Internet Marketing Through Storytelling Therefore, Storytelling Is Critical, But What Kind of Storytelling?

 I'm sure you're aware of the significant changes affecting the offline world of business these days. Changes in the way organizations interact with their employees, customers, and indeed with all of their stakeholders.

After Daniel Goleman's book Emotional Intelligence debuted on the New York Times bestseller list in the mid-1990s, this new soft-skills approach gained traction.

And if you're an internet marketer, I'm sure you're also aware of the critical nature of "soft-skills" such as developing rapport, trust, and overall lasting relationships with your customers - and prospective customers.

And have you noticed how nearly every prominent internet marketer emphasizes the importance of storytelling when communicating with customers?

They do so because stories are a tool for soft-skill development and soft-sell. Additionally, stories are an extremely effective method of establishing necessary rapport, trust, and, ultimately, lasting relationships.

I've now been working with and utilizing stories for nearly two decades. In my life coaching practice, I used them. To my Leadership Skills and Change Management MBA students, I've always included a module on strategic Storytelling with data PDF free.

Five Things I Learned About Successful Internet Marketers and Storytelling

Needless to say, given my passion for strategic storytelling, I was ecstatic when I joined the internet marketing community and heard so many top internet marketers discuss the importance of "telling your story."

Nevertheless, after studying the work of dozens of medium-to-high-profile internet marketers, I discovered five things.

1. That ALL of the top internet marketers emphasize the value of storytelling in their customer communications.

2. THE MAJORITY OF SUCCESSFUL MARKETERS USE SOME FORM OF STORY.

3. Only a FEW of them truly impress with their use of stories. I save those web pages in a file.

4. NOT ONE OF THEM ENSURES THAT YOU LEARN THE DO'S AND DON'T'S OF STORY USE.

5. There is a disconnect between what the best internet marketers recommend and the techniques that demonstrate how to do it. This is the chasm I am attempting to close.

Additionally, I discovered that many marketers use the term "story" in a variety of ways and for a variety of purposes.

Three examples of these Various Storytelling Approaches:

* The Coca-Cola company recently announced a new marketing and advertising strategy dubbed "Trans-Media Storytelling." This is about incorporating a fictional story into a variety of different media forms. Electronic entertainment, video games, and the internet serve as their foundations. Additionally, it is viewed as a less expensive method of reaching a larger audience.

* At Microsoft's recent Advance '08 convention, Michael Eisner declared that the internet's future lay in "creative storytelling." However, to what did he refer specifically?

* When certain internet marketers inquire, "what is your story?" They're merely requesting an explanation of what you're selling or doing, which has nothing to do with a genuine narrative-based story.

This all contributes to the story's newcomer's confusion.

Two Critical Considerations

However, the two most critical points that emerge from what appears to be a sea of confusion above are the following:

1. When people discuss stories and storytelling, they may refer to a variety of different storytelling concepts and forms.

2. Regardless of the concept to which they are alluding, they are alluding to the importance of storytelling in their marketing message. And all forms of storytelling have a number of characteristics in common. These include: (1) how stories can be used; (2) common underpinning characteristics; and (3) how to use stories strategically for your specific product or service.

My upcoming home study course, "Influencing with Love," includes a full module on storytelling. In all forms of communication, narratives and storytelling are used. Additionally, we are informed of changes in our world through changing world stories.