Alternative title: Our brain’s love story with stories. Our love of stories runs deep. We have been telling stories since before we were even farming. We are born storytellers. We love stories so much that we as humans actually have very little ability to resist a good story. This is good news for us as […]

As we’ve learned, we are not the hero in our brand story. We are the guide. And part of what makes a good, reliable, trust-worthy guide is authority. But no one likes a know-it-all show-off who preaches at them. So how can we express our authority to our audience without bragging about ourselves so much that […]

In movies and books (really anytime you’re telling a story) the audience needs to know what the happy ending can look like. We’re rooting for that to happen the whole time. When it comes to creating this messaging in your marketing, you need to cast a vision for a happy ending for your customer. What this […]

As we’ve learned, we are not the hero in our brand story but the guide. But what makes a guide likable, reliable, and trust-worthy? There 2 main characteristics that make a guide a guide: Empathy & Authority When Luke Skywalker meets Yoda, he encounters the perfect guide. Yoda is the lovable character who understands Luke’s dilemma […]

As guides in our brand’s story, we need to provide our customers with a solid plan. (Read Story Strategy Element 4: Plan to learn more) There are 2 kinds of plans that your customer needs to feel comfortable enough to actually press the “Buy Now” button and purchase from you: The Process Plan and The Agreement Plan […]

One thing I want you to take away from this blog post is… Never assume people understand how your brand can change their lives. TELL THEM. We have to tell our customers how great their life can look if they buy our products/services. During the dark times of the Depression, Franklin Roosevelt used the song “Happy […]

This Story Strategy element may seem a little counterproductive at first, but once you understand it’s importance in the story of your brand you’ll be palming your forehead saying “DUH.” In order for a story to be captivating, thrilling, and worth hearing through there has to be some suspense. Stories need some conflict and threatening […]

Here’s the bottom line: Your customer will not take action unless they are challenged to take action. I know- kind of annoying but that’s just how we work as human beings. In stories, characters don’t take action on their own. They must be challenged. A story where a woman who needs to lose 30 pounds […]

Customers trust a guide who has a plan. (Read Story Strategy Element 3: Guide to learn about your role as the guide) We need to lay out a simple plan of action for them to take, before they’re able to be ready to invest in what we’re offering. Actually making a purchase is a huge step, especially […]

Here’s the bottom line: Customers aren’t looking for another hero; they’re looking for a GUIDE. As I explained in Story Strategy Elements 1: Character, you are NOT the hero in this story. Your customer is. If heroes in a story could solve their own problems, they would never get into trouble in the first place. That’s […]

In it’s simplest form, a story starts with a character who lives in peace and balance. Then suddenly something throws off that balance and disturbs the peace- a bomb explodes, someone is kidnapped, a disaster strikes, etc. The hero then sets out on a journey to return to the life of bliss they once enjoyed. […]

Starting off the Story Strategy Elements Series is Element 1: Character. Every story obviously needs a main character, a protagonist, and a hero. In your brand story, who do you think the main character is? (Hint: it’s NOT you.) It’s actually your customer! As humans we live our lives through our own first person POV. […]

I’m a big advocate of using the Story Strategy to really captivate our audience and inspire them to work with us and better their own lives. But what exactly is the Story Strategy? And why will I not shut up about it? The Story Strategy is all about using the 7 elements of storytelling to entice and […]