Being in business or organizational leadership doesn't leave us room to be romantic about the way we wish the world would behave. That romantic view of the world causes us to hesitate in moving into new marketing and communication realities because we are too busy observing how we wish things would "not be." We want the methods that we have learned to work and continue working. But the truth is, things have changed.
The Art of Storytelling
I love the way that Gary Vaynerchuk says this, "Marketers ruin everything." It's because they over-use everything. No matter what you do, if you are communicating, trying to get people to go along with your product, your program or your leadership, you have to become a storyteller. Pushing out marketing information using channels that used to work, won't serve you or those you help any longer.
We have to re-conceptualize how we see all of our marketing channels. They are no longer one-way streets, but instead, they are storytelling channels in which the things we have to offer must find their way into the life and social narratives of others, because they have value. This shift to storytelling is only getting more pronounced, and it is producing obsolescence among many who thought they knew how to market and communicate.
What is a Fossil? It is a living thing that became stuck in what had fallen and collected before and then became a calcified, hardened form that was no longer alive. That is what you will become if you fail to change as the culture changes around us.
The Changing of Our Culture
We might be tempted to think that storytelling is an art that is reserved for some kind of relic, but in fact, it is the direction of our culture. We need more story, not less...more compelling images and ideas, not less... more interaction, not less.
Important Questions:
- How can you shift your marketing style to storytelling?
- How can you give information, insight, and value before you ask?
- How can you increase your capacity to listen and respond to potential clients?
