Posts Tagged ‘The Story Lady’

Velda Brotherton is a gifted and prolific fiction author who is all over the social networks including Facebook and Twitter.. She writes romance, historical fiction & more. She has won awards, published numerous books, print & Kindle. She does so many things right when it comes to book promotion, yet she faces a challenge as a fiction author that mirrors the challenge budding business owner face.. "How do I find the people who want what I have?" Thats what well discuss on this weeks show! Join Co-Hosts, Gina Gaudio-Graves The JV Queen and Dean & Founder of DirectionsU.com and Ronda Del Boccio ("The Story Lady" of ProfitableStorytelling.com, with AMAZING people who build their business through the power of relationships, Youll discover how to grow your influence & become THE go-to expert in your niche or field by focusing on service. Just starting out --or considering? Then take the FREE 30-day Passion Challenge!

Velda Brotherton | relationship marketing | Directions University | social marketing | book promotion

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How Can Storytelling Techniques Build a Strong Brand?

while doing some work for a consulting client, I found this excellent article about storytelling and branding. It seems that storytelling techniques and a discussion of storytelling for business branding were high on the list, and it is no wonder!

It seems everyone is getting more and more into storytelling.

Target stores are adding boutique lines to their offerings, and their tV commercials feature stories of little companies making it big at Target. KMart features their clothing designers’ stories to build interest and loyalty to the brand. (OK I really LOVE buying clothes at KMart. I can always find clothes that I like and that are sized for REAL size people!)

When one company brings in a line from another company, they are licensing or “borrowing” the brand.

This article from Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association gives insight into just how big storytelling for business has become. This is a professional association, and if THEY are talking about storytelling techniques and storytelling ideas, then YOU as a business owner need to pay more attention to the power of storytelling.

After the article, I’ll share storytelling techniques you can use to get you started.

 

Original Article Source

Storytelling at forefront of LIMA Conference

Posted by Marty Brochstein

One of the most striking themes running through this month’s LIMA Retail & Branding Conference was the importance of storytelling in building a strong brand. Whether it’s the positioning of Iconix’ Material Girl fast fashion juniors brand at Macy’s around Madonna’s 14-year-old daughter Lola, or the attempted reinvention of Kmart’s apparel and home business as KmartDesign, or the development of businesses around such celebrities as Twiggy, Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige on HSN, an authentic story gives the brand substance.

HSN’s Executive VP Bill Brand, for example, told of the company being approached by ‘60s modeling icon Twiggy about mounting a fashion business. It began with a meeting at HSN’s Florida headquarters. “For us, it’s really important that we have that face-to-face meeting, that we really spend some key quality time together, and really understand, is this about making money, is this about media placements, what is this about? How authentic is this?”

A subsequent meeting, he said, involved HSN’s design director rooting through Twiggy’s closet in London, “going through her favorite things and what inspires her, and from that, 6-9 months later,” the Twiggy London brand was launched on HSN, where it stands as one of the company’s top apparel brands in under two years.

For Jeff Fagel, Director of Brand Development at Sears Holdings, the ongoing challenge is help Kmart gain credibility (and sales) in the apparel and home categories. The marketing challenge involves a three part process, he said: “How do you get people to pay attention [to the message]? How do you get people to care? How do you get people to act?” The goal is to spark “curious disbelief,” or put another way, to spark the following consumer reaction: “No way, this can’t be Kmart.”

Acknowledging the perception of Kmart’s apparel as being of “low quality and style,” the brand development team set out to “build consideration and credibility for the brand… in a disruptive and differentiate way.” A key element has been the work done with a team of documentary filmmakers who followed Kmart ‘s design team in their New York and Chicago offices, and on trend-shopping trips to London and Paris. The footage was rapidly cut into four pilot videos, and show to consumer panels.

“This wasn’t about [simply] creating viral video; this wasn’t about going out and shocking. It was really about being true to the foundation of Kmart, being honest and authentic and speaking in a different voice, and really trying to bring in a new apparel and home customer,” Fagel told the conference attendees. “We had a great story to tell…. Part of it is product – improved product, quality, better design, expanded assortments, new brands, great value for the price, but everyone can say that. We have a 250-person design team in Soho and Chicago, which nobody knew about, and we felt it was an opportunity to tell our story in a unique way and cut through the clutter.”

Over the past two years, the company has been attempting to build buy-in for the KmartDesign effort via social media, with dedicated Facebook page, YouTube portal, Twitter feed, etc. Lots of content has been created. Fagel says that it’s “about building digital relationships and building relationships, not about getting 25,000 Facebook fans. It’s about how do you connect with people on a daily basis, and looking at whether the conversation has shifted.”

Initial results are promising, but it’s an ongoing effort that needs to be sustained in many ways. “It took Target 10+ years to get to where they are right now, and for those who are in retail and know a lot about retail, it starts with product and instore. Those are the two key components. [It has to happen] over time. It’s not going to be overnight.”

That’s great for Target or KMart, but what about you as an expert, author, entrepreneur or business owner?

The answer is you do the same thing! Here’s how:

3 Powerful Storytelling Techniques to Build a Strong Brand

1. Tell the story of how you got started.

The Knot, a hugely popular wedding site, came to be because the founder had every disaster known to woman happen at her wedding, and she didn’t want other brides to go through what she did.

That is a powerful story that attracts the attention of her ideal customer. It conveys caring and instantly builds trust.

What story can YOU tell that will engender a feeling of know, like and trust in your ideal customer?

2. Be human.

OK unless some Visitors from other star systems are reading my site for some reason, I can safely say that you are human. Is that human touch in your company? Do people feel they can connect? In other words, tell the HUMAN story not the product story.

Add the human element to your communications, whether in email, online, in space ads or anywhere else. Think of all the Facebook pages for even the biggest brands and you become aware of the importance of the human touch.

3. Tell the STORY about solving a big customer problem.

Share how someone’s life changes with your solution. Don’t just say, “WE solve this problem all the time.”  Tell the story of how Jo suffered with a problem, then searched endlessly for a solution, then found you and then reaped an amazing result.

And form ore help with storytelling techniques, Story Power guides you through understanding the one story format to which every human alive responds.  During the 90-minute training, you discover how to tap  into the power of your story.

You also get the journal and other resources that the live seminar participants had.

Claim it now at www.ProfitableStorytelling.com/dvd

Follow your bliss!

Ronda Del Boccio, the Story Lady

#1 bestselling author & Celebrity Author Mentor

it may not be easy to see what this is. These are the baby chickens all in
a pile. adorable!

baby chicks as well as the adult chickens are often sources of
inspirational thoughts for me.

I love watching them do what chickens do. It is forever the source of
wonder and entertainment for me. I never renew how much fun chickens were
until I started raising them.

Raising the new baby chickens is especially meraculous to me. Tonight, the
babies went from there little box into the big coop for the first time.

Here they are moments after they all arrive in there big new world. And as
much as they cried out for freedom, once they got it they did not quite
know what to do with it.

Never let yourself get so caught up in whatever you do during the day that
you fail to know what is the wonders of nature that are all around you.

Follow your bliss,

Ronda Del Boccii
#1 best selling author and Celebrity Author Mentor