How to tell a Good Story - MKTX
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07 Apr How to tell a Good Story

Posted at 14:25h in MKTX by

We talk a lot about the need to produce content as a vehicle for establishing leadership and building value for your marketing program. People respond to other people’s experience, but what makes a good nugget of info or a good story to share with your constituents? Consider the following criteria:

Know your audience – What are their needs? Put yourself in their shoes. What do they want to know? What problem do they have that needs a solution? In what way is your information relevant to this group? If you’re unsure, review other blogs or articles targeted at this group and see if you can add to the conversation.

Set the stage – it’s part of relating to your audience. If you’re developing an article or case study, show that you understand them and their issues in your lead-in. Empathize. Acknowledge the impact of the problem to be solved. Address this in a cover note in the case that you’re forwarding a link to interesting content.

Share your knowledge in context – In a blog or an article for a trade pub, discuss how you (or someone else in the case that you’re linking to someone else’s content) arrived at the solution and what it is – In the process, and demonstrate your credibility and expertise.

A good quote to include is one where your customer explains how their working life or their company’s operations are improved by using your product or service.

The wrap-up – Summarize what were the results. How do you know you were successful? How is your customer’s life better now than it was before? Conclude with a statement of what’s the lesson for other customers with similar issues.

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Bob Patterson
bobp@mktx.com

Leader of MKTX since its founding in 1998, Bob Patterson has over 30 years of experience in high-tech marketing. Bob received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School. He began his career at Intel Corporation where, during his 11 year tenure, he was part of the team of people instrumental in laying the foundations for Intel's success in the microprocessor market. Bob left Intel in 1987 and co-founded RadiSys Corporation, an Intel spin-off dedicated to exploiting the "Wintel" hardware/software standardization phenomenon in markets outside of desktop computing. As RadiSys' first VP of marketing and sales, Bob developed and executed the company's initial marketing plans and set up RadiSys' early sales channels. When Bob needs a break from cranking out strategies and content for our clients, he takes to the skies of the Northwest in his Cessna or his RV-12.