CS Forum - What's in a Story?

What’s In a Story?CSForum 2013#csforum13@marsinthestars

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My Story

I disc

over

ed co

nten

t

strate

gy, a

nd no

w I tell

storie

s ag

ain!

I wanted to be a writer when I was little.

I went to college

for Theater, to help

my w

riting.

My SM skills got me a

job as a UX PM.

In theater, I became a

stage manager.

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The Ant and the Grasshopper

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In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content.

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An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

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"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"

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"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."

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"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.

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When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger - while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.

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Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for days of need.

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Stories are memorable

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A World of Grasshoppers

2012: Average attention span of 8 seconds.

2000: Average attention span of 12 seconds.

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A World of Grasshoppers

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Size matters not

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In many cases, long copy has proven more effective than short copy.

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The Long and the Short of it

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It didn’t work because the content was longer. It worked because the content was better.

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Stories are engaging

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“In reality, you cannot have a page that’s too long – only one that’s too boring.”- Conversion Rate Experts

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“Sit on a hot stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit next to a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That’s relativity.” –Albert Einstein

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You are here

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The Ant and the Grasshopper

3. Plan ahead, like the ant, and you won’t starve.

2. Sometimes we need to do things that aren’t very fun.

1. Hard work pays off.

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Stories are Meaningful

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"Fiction, because it is not about somebody who actually lived in the real world, always has the possibility of being about ourself.”- Orson Scott Card

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Stories are meaningful

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Hard work pays off.

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The grasshopper learned that hard work pays off.

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Seeing the ant’s happiness, the grasshopper learned that hard work pays off.

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After playing all summer and nearly starving, and seeing the ant’s happiness, the grasshopper learned that hard work pays off.

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Stories are Memorable

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Basecamp organizes projects.

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For thousands of companies, Basecamp organizes projects.

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When they need it, for thousands of companies, Basecamp organizes projects.

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Like a mountaineer’s Sherpa when they need it, for thousands of companies, Basecamp organizes projects.

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Why do stories stick?

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History of Storytelling

Storytelling

Marketing

Content Strategy

Myths and Legends

EducationLessons

Text and visuals

Creative direction

Branding

Fairy tales

Communication

Oral traditionsFables Visions and Prophesies

Connection

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• Explains the origin of women.

• Explains personality attributes.

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• Explains why bad things happen.

• Explains hope.

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• Storytelling as a peace offering.

• Storytelling as a means of engagement.

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Emadeddin BaghiIranian Author

• Storytelling is influential.• Storytelling is

memorable.

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“People need stories more than bread itself. They tell us how to live, and why.” –Arabian Nights

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Content Creators

Facts

Facts with Visuals

Storytelling

Content Strategy

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Content Creators

We tell stories that can be READ. We: •Research•Establish the story•Add details•Distribute

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Research

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Research

It’s EVERYONE’s job!

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Research

•Good research = personalized content!•Have conversations, not interviews

•Pay attention to vocabulary• Identify patterns

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Research

The point of questions is to hear what users have to say. Their vocabulary is just as important as their answers.

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Research

Share your own stories – but only a few. Remember the main focus is on the user.

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Research

Identify patterns. Patterns are more valuable than outliers.

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Establish the Story

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Establish the Story

Beginning:

Middle:

End:

Little Red Riding Hood wants to visit her grandmother.

She meets the wolf, who eats her and her grandmother.

The huntsman kills the wolf, and Red Riding Hood lives happily ever after with her grandmother.

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Establish the Story

Beginning:

Middle:

End:

Joe wants to spend more time with his family.

Joe buys the new Moto X phone. He can work anywhere!

Joe leaves the office early, to take his family on a picnic. They live happily ever after.

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Establish the Story

Beginning:

Middle:

End:

Sally needs a recipe to make chicken.

On her recipe website, the chicken recipes are bookmarked.

Sally makes a wonderful dinner, repairing her relationship with her mother-in-law.

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Add Details

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Add Details

A person

Strangers

A story

a girl

bears a family

Goldilocks

a whole world

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Add Details

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Distribute

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Distribute

•The goal: engage with the audience.

•First, learn where the audience is.

•Participate in their conversations.

•Advertise your product or service where it helps.

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Distribute

It doesn’t matter where you market your content, so long as you go where your audience spends time.

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Next Steps

1. Create a story2. Personalize a story3. Use different mediums4. Interact with your audience5. Trust

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1. Create a story, and build the brand around that story. Tell a story that shows the value of your product.

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2. Personalize the story to your target audience, based on what you learn from what they say.

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3. Use different mediums to help grow the story. Go to the places where your users hang out.

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4. Interact with your audience. Bring them your content, and help them understand all of its value.

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5. Trust the story to pull in the audience.

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Thank you!

Marli Mesibovmarli.us

@marsinthestars

CS Forum - What's in a Story?

Design

Transcript of CS Forum - What's in a Story?