The (Art) of Brand Storytelling - PRSA West Michigan Nonprofit Workshop

The
ART of
(BRAND)
Storytelling
Dawn Pick Benson
@GRbrandcontent
Saturday, September 14, 13

PRSA - West Michigan
Nonproﬁt Workshop
September 12, 2013
Grand Rapids, Michigan

My story.

takomabibelot

photo credit: Mike
Greenville

Why is storytelling
important?

When facts become widely
available and instantly accessible,
each one becomes less valuable.
What begins to matter more is the
ability to place facts in context
and deliver them with emotional
impact.
The essence of story:
Context enriched by emotion.

Stories provide
understanding.

“Humans are not
ideally set up to
understand logic;
they are ideally set
up to understand
stories.”
- Roger C. Schank,
Cognitive Scientist

Stories provide meaning.

“ T h e s t o r y — f r o m
Rumplestiltskin to War
and Peace — is one of the
basic tools invented by
the human mind for the
purpose of understanding.
There have been great
societies that did not use
the wheel,
but there have been
no societies that did
not tell stories.”
- Ursula K. Le Guin
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/India/East/Orissa/Konark/photo1335152.htm

Stories are how we
remember.

Stories distinguish you in
a crowded marketplace.

'Oh Sweet Lorraine,'

Move people
Inspire others
Change lives

Stories are powerful.

Since 1886,
Ouachita has
been challenging
young men and
women to be
Difference
Makers.
Ouachita alumni,
students, faculty,
and staff are
making a
difference today
as:
• Governors
• University Presidents
• Teachers
• Business Leaders
• Engineers

“There isn’t anyone
you can’t learn to love
once you’ve heard
their story.”

We all have stories like this to tell.

Telling them,
and doing it well,
isn’t easy.

Time
Resources Targeted messaging
Channels: Facebook? Website? Monthly
newsletter (print and/or digital)?
Pinterest?
Choosing the best
stories
Finding them
Cooperation across departments

BUT,
it can make a difference
between passive — and
passionate — donors, volunteers
and friends.

Telling them well
Planning &
Execution
ResearchFinding the right stories
Two Challenges

Understand your audience’s
emotional journey.
Key to ﬁnding the right
stories

http://www.digiday.com/brands/4-ways-brands-can-plan-for-content-success/
“Go and spend time with those
audiences, understand how they
work and build an experience built
around how they operate, built with
them in mind.”
- Katrina Craigwell, General Electric’s digital marketing manager

A single story is incomplete.
It makes one story become the only story.
http://blog.ted.com/2009/10/07/the_danger_of_a/

Understand your audience’s
emotional journey.
Key to ﬁnding the
right stories

Telling them well Planning &
Execution
Two Challenges
ResearchFinding the right stories

Find your role in their journey.
Telling stories well

Consistent
Channel-
Speciﬁc
Compelling
Telling Stories Well

Worth sharing
Connects emotionally
Answers the question:
“Why does your organization matter?”
Compelling

“... Understand not only where your
customer will be exposed to your
message, but what his or her
emotional state will be when engaged
with that media.”
- Fast Company, Melinda Partin, CEO and co-founder of Worktank
Channel-
speciﬁc

Telling a consistent story across
channels, no matter where your
message is delivered.
Consistent

“Being consistent – whether it’s in
your terminology, your tone of voice,
or the way you present information –
is one of the keys to building trust.
And trust is key to any content
marketing program because it builds
loyalty and brand recognition.”
- Andrew Kaufman,“The Case for Content Strategy”
http://www.brightercollective.com/content-strategy/the-case-for-content-strategy/

“Inconsistencies degrade
the power of story and
cause mistrust.”
- Melinda Partin, CEO and co-founder of Worktank
htt//www.fastcompany.com/1315306/brand-storytelling-connecting-your-audience

http://www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/B2B_Content_Marketing_2012.pdf
You’re not alone!

The 4-letter word:
PLAN
(aka strategy)

“When you add a content
strategist at the end of
your process, it’s like
designing a book jacket,
creating the binding and
the PR campaign...
...before you’ve even
written the novel,
devised the chapters,
thought of the way your
story will be told.”
- Margit Detweiler
“4 Ways Brands Can Plan for Content Success”
http://www.digiday.com/brands/4-ways-brands-can-plan-for-content-success/

Content strategy deﬁnes how you’ll use your
content to meet organizational goals
AND satisfy audience needs.

Sets the long-term direction for all
your content-related initiatives.
Ensures all activities work together
toward the same goal.

“True content
strategy is about
more than good
writing... It’s a
process that
facilitates the
development
of good
content.”
- Andrew Kaufman,“The
Case for Content
Strategy”
http://www.brightercollective.com/content-strategy/
the-case-for-content-strategy/

• Who is your audience?
• What key messages do you need to communicate? Why?
• What do they need to remember?
• What do you want them to do? (objectives, call-to-
action)
• What are the best formats to communicate your
message (how-to articles, newsletters, videos, etc.)?
• What are the best channels to communicate to them?
So, Before you begin design ...

Other key process questions
• Who will create it? Edit it? Approve it? (workﬂow)
• When will we publish it? (content calendar)
• Where will we publish it?
• Why is it important to publish it?
• How are we promoting it once it’s published?
• How are key content decisions made? Who should make
them? (governance)
source: Meet Content

A few suggestions
Consider your key content objectives & develop
corresponding tactics for each.
Look for upcoming events & opportunities for
meeting these objectives.
Intentionally seek out stories that speak to
your audience’s emotional journey.
Develop a content calendar - make a plan for
telling your stories well!

Let’s try it.

First, understand your audience’s
emotional journey.
Finding the right
stories

Then, ﬁnd your role in their journey.
Telling the stories
well

Every brand has a story to tell.
And telling it well can make the difference between
passive and passionate stakeholders.

If stories come to you, care for them.
And learn to give them away where
they are needed.
Sometimes a person needs a story
more than food to stay alive.”
- Barry Lopez, author of Arctic Dreams

Thank you!

Dawn Pick Benson
@GRbrandcontent
dpb@dawnpickbenson.com

The (Art) of Brand Storytelling - PRSA West Michigan Nonprofit Workshop

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