Author: Shirley Husband

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Why stories matter and how to tell tales…

We’ve been taken by surprise

The whole world is on a journey right now. Every member of society has a unique story to tell about our experience during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Some stories are tragic, some are uplifting, some are of courage, others of rage, and the best ones are about hope and kindness.

As lockdown eases and the economy recharges, businesses are adapting quickly. Some are moving further online; diversifying, changing what they sell and how they sell it. Their behaviour is based on how their customers think and feel which, of course, drives how they behave and how they buy.

It’s more important than ever to connect with your customers, to appeal to their emotions, their wants, needs and new routines. Great storytelling is the best way to rise to that challenge, and will help you stand out from your competition.

Deliver a confident message

Here’s a great quote from a fantastic storyteller:

“There’s always a story. It’s all stories really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything has a story in it. Change the story, change the world.”

Terry Pratchett

I love stories – the thing is, we all do! It’s human nature to empathise with others, their situations and triumphs over adversity. We’re inherently nosy, we love to connect, especially just now, and the more powerful the story, the more powerful the connection.

That’s why skillful storytelling is so effective in business. From cave paintings to tapestries, from Shakespeare to Netflix, people have always had an appetite for it. Now, with an unstoppable flood of digital messages for consumption, it’s never been more important to deliver a confident narrative.

Constructing a story for business

When you’re telling a story to boost your company’s appeal, who is the hero of your tale? You might (justifiably) think it’s you. Think again! It’s your customer. He or she is on a mission, in the same way as James Bond goes out to save the world, and they have a problem to solve.

What is that problem? What could stop them achieving their goal? Guess what, they need someone to help them, a guide – and that’s you! You’re there to shine a light, to help them solve their problem and achieve their mission.

Take them on a journey. What are the stakes? What are the dangers that lurk if you don’t help? Of course, only you have the answer, can guide them to a resolution and help them achieve their goal!

These are the tried and tested components of any great story, and when applied appropriately and consistently in a business context, they’ll work fantastically well to build your brand. There’s just one problem – writing them takes time.

Let me help

Of course, that’s where I can shine a light and help you achieve your goal! See what I did there? So, if you’d like me to weave stories for you and your business, on your blog or through any other media, I’d love to get to work boosting your brand, and most importantly your sales. 

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Steven Brown Art

Since December, I’ve been working with Steven Brown Art, helping with product descriptions, content for the UK and US websites, and most exciting of all, writing a new series of children’s books! I’ve loved every minute, and hope to continue for some time to come! The first book is to be launched on 13th April and is initially available online, and in the Ayr store.

https://www.stevenbrownart.co.uk/blogs/news/harris-mccoo-and-the-rainbow-haggis

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Arena HR

This year, I’ve been busy on several projects – there will be lots more to share with you soon! Here’s one I can share with you now. Arena HR offer top notch consultancy on a flexible basis to SME clients across Ayrshire and Scotland. They’ve recently identified just what a difference good content marketing can do for them, and I’ve started the ball rolling with a monthly blog. Here it is.

http://arenahr.co.uk/monthly-blog/our-5-tips-on-business-culture/

http://arenahr.co.uk/monthly-blog/our-5-tips-on-business-culture/

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Dundonald Castle

Over the last six months I’ve become involved with Dundonald Castle Community Heritage Project. Here’s their new website. On this project, I’ve been working with a charity on a restricted budget and their site reflects that. However, it’s a great example of how anyone can build a website and use a blog to build interest and momentum.

http://www.dundonaldcastle.org.uk

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Booth Welsh Engineering

At the end of 2016, I was contracted by Booth Welsh, an international engineering services company, to rewrite their website. This was a complex task. By the nature of their business, the content required was extremely technical, but at the same time it had to be engaging for visitors to the site. I worked very closely with Booth Welsh’s marketing team and directors to make sure that the site was easy to read, but technical details were also accurate.

http://www.boothwelsh.co.uk

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Content Marketing for Small Businesses

Content marketing – what’s it all about?

For the small business owner, there’s a lot of confusing talk these days about digital marketing and the importance of written content. For example, my dad runs a small business. He’s 71, has an iPhone and a laptop and that’s just about all he can cope with!

He does have a website, but like a lot of small business owners he has one because he knows he needs one and not because he plans on doing very much with it! It’s really just an online brochure for his business.

I thought it would be a good idea to explain a bit about content marketing and clarify the subject for people who are busy trying to make a living doing what they do best and don’t have a lot of time or inclination for the digital age.

What you write matters

Content marketing at its best is an art and a science. The written content that larger companies circulate online, through multiple channels and digital marketing technology, engages their readers, builds trust and confidence in their brands and most importantly, converts traffic to sales.

To attract customers to your website and do this too, you need to do the same thing but scale your efforts down to match their expectations and your capabilities.

The power of the blog

Once you’ve made sure that your website truly reflects you and your business and is the sales tool that it needs to be, then why not create a simple blog section which you add to regularly?

It doesn’t need to be every day, or even every week, but ‘regularly’ is the key word here. Make sure you’re relevant and reliable, stay in your customers’ consciousness and don’t drift off into the ether! Set their expectations that you’ll post regularly and then stick to it.

The content needs to be interesting. Remember you’re writing for humans and tap into their emotions if you can. You could share ideas, new techniques, industry news, an experience at a conference or trade show or something similar. If you can’t think of anything original, or writing isn’t your strong point, ask someone to help.

Images

It’s essential to include good images with your content or, even better, video content. You can find a lot of great images for free on sites like Pixabay and Megapixl. People are so used to seeing strong images on the web and on social media that you need them to grab their increasingly limited attention spans and have more priority online.

Network

You could also ‘borrow’ from other industry leaders. Follow the right people on social media and share their articles. If you’ve found one really inspiring then write a brief synopsis of it on your own blog, citing them as a reference and providing a link to their article. This is OK as long as you don’t try to pass their work off as your own. They will be happy with the exposure – it’s how content marketing works!

Social Media

Share your blog through social media. Share, share, share and get others to like and share it too. What you’re doing is getting your message and your expertise out there. Traditional face-to-face selling isn’t the best way anymore. People want to buy from people who provide them with the information and expertise they need, when they need it. Be passionate and be there when they’re browsing.

Calls to action

So once you’ve created some good content, built some links and become a ‘thought leader’ in your area, is it all just about increased traffic to your website? Not really. You need to remember to convert that traffic through ‘calls to action’.

Make sure there are the right buttons on your blog for others to share what they read or contact you. Try to get people to sign up for an e-newsletter or, if they want something for free or a special offer, then ask for an e-mail address – that sort of thing.

You can do it!

With 2 billion websites in the world and 1 billion smartphones, every business is getting good at content marketing. Don’t be left behind – small businesses can do it too! Just do what’s manageable and do it well. It’s like old-fashioned face-to-face networking, but your voice, your personality, your expertise and your brand must come through your content.

It’s maybe not as much fun and there aren’t so many glasses of wine or canapés involved, but it’s effective, saves time and you’ll get better with practice. There are still plenty of opportunities for face-to-face networking and you’ll be more successful, safe in the knowledge that you’re keeping up in the digital age.

So it’s over to you – which of these techniques do you use already and what do you do with your blog? What digital and content marketing do you find works for you?