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Storytelling and visuals are two of the most powerful tools content marketers have. Both of these attributes can help get ideas across more effectively and increase engagement. Combining these two elements—well, that’s a recipe for success. How can marketers go about creating a successful visual story? Luckily, there are plenty of tools available to help you take a marketing yarn and weave it into a beautiful visual. Here are 11 of the top software programs, websites, and more for creating your visual content marketing stories....
An ad is an ad is an ad. Or is it? Millennials have grown up with a media diet far different than the generations that came before them. Has that changed their media taste? Do brands need different types of ads to reach people of different ages? Google partnered with L'Oréal Paris to find out....
Turn your words and pictures into a beautiful visual story. In minutes. It's free and easy to create beautiful newsletters, a photo slideshow, reports, and other documents with Adobe Slate.
Via Baiba Svenca
Every story had to have some moment that was there to amuse me — a funny moment, an emotional moment, some original observation I’d made on the scene that no other reporter had. It could just be a nice moment in the script. Every story had to have someone who was more than a talking head, spouting out their point of view on the issue of the day.
To make them more human, it sometimes only took a line of description, an original thought about who they were and why they believed what they believed, a surprising moment, a funny moment on tape.If you cannot find a deep interest in the story to begin with, that's a warning since. As Pixar Filmmaker Andrew Stanton advises in his TED Talk on The Clues to a Great Story:
And that's the first story lesson I ever learned. Use what you know. Draw from it. It doesn't always mean plot or fact. It means capturing a truth from your experiencing it, expressing values you personally feel deep down in your core....
We no longer live in a broadcast age. That means you can’t just buy people’s attention—it must be earned. And the best way to earn it in an era where most messages are ignored is to tell a good story.
No matter what medium you use, a good story is authentic and creative, provokes an emotional connection, takes people on a journey, and inspires action. But with social media, it’s also important to know what will prompt people to share your story with their social networks. It usually boils down to one or more of the following reasons: - Bringing valuable or entertaining content to othersDefining ourselves to others - Growing relationships - Spreading the word about causes or brands we care about.
If you have a worthwhile story that people will want to share, then you have the foundation in place. You now need to make it come alive in social media. Here are three ways to do it....
Content marketing is all about storytelling. Without a story, it's a lot harder to create content (and it's a lot harder to have a reason to create that content). In this post, I want to help you think more clearly about the story behind your business so you can do a better job building more impactful messages and a better content marketing campaign. Let's dive in...
Why You Need A Story First, you might be wondering what storytelling has to do with business and marketing in the first place. Every business needs a good story. The story is what connects your customers to your product or service, and it's what helps explain what the French would call your "raison d'être" (your "reason for existence"). Without a story, you're simply another business simply trying to peddle your products....
Today's post is one example of this collaborative co-construction of the content of this blog. I was sent this wonderful graphic from one of my readers and I found it very relevant to what we have been talking about in the digital storytelling section here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. The infographic below has been designed by CMA and features the 7 steps to the perfect story.
...But what happens once everyone has caught on and businesses are blogging simply to stay healthy, kinda like eating green beans?
We’re here to be inspired, right? I mean, I’m not talking the last twenty minutes of Rudy inspired, but rather inspired to read more, and maybe buy something. We have a challenge. A question. A need or even a want. And we're looking for that moment of inspiration to help make our purchase decision easier.
Somewhere along the way of this mass information age, many forgot this. They forgot that storytelling is the main ingredient for inspiration.It’s why we cry at the end of Forrest Gump. It’s why we cheer at the end of Rocky (all six of them). It’s also why some of us buy Dunkin’ Donuts over Starbucks (or vice versa)....
When Barbie's nemesis Kim gets a job as a reporter, nothing is what it seems.Young journalists today think they have it rough, but they’d probably feel differently if they knew about Kim.Picture this: It’s 1992. Kim has been working as a secretary at The National Scoop since 1986, and she thinks she’s ready to “upgrade her career” and become a reporter. But when she asks, her jerk editor assigns her to a suicide mission. It’s a crafty and timeless move by the editor – give the secretary an impossible story, then blame it on her when she comes up short.
The story? Get the scoop on Barbie. Dozens have tried, dozens of failed. Kim will be no different in her failure, but at least she tried. Here’s what today’s young reporters can learn from her desperate attempt to scoop her way to the top....
...So the question is: Why is a story so important to your personal branding strategy? First of all, it sets your brand apart as unique. Every brand has its own story to tell, but yours is the only one of its kind. What drives you? Why did you enter the field that you find yourself in today? You’d be surprised at what details will intrigue the reader and give your audience an idea of what your brand is really about. Perhaps one of the most effective characteristics of a story is that it humanizes your brand. It’s easy to launch a brand, but the story behind it can leave your target audience wondering where it came from. What is your actual purpose? What drives your actions? Was it the right opportunity at the right moment? Now consider how your brand has affected others. How have you impacted the lives of those involved with your brand? Has it always gone smoothly? Are you new at this? What’s your experience prior to the creation of your brand? What is the story behind your personal brand? While the story for your brand might satisfy your present audience, the aspects of your personal brand story can turn you from just a brand into the personification they can truly relate to....
When it comes to crafting “words that sell”, the research shows us that stories are among the most persuasive forms of writing out there. Persuasive writing is an essential part of blogging—there’s no two ways about it. So if you plan on selling anything, connecting†deeply with your readers, or going viral with a post that bares all about your life (like Jon Morrow did), you better be prepared to create stories that actually move people. Why do stories work so well?...
For the past two years (2011 and 2012), I shared my top 50 business storytelling and communications mantras. As I plan for 2013, I always look to my list to light a small fire of inspiration.
