Question: how much do you like telling stories? If the answer is "very much" or "a lot," that's perfect.
You are in the right business as an information marketer.
A lot of people overlook the talent to narrate or tell stories.
Some even go so far as to get abusive and call these narrative- inclined types "sensationalists.
" But here's the truth: it really is a great skill to have.
Taking even the most mundane weeknight story of how your kids made a mess of the kitchen or some lame joke and making it funny or interesting is no easy task.
It's mastering how to articulate yourself simply and effectively to others.
This can be even harder if you are a writer of information content.
Think you know a lot about a particular subject? Great, but can you convey that knowledge to a stranger in the simplest terms possible? If you can, then you are not only a born storyteller, but a born info marketer as well.
As you've probably seen thus far, part of being an information marketer is going through mountains of information and compressing them into a comprehensive format for your customers to read and pay for.
It's not easy by any means, but if you are a good storyteller, you can do it in a way that your clients will enjoy and that will make them come back for more.
Here are some ways to use good narratives in your information content creation: - Be relative: You live a life both at work and outside it.
You might have kids or a group of close friends.
Along the way, those people are going to set the stage for interesting stories in your life.
Why not relate some of the things you are writing about to them? I learned a valuable lesson from my "e-Wealth Daily" colleagues.
Adrian, John, Michael and Mathew are all four different guys with four different lives.
Consequently, they often articulate their information or business content relative to something that happened in their lives.
Michael might give some advice based on a business deal he made or Adrian on something that happened in his family.
Do the same to kick start your written content.
Other people can relate to these little matters in life, too, and will pick up on what you are trying to say faster.
- Give it some structure: Like in architecture, you have to design a good foundation in order to build a house.
And in writing content, you need to have a structure that you can use to guide your clients through your information with words.
A good narrative structure is often best in this case.
Have a strong introduction, a well-crafted body, and a strong conclusion.
In short, a good beginning, middle and end.
Clients can only understand content if it tells them something and they will want to turn the page or go to the next word if you have structured your content to do so.
- Keep it simple but fun: Everyone loves a good story, so keep your written content interesting but simple.
Don't use complicated language when writing and be sure not to put in too much extraneous information.
People will lose interest in what you are writing about and may not even finish your piece.
- Get to the punch line: Like I said before, it's good that you know a lot.
But there really is such a thing as too much information.
It's up to you to take whatever story you have and edit it down so it's short, sweet, and to the point.
When you tell a joke, you don't spend a lot of time describing the small details.
You stick to the action of the story.
In information marketing, this is crucial, too.
It's fine to digress or use extra, unnecessary humorous anecdotes, but only in very small quantities.
Remember: your clients are paying for information, so you need to provide the information message or "punch line" as soon as possible in your content.
Storytelling is inherent in all of us.
The Greeks understood the value of conveying philosophy and ideas through dialogue and plays.
Good songwriters know how strong lyrics can be remembered enduringly by their audience.
Comics keep their audiences in hysterics by telling stories that so laughably relative to our own lives, it's almost unbelievable.
Information marketing is no different.
Give the clients a good story with some valuable information and you should see the financial rewards.