Why Storytelling is Key to Content Marketing Success Today, How to Craft Content Your Clients Want to Read and the Best Time to Start Marketing
Stefanie Marrone
Law Firm Business Development and Marketing Director | Social Media Expert | Public Speaker | LinkedIn Top Voice
Why Storytelling is Key to Content Marketing Success Today
Each of my highest-rated posts on LinkedIn have one thing in common. I shared a story in them. I used storytelling to connect with my network. I stood out because I wasn’t afraid to be a real person. I wasn’t dry or boastful. (I share the stats on some of them here so you can see just how well some of these posts with stories did – to underscore that stories?work).
It’s easy for B2B companies to get caught up in marketing to businesses rather than people. But strong content marketing today is about?being human.
For B2B content creators, addressing, showing comprehension of and solving your clients’ pain points is key.
You can do all of the above with storytelling.
Stories inspire and motivate people to take action. Stories make us more relatable. Stories help connect us to each other.?Stories make us human.
Storytelling enables marketers to develop a deeper connection with their audience. It helps people learn as well.
Storytelling is the process of using fact and narrative to communicate something to your audience. Stories build loyalty, brand favorability and help companies and indviduals differentiate themselves from the sea of sameness and vanilla content out there.
Storytelling also helps explain abstract concepts and simplify complex messages. It can help you bring to life boring business content. Creating a narrative around your brand or product can not only humanize it but also helps you market your business.
Hubspot notes that “storytelling has become a crucial component of the most successful marketing campaigns. It sets apart vibrant brands from simple businesses and loyal consumers from one-time, stop-in shoppers.”
Don’t use your content marketing and social media platforms to solely brag about yourself and your successes. Instead help others. Lead with education and useful content but make it personal too. You?can?be human without oversharing.
When it comes to what kinds of stories to share, think about stories that are educational, inspiring and relatable. Bonus points if they can foster community and collaboration.
Maybe it’s telling your origin story, something about your hometown or family life, why you chose your career, a mentor who helped you, a hurdle or challenge you faced, a shout out to a colleague, how you started your business – ground your stories in your own personal experiences.
You can also share your clients’/customers’ stories or case studies, which are real-world examples of how your products or services have benefitted others. Develop a list of 3-7 customers or clients who are happy with the results you’ve achieved for them and to whom you are close enough that you feel comfortable asking them to do this. I recommend filming them by zoom or asking them to record themselves on a smartphone so that you have both audio and video footage that you can then turn into multiple other forms of content.
Another idea is to share stories of your employees and your company culture. This can help with client retention, lead generation and recruiting. Your goal would be to use the stories of?how?you do business to showcase what it’s like to work at your organization.
Why not add storytelling to the way you craft press releases? You’ll have a better chance of getting media coverage if you do. This involves some creativity and time and effort but it’s well worth it. You can add quotes and case studies to bring the information in the release to life.
That’s what makes you stand out and be memorable in a sea of sameness on social media and in marketing in general.
And most of all, always be HUMAN.
Storytelling helps you communicate your “why” in a creative, engaging way, and I hope you’ll try it.
How to Craft Content Your Clients Actually Want to Read
Law firms of every size should make the time to publish client alerts and blog posts.
They are one of the most effective ways to engage with clients and prospects. They can lead to new business as well as media and speaking opportunities (add reporters to your email list!).
In addition they help keep your firm and lawyers top of mind with clients and prospects, which is so important.
They also help your Google search results so that when someone is looking for a lawyer in your area or niche, you have more clout.
In-house counsel say over and over again that the marketing efforts that work the best by law firms is value-added content that helps to educate them and help them do their jobs.
That means you should be focusing more on writing client alerts and staying top of mind with your clients/prospects and other key audiences.
A good alert or blog post can often rekindle a relationship or lead to a discussion about a new matter.
Here are some tips on how to craft stronger alerts and blog posts.
Why the Best Time to Market Yourself is Right Now
The best time to market yourself is right now (the second best time was yesterday). It’s not enough to be the best at what you do anymore. You have to let others know what you do and remind them you’re there.
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It’s not enough to create great content or speak at the right conferences. You have to use marketing to promote it.
You have to put in the work and keep posting consistently even when no one is liking or engaging with your content. (Remember that so many people are looking at your posts without engaging so that’s another reason why you should be consistent).
