Tell Your Story

When people ask me what I do I often reply, "I am a storyteller." That is essentially what I do for my clients: tell their story.

You should tell your story, too. No matter what product or service you are selling, no matter what cause you are promoting, you have a story to tell about it. If you don't, then how will people know what to think about you?

Too often marketing people focus on the way they deliver their story. They anguish over how big an ad should be, which radio station to use, whether direct mail makes sense, or how to improve the search engine placement of their web site. But all of this is moot unless you have a compelling message to back it up.

Advertising legend David Ogilvy stressed the necessity of finding the "USP" (unique selling proposition) in every product, for every client. He felt it was the one thing that set a company apart from the competition, made it memorable and desirable.

What is your USP? Do you have a singular feature or service that can't be duplicated by others? Don't tell me you offer "great customer service"! That is only the starting point. You need to be able to strip down your message so that it offers an unmistakable advantage for potential customers. Then build your story around this solid core.