A blog by Ty Montague in the Harvard Business Review commends the current trend for storytelling as part of marketing, sales and corporate reputation.
Montague’s article is a quick take on his new book True Story: How to Combine Story and Action to Transform Your Business. He argues that storytelling doesn’t go far enough. Great storytellers convert the receivers and listeners into “doers” who then spread the word. “…when people encounter a storydoing company they often want to tell all their friends about it. Storydoing companies create fierce loyalty and evangelism in their customers. Their stories are told primarily via word of mouth, and are amplified by social media tools.“
Chip and Dan Heath have their definition of storytelling in Made to Stick.
CommCore agrees with Montague and the Heaths. We say it another way: When customers, employees and stakeholders receive information, they respond with 3 critical questions: So What, Who Cares and WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). The story usually answers those questions, but sometime we need to go the step further with a statement such as: Here’s why I told you that story.
We are bombarded with thousands of messages a day that quickly vanish into the ether. The stories are what we remember…and if properly told…act on.