As you look through this list, see what applies to your life or what you want to apply. Write your own list of mantras. Whatever you do, make a list (short or long) of your goals and aspirations. Every so often read, revise, and contemplate...
Here are the mantras at The Chief Storyteller....
Via José Carlos
Whatever happened to Cinderella's shoe? Who knows? It didn't go viral. Put another way: Story generation and the way we develop content has changed, and you must change with it.
Once upon a time, every brand and entrepreneur had a story to tell. The story line largely followed the same format. As in an elementary school English assignment, storytellers would introduce readers to the big five: characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. Every story ended the same, too: "And they all lived happily ever after as leaders in the industry."
But frequently, the heart of the story—the meat that would resonate with consumers—was lost in the telling. Awareness might have been the key goal, but relevance and engagement with the target audience were often elusive. We just didn't dive that deep. And we couldn't. We were telling the story through 30-second broadcast spots or—when PR was employed—through earned media with word count restraints and editorial gatekeepers....
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What happens when people use storytelling for deception? Or downright evil?In this week’s podcast, Shane and I talk to Maria Konnikova, a frequent New Yorker contributor and author of The Confidence Game: The Psychology of the Con and Why We Fall for It Every Time, to learn about the art of the con and the impact it’s having on the media world, from catfishing on Facebook to advertising that crosses the line....
Besides the fact that the comedy they perform is hilarious and has launched the careers of so many amazing talents, Second City also offers marketing and content consulting services to help teach brands how to co-create material with their consumers, just like the SC performers do with their audience.
In other words, content marketing can truly benefit from improvisation, says Eninger. Read on to learn how taking a Second City approach to your content strategy can forge strong bonds with your audience and earn your brand a standing ovation....
Below you will find 50+ web tools you can use to create your own web-based story. They are grouped into categories of tool types, but you can also access a complete list of all tools. Each link points to a full entry on the tool that includes a description, links and embedded versions of the original Dominoe story, links to other stories created in the tool, and some more feedback that can help you decided if the tool might be of interest.
People who join this wiki can contribute to the content on these pages (learn more...). Again, your mission is not to review or try every single one (that would be madness, I know), but pick one that sounds interesting and see if you can produce something....
If you want to separate your content from your competitors, storytelling is a great tactic to add to your content marketing strategy. Several interesting case studies have shown how the implementation of storytelling can triple sales within one year. The best part is that any business can use storytelling in their content marketing strategy by following these five best practices....
Pixar's 22 Rules to Phenomenal Storytelling, originally tweeted by Emma Coats.
Find out how telling visual stories with images or video on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and YouTube will help you reach connect with your audience.
Are you sharing your stories with your fans?
Do you use pictures in your social marketing?
People want pictures in their social channels.
When done right, these pictures become visual stories.
In this article, I’ll show you how five brands are using pictures to share their stories and why that’s important....
Sharing a compelling story is a memorable and powerful content marketing strategy, especially for prospective customers. Here's how to find your narrative...
...Using email marketing and social media allows you to not only provide valuable information to prospective customers, but to showcase who you are and what your business is all about.
Sharing a compelling story through those platforms is a memorable and extremely powerful content marketing strategy, especially for prospective customers.
“Narratives are meaningful, remarkable storylines that enable people to easily understand who you are and share why you matter. A good narrative conveys your business purpose, perspective and personality, which needs to be very specific to you,” says Chris Berger of Berger Brands, which provides brand marketing, PR and business development strategy and services to organizations such as This American Life and Public Radio International. “The secret lies in finding your spark and then fanning it into a fire across everything you do.”...
Here on Copyblogger, you've seen us talk many times about how to tell a terrific marketing story. Why? Because stories are fundamental to how we communicate...Stories are memorable and shareable — and those are two of the most important aspects of the very best content.
So we can all agree that stories matter … but how do you tell them What, specifically, makes for a good marketing story?
Today I want to share five critical components with you, and talk about how they fit into your marketing and your business. We’ll start, as every good story does, with the hero …
Humans love stories, so when you use the basic elements of narration on Twitter, it’s to your social marketing advantage.
Do you know how to tell your brand’s story on that social network?
Are you engaging your audience, even in 140 characters or less?
The limitations of Twitter are no excuse for not putting storytelling to work, especially when you consider the ways others are turning it into a powerful tool.
With that in mind, here is a look at ways to use storytelling on Twitter...
Storytelling is absolutely essential whether it be traditional paid media, owned media like social networks and blogs, or earned media where someone else is telling your story. It’s critical to connect your story of how you solve the customer’s problems at each step of their journey. The key in storytelling though is to recognize that people are going to enter your story at different chapters and pages along their journey. It’s Their Story, Not Yours So as you think of telling your story you must visualize it through their eyes. You should ask, where is the customer in the buying cycle, where are they in the learning cycle, and how does it relate to their job’s role as it relates to that stage of the process? That way the story is relevant to their needs, their issues, their requirements....
Consumers don't care about you. They care about what you mean to them. And meaning comes from stories. When you tell your company story, you become more relatable. And when consumers relate to your brand, they'll buy from you. Social media allows you to tell your stories at scale and build powerful relationships with your customers. In the past, storytelling to the masses was expensive and only possible via large media firms. Now, storytelling is free, or near-free, via accessible social media tools. Here are seven simple ways you can become a more effective storyteller on social media
Our infographic that contrasted storytelling with corporate speak seemed to resonate with the outside world. People recognize that gluing together facts and figures makes for dull information.
Since publishing the infographic, we’ve seen talk – and chatter in social media channels – evangelizing the value of storytelling in business accelerate. Dare I say, storytelling has become the “new black” in communications.
Building on the infographic, this SlideShare captures some of the science and anecdotal evidence on why storytelling works....
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Try your hand at some of these top visual storytelling tools to enhance your content marketing stories.