brand, content strategy, SEO, copywriting, and demand generation consulting with community engagement planning designed to help you share your organization’s unique stories and build relationships with the people who need your products or services

Tips for Believable Marketing that Converts

Humans are wired for stories--it's how we communicate. Read on for tips on translating your why and your vision into a storytelling style that's believable and that converts.

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February 6, 2014

WELCOME

We all have stories to tell. We all have extraordinary lives--even if we don't yet recognize it.

Want help sharing your story? Want to connect with your audience and build a thriving community? I can help.

My recommendations will honor your why, respect your budget and your available time, and establish benchmarks for evaluating results. Learn how we can work together today.

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Did you know that beckoning cats have their roots in Japanese, not Chinese, culture?
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I didn't.
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Like many, and as humans do, I told myself a story and never checked it. The story: after seeing multiple beckoning cats in Chinese restaurants that they must be Chinese in origin. (You can learn more about them here: https://luckymanekineko.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/the-road-to-gotokuji/)
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Everyday we make lots of assumptions. We share stories that we believe to be true that might not be true.
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Best practices can be like that. For example, Tuesday morning is the best time to send email.
Now is Tuesday morning really the best time?
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There was a study done at one time and this guidance is based on *average* open rates across multiple campaigns in multiple industries. Remember that average means middle--there are better times and there are worse times.
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Whether or not Tuesday is the best time for our emails, few of us test that assumption. Or we might have initially but haven't recently.
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This week I challenge you to write down your marketing and social media practices. Then doublecheck them. And by doublecheck them I mean set up tests. Confirm for yourself what really works. Share what works with your team and do more of that. And, best practice or not, if something isn't working, do less of it.
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What will you investigate in your organization this week?
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#beckoningcat #statue #manekineko #caturday #catsofinstagram #sanfrancisco #sfoterminal2

Everyone needs to hear they've made a difference. That they're valued. That they've been seen.
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If you have a hard time telling someone how they've affected you. Or if you get tongue tied giving compliments. These cards by @erincondren with positive statements are your answer. Because think about how great you'd feel if you were having a rough day and you saw one of these left by a coworker on your desk or tucked into your notebook.
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Stacy London's keynote yesterday has me thinking about random acts of kindness that I can incorporate into my routine.
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What random acts of kindness do you practice?
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#ShareAtAlt #Stars #Paperclips #Pen #AltSummit #FlatLay #FlatLayOfTheDay #OnTheTable

Years ago I traveled to Paris and lost myself as I walked through one Arrondissement after another and up and down alleyways.
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What struck me were the architectural details. The glow of marble facades when the dusk light hit just right.
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I thought about how bland the Bay Area suburbs were with their cookie cutter houses. Rows of tract homes with gardens in various states of care.
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Today as I waited to catch a cab the colors of The Salvation Army Senior Center caught my eye. And then I noticed the detailing of the security bars and the rich patina. For a moment I was back in Paris.
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There's beauty wherever you go, if you let yourself see.

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#SanFrancisco #SoMa #StreetScene #Streetscape #Bicycle #Window

When you ask for something, what's the worst that could happen? It's not hearing no.
The worst thing? Nothing. And nothing is what WILL happen if you don't ask and if you don't take action.
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Meg Keene of A Practical Wedding offers this advice: "Start small, and send out five emails to potential advertisers/sponsors.” ______
But starting is the hardest part. Taking those first, unaided baby steps when you've never walked before is hard.
You could fall.
Or, you could succeed.
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But, until you try, until you ask, something is certain: nothing will happen.
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Let's say you get past your doubts. You hit send and you wait.
And you wait.
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No response is neither failure nor success.
Your email could have been lost. Filed away for action later and forgotten.
You have to ask again.
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Chris Gardner of Man Made DIY says it's ok to be persistent: one tailored email a week regarding a specific project over a month.
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When you want something you have to check your ego at the door.
Do you respond to everyone who asks something of you?
Or, do you mean to and life and other commitments get in the way?
Same thing happens to other people.
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Don't take a lack of response personally. Try for a month—one tailored email a week. Then wait.
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In the meantime, look for another opportunity, and, later, if it makes sense, come back to the first person with another idea.
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It's a myth, or an occurrence so rare as to rank up there with the sighting of a unicorn, that what you want will magically come to you. What's a given is that nothing will continue to happen if you do nothing.
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So swing big. Send your first five emails. What have you got to lose? The only thing that is certain: nothing will happen if you don’t ask.

Whether you're about to stand up in front of a live audience and give a speech about landing your first job, or pitching a prospective client, there is only one thing you need to do:
deliver value.
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How do you deliver value?
Always begin with your audience.
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1. Know your audience.
What are they most interested in? How can you help them solve a problem they have or don't yet know they have?
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2. Connect with your audience.
You can have all the answers they need, but if they don't believe you or if they dislike you before you start, you've lost. No one wants a know-it-all telling them what to do. Be genuine and share stories that show your humanity and why you care about them. We all make mistakes; show them the learning that comes from making those mistakes.
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3. Give your audience something useful.
If your audience can't use your product or services today, make sure you have information that helps them today. Put them on a trajectory to where they will be able to use your product or services one day. If your advice is useful, they'll remember you and will consider you in the future or will recommend you to others.

E Hensley World Group, Inc.

brand, content strategy, SEO, copywriting, and demand generation consulting with community engagement planning designed to help you share your organization’s unique stories and build relationships with the people who need your products or services

Branding, content strategy, marketing, demand generation and community engagement for organizations that want to connect with customers through a passionate, believable story in their own voice. Hire us to put the person back in personality and create marketing materials that spark conversations and grow relationships.

E Hensley World Group, Inc. | , San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States