You have to do things you may not think you’re ready to do. It's always in the doing those that we grow and then see results.
Commit to being uncomfortable, taking action and creating impact on LinkedIn and beyond.
It’s time to invest in YOU. Remember, what you aren't changing you’re choosing. The summer is a great time to hit the reset button on your marketing.
So what are you waiting for?
Why You Should Always Assume Good Intent With Others
Remember that no one’s life is perfect. And no one has it all together. No matter what it looks like on the outside. But we still have to soldier on every day.
You can’t tell from this photo taken at a speaking engagement, but I was dealing with a lot behind the scenes.
My significant other had recently left me for one of our mutual friends and I had to quickly find a new place to live (yep you heard that right). My job was in jeopardy because I was unable to focus due to the above, and I was grieving over the death of my mom from cancer BUT I still had commitments such as speaking engagements to fulfill.
The world doesn’t stop just because your life is falling apart.
So I put on my game face, and I did the best I could even though I was a mess inside.
I pulled it off for the most part and tried to compartmentalize things - if only for an hour here and there. Professional activities like this were in essence an escape.
They also helped me rebuild my confidence because at a time when I felt beat down in every way, doing something that I loved helped me to get back to the core of who I was as a person.
So my advice here is that even when things seem bleak, remember that you are not defined by that.
Find solace in the things that bring you joy and those at which you know you excel for a confidence boost.
Also be kind and assume good intent because you never really know what’s going on behind the scenes in someone’s life.
It may look like everything is just fine with someone when in fact underneath the surface they are falling apart.
Most of the time someone’s reaction to you has very little to do with you and everything to do with them, so don’t take things personally.
And as for yourself, be kinder to yourself too. We all have enough challenges without beating ourselves up unnecessarily.
And remember that it’s OK to not be OK sometimes??
Effective Marketing Strategies for Small and Mid-Size Law Fims Today
Deciding where to invest your limited time, money and other resources when marketing a smaller or mid-size law firm can be a tricky balance – so it’s critical to evaluate your marketing goals to know where to start and determine which methods will be the most effective.
Join Chris Fritsch and me tomorrow at 12:30pm ET for part 2 of our free webinar on effective marketing for small and mid-size law firms?where we will delve further into how to do more with less and maximize your ROI and tech tools to engage with clients, referrals, alumni and recruits using martech and social media tools.
?Chris and I will share information, ideas and best practices, including how to:
About Stefanie
Stefanie Marrone advises law firms of all sizes, professional service firms, B2B companies, recruiters and individuals on the full range of marketing and business development consulting services designed to enhance revenue, retain current clients and achieve greater brand recognition. She also serves as outsourced chief marketing officer/marketing department for small and mid-size law firms.
Over her 20-year legal marketing career, she has worked at and with a broad range of big law, mid-size and small firms, which has given her a valuable perspective of the legal industry. Connect on?LinkedIn,?Twitter,?YouTube,?Instagram,??sign up for her email list?and?follow her latest writing on JD Supra.
I'm a "green" storyteller who just happens to write copy.
1 年In my experience as both a fiction writer and a business writer, I've seen that many people struggle with storytelling because in many cases, this subject is taught wrong in so many ways. I experienced this firsthand when I started studying the craft of story over 15 years ago. At first, nothing about story made sense. It took me years to learn how story really works, and how brain science and psychology interact with story. But when I finally got a handle on the connection between the two, I was finally able to successfully write a novel, two novellas and many short stories. Now, I am able to craft short business stories and other engaging content by delivering valuable information in a manner that resembles a Marvel or Disney Pixar story. These books helped me learn the craft of story. Perhaps, it will help someone reading this article. - Story Or Die by Lisa Cron - Wired For Story by Lisa Cron - Save The Cat by Blake Snyder - Save The Cat Strikes Back by Blake Snyder Yes, these books (except for Story Or Die) may target primarily fiction writers and screenwriters. But I have found that you can successfully apply every one of these storytelling principles to telling compelling business stories.
I am a Marketing Professor with the mission of demystifying the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.
2 年I emphasize storytelling and empathy in every social media class I teach. Very few students are good at storytelling. From a client perspective, I believe the focus on sales deters them from telling stories. Sales are quantifiable, while emotional connections aren't. What they fail to understand is the powerful connection between the two. Without emotions, everything is transactional. And then it all becomes a lowest bid game. The premium is in the stories.