It’s Story Time
Here’s a connection you won’t see too often: DARPA (the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and storytelling. According to Roger Dooley at Copyblogger, DARPA–the same group that helped invent computer networking, Predator drones, and military exoskeletons–is investing in writing stories. Dooley makes the case that good storytelling is important, even if you’re selling killing machines.
“Scientists believe that we are hard-wired to pay attention to stories,” Dooley notes.
Dooley says that rather than just listing out facts and figures about your product or service, you should “tell the first-hand story of a customer who used your product to save money and get promoted.” Sounds easier said than done, especially when you have less space and fewer words to work with. A few ways to get past those roadblocks are to tell a story using characters and problems already familiar to the reader, using vivid language, and making your customer the hero.
Read more at copyblogger.com.
Being Social Isn’t All About Facebook
We all know that Facebook is the mac daddy of the social networking world, but believe it or not, there may be more sites out there worth looking at. Pinterest, Houzz, Tumblr, Instagram, GetGlue, IntoNow, and PlayUp are all on the rise and offer opportunities to reach niche audiences and demographics through shared content like photos, links, and comments. Ron Schott at Search Engine Watch says that “brands are adopting niche social networks based on the quality of interactions as opposed to broad-based reach – and are reaping the benefits.” Schott also lays out five questions you should ask yourself before investing time and resources into a new social network: Are members of at least one of your target audiences there? How will you use the specific channel? What are your goals? How much time and energy are you willing to put into this new venture? Where will this channel be in two years?
Remember, creating a strong presence on a new social networking site is a lot of hard work, but if you go into it with the right strategy and goals in mind, you will likely see a positive return.
Read more at searchenginewatch.com.
