company tells its story is the same.  It encompasses diving into a few very simple questions with an authentic lens:

• Why am I doing this?
• What is the goal?
• Who is my audience?
• How do I reach them?
• What should I say?

Answer the questions.  Build the story.  And then share the message.  Because of the wealth of tools, information and data, we have overcomplicated the process.  Sure, it’s hard to take that step and put your message out there.  That’s scary.  People will have opinions.  Just like they do before and after the conventions.  But it isn’t until after the conventions that people can have more informed opinions (those that paid attention are prospective customers).

So, take the leap and go for it!  Your story is worth being told.

Click here to learn more about our story at Minerva!