058 ENCORE: For a simpler path to course creation, begin with a story
Strategic Storytelling
Online course creation has become a major industry. If you're a business owner, your course gives you new opportunities to grow your business, find clients and gain credibility. Designing a course can be challenging. How do you know what to include? How do you figure out how to sequence the modules? Explore a new way to design your course by starting with a story. You'll appeal to more students and have fun with the process. My course on course creation is Use the code COURSE50 for a 50% discount as a thankyou for listening. Free guide: 17 surprising ways to grow your...
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147 Where does your story take place?
Strategic Storytelling
Your story's location may seem trivial or straightforward. "It's a beach story." "One day I was in my home office..." "Mary went home to apartment 3701..." Don't those locations bring a special vibe to your story? The story's location tells a lot about your characters and about you. If Mary lives in apartment 3701, she'll seem different from someone living in apartment 301. She'll seem even more different from someone living on a farm. If she lives in the middle of a city, her whole life will be vastly different from someone living in the suburbs, let alone in the country. If...
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146 A branding story or a Selling Story? 4 Examples
Strategic Storytelling
Branding and selling are very different activities in business. A branding story introduces you to your audience. It tells something about you and how you provide the service. A selling story makes the audience say, "I want what she's having!" In this episode I explain the difference and show that one story can be both. I illustrate with 4 powerful examples of good stories. One story is purely a branding story. The three others establish a brand and also help you sell. Resources: Episode 141: (or why your audience can't follow your story) Episode...
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145 Being Innovative Without Marketing as an Innovator
Strategic Storytelling
It's really important to be innovative in your business. Being innovative is one of the ways people realize you are credible. You've gone beyond the basics to develop your own framework or explain your ideas in a new way. But will you market yourself as an innovator? That's a different question. In this podcast we will ... ...explain the difference between innovation in business and innovation as an archetype ...show examples of business owners who are true innovators vs. those who innovate but brand differently ...explain why you may not want to market as an Innovator. RESOURCES: ...
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144 Why your story doesn't have to make people cry
Strategic Storytelling
You've probably heard that "your story must bring out emotion in your listeners." And that's because you've also heard, "People buy on emotions." But is that always true? Lots of times people make buying decisions based on logic and rationality. They evaluate the offer coolly, based on their needs. The truth is, sometimes people make buying decisions without bringing emotion into the picture at all. Educator archetypes rarely tell emotional stories; they don't expect their clients to make decisions emotionally at all. In this episode you will learn... ...why the phrase...
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143 How to tell if you've got a true business story (or a fun-filled share-with-friends story)
Strategic Storytelling
Does your story contribute to your strategy? Is your story a part of your brand? You get all kinds of advice to "be sure your content includes a story." The real question is, what is the purpose of your story? Will you motivate people to buy? Or are you telling the story to get people to like you more? Or do you want to build their trust, so they believe you'll solve their problem? In this episode of the Strategic Storytelling podcast, you'll get three questions to ask about your story. The answers help you understand if you have a real business story. Are adding value to your business...
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142 How healers can reach more clients with stories
Strategic Storytelling
Calling yourself a "healer" brings special challenges in marketing. And in some ways, everyone is a healer. We all pay money to relieve our pain. But when you call yourself a healer, people get confused. Just what do you do, anyway? You might be a reiki practitioner, EFT practitioner, a psychotherapist, a health coach...or just a "healer." But if you're a healer, how do you explain what you do? You may think everyone knows. But even if people think they understand, you've got a special twist. You also want to encourage people to choose YOU from your many competitors....
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141 Why You Lose Your Audience Because They Can't Relate To Your Story
Strategic Storytelling
Have you ever told a story -- a brilliant story! -- and your audience just looked at you blankly? They just didn't get it. Or they couldn't relate: they couldn't put themselves into the story. Stories succeed when people put themselves in the picture. They're in the airplane seat. They're in the room you're describing. They can feel the problem: their chest gets tight, their stomach hurts...it's real. But here's the catch. It doesn't have to be a personal story. In fact, you can tell a personal story that leaves everyone cold. In this video, I talk about 4 kinds of stories: personal and...
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140 Using Stories to Choose Your Niche
Strategic Storytelling
“What niche am I supposed to target?” That’s always a popular question when I meet a group of fellow business owners. Even if they’re experienced veterans, they wonder, “Did I let some people get away? Am I being too narrow in my focus?” It’s a familiar struggle…and we keep going back to it. Even though we think we’ve got a niche we want to revisit. Men? Women? Married? Single? Age bracket? Sound familiar? In this episode of the Strategic Storytelling podcast, I have the answer: the clients backstory. What do they say when they come? What don’t they say? ...
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139 How to Use Stories to Teach Without Being Preachy
Strategic Storytelling
So you've got something to teach people. You're the only one...or one of the few. But your audience isn't stupid. They know a lot already. Who likes being treated like a child...especially a stupid child? Who likes being treated like a newbie when you're not? In this episode of Strategic Storytelling, I'll show you three ways to use stories to get past the barrier. Instead of saying "you should do this," you can tell a story There's at least 3 ways to use stories to make your point: as examples, as a step-by-step story, and as a novelistic story you made up. They're all...
info_outlineYou've probably heard that "your story must bring out emotion in your listeners."
And that's because you've also heard, "People buy on emotions."
But is that always true?
Lots of times people make buying decisions based on logic and rationality. They evaluate the offer coolly, based on their needs.
The truth is, sometimes people make buying decisions without bringing emotion into the picture at all. Educator archetypes rarely tell emotional stories; they don't expect their clients to make decisions emotionally at all.
In this episode you will learn...
...why the phrase "people buy on emotion" is only partly true
...when people buy on emotion (even if they know they need to be more rational)
...how and when to use purely rational stories that bring forth no emotion at all
...how a story can restore the balance between emotion and logic
...the way you can use emotional appeals in stories
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Resources:
Book on Amazon: Grow your business one story at a time
Free guide: Your story archetype (and a quiz to reveal yours)
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