uts through the noise of information being pushed out every second of every day. According to a recent Hubspot blog, an average US citizen co umes 100,500 digital words each day. Fifty one percent of professionals spend their time managing information instead of acting on it. And Issue 21the |power Q4of2014 rillion ads were served up on the internet in 2012. That’s not just noise – it’s a deafening roar. In B2B communications, storytellin s often forgotten or underestimated – particularly when we think about the sheer number of communications channels available to markete oday. We’re often faced with a dizzying array of opportunities to push out a message – from social media to media relations to digital marketin oo often we are mistake content generation and amplification for storytelling – but they go hand in hand. As marketing executives, we play i ortant roles as integrated storytellers, examining the elements of our messages and ideas and crafting a stirring narrative that can be leve ged across all communications channels. Here are five ideas on how we can go from message marketers to storytellers: 1 Envision the experien when we tell stories in our personal lives, often we focus on the reaction we want to evoke. We insert dramatic pauses, interesting details, pai isual pictures. Similarly, as corporate storytellers, we should envision the experience of our end reader – whether that person is a hedge fun anager, a CTO, or a corporate treasurer. If as marketers we want to prompt action, we need to create an experience that provokes one. For exampl n a recent project on behalf of a Cognito client, we shot a short documentary focused on how the client had brought jobs back to a rural Souther S town that had been devastated by economic recession. With one on one interviews and video footage of the town – what had previously been corporate message” was now a living, breathing experience. 2 Stories are not always told in words – interactive media have created new mediu y which corporate marketers can tell stories without using words at all. The rise of video, infographics, interactive sites – all have empower arketers to pursue visual storytelling. Visual stories can be communications gold when thinking across channels. For example, we’ve worked wi ompanies to leverage infographics across media relations, blogs, direct e-mail marketing and even as printed collateral at industry events reat stories have great characters – Every legendary story has legendary characters. Within financial marketing, and particularly with B arketing, we cannot forget the characters – the senders and receivers of the messages. We often challenge our clients to ask themselves, who a e really talking to? It’s one thing to say, “we’re targeting the top European banks” – but another thing to say, “we’re speaking to Antony Jenkin EO of Barclays.” And to take it further, putting the human back in the brand by having communications come from the CEO or Head of Sales ustomer Relations VP makes storytelling a highly personal experience. Once we figure out who our characters are, we can more carefully cra he message and medium. For example, “buyer personas” are good vehicles for profiling our target market and can be integrated across mediums reate conflict – When thinking about all the various channels available to marketers today, a common question that arises is often – how do ake our story resonate? A common gap in marketing today is lack of conflict, particularly in B2B marketing. Every edge-of-your-seat, page-tur ng story involves tension, conflict and resolution. In one of our recent client campaigns we built a story around a serious impending regul ory deadline and the risk compliance managers face by becoming inadvertently non-compliant by waiting too long to implement a solution. everaged that story across a dedicated social community, through premium direct marketing, a high-end physical event, and in media relation nd that consistency of conflict and resolution created a higher opportunity for engagement. 5 Be authentic – In today’s day and age of absolu nformation overload, the stories that resonate are the ones that are authentic. Even individuals within the B2B industry are exhausted by ma The Publication Financial Technology Communication eting jargon and the relentless pushing of messages. In order for to have a story and that compels, we as marketers need to tellProfessionals stories that we ourselv elieve in. We often ask our clients to say, “Tell me, in your own words, what the story is” and allow the ideas to flow. Given the number of cha els available to us today, having an authentic narrative that can be consumed in 140 characters or in 3 minutes on YouTube is the only wa arketers can consistently maximize the integrated opportunity. Ask yourself, what’s your story? The power of storytelling is on the rise, parti larly as communications channels proliferate. Having a single, compelling story that can be leveraged across channels impacts budget ROI, me age consistency and brand potential. We at Cognito are helping our clients think more holistically about their communications because we belie hat authentic, confident and creative storytelling can unlock much-needed latent potential in what firms are already doing today. The art torytelling is no longer reserved just for campfires or children’s bedtimes – it plays a crucial role in the future of marketing. Corporate st ytelling is about more than just marketing a message or disseminating content. It evokes action, emotion, empathy, even inspiration. It cu hrough the noise of information being pushed out every second of every day. According to a recent Hubspot blog, an average US citizen consum 00,500 digital words each day. Fifty one percent of professionals spend their time managing information instead of acting on it. And 5.3 trilli ds were served up on the internet in 2012. That’s not just noise – it’s a deafening roar. In B2B communications, the power of storytelling is oft orgotten or underestimated – particularly when we think about the sheer number of communications channels available to marketers today. We’ ften faced with a dizzying array of opportunities to push out a message – from social media to media relations to digital marketing. Too oft e are mistake content generation and amplification for storytelling – but they go hand in hand. As marketing executives, we play important rol s integrated storytellers, examining the elements of our messages and ideas and crafting a stirring narrative that can be leveraged across a ommunications channels. Here are five ideas on how we can go from message marketers to storytellers: 1 Envision the experience – when we te tories in our personal lives, often we focus on the reaction we want to evoke. We insert dramatic pauses, interesting details, paint visual picture imilarly, as corporate storytellers, we should envision the experience of our end reader – whether that person is a hedge fund manager, a CTO, corporate treasurer. If as marketers we want to prompt action, we need to create an experience that provokes one. For example, in a recent pro ct on behalf of a Cognito client, we shot a short documentary focused on how the client had brought jobs back to a rural Southern US town th ad been devastated by economic recession. With one on one interviews and video footage of the town – what had previously been a “corporate me age” was now a living, breathing experience. 2 Stories are not always told in words – interactive media have created new mediums by which co orate marketers can tell stories without using words at all. The rise of video, infographics, interactive sites – all have empowered marketers ursue visual storytelling. Visual stories can be communications gold when thinking across channels. For example, we’ve worked with companies everage infographics across media relations, blogs, direct e-mail marketing and even as printed collateral at industry events. 3 Great stori ave great characters – Every legendary story has legendary characters. Within financial marketing, and particularly with B2B marketing, annot forget the characters – the senders and receivers of the messages. We often challenge our clients to ask themselves, who are we real alking to? It’s one thing to say, “we’re targeting the top European banks” – but another thing to say, “we’re speaking to Antony Jenkins, CEO arclays.” And to take it further, putting the human back in the brand by having communications come from the CEO or Head of Sales or Custom elations VP makes storytelling highly personal experience. Once we figure out who our characters are, we can more carefully craft the messa • How aData Visualization is Seducing Journalism nd medium. For example, “buyer personas” are good vehicles for profiling our target market and can be integrated across mediums. 4 Create confli • Binna Kim channels Speaksavailable With Oracle’s Head of Marketing When thinking about all the various to marketers today, a common question that arises is often – how do we make our sto esonate? A common gap in marketing today is lack of conflict, particularly in B2B marketing. Every edge-of-your-seat, page-turning story involv • Is APAC new centre of global finance? ension, conflict and resolution. In the one of our recent client campaigns we built a story around a serious impending regulatory deadline and t isk compliance managers byFirms becoming inadvertently by waiting too long to implement a solution. We leveraged that story acro • face How can Optimizenon-compliant Their LinkedIn Presence dedicated social community, through premium direct marketing, a high-end physical event, and in media relations. And that consistency of co • Seven Tipsopportunity for Continental European Media – In today’s day and age of absolute information overload, t flict and resolution created a higher for engagement. 5 Be authentic tories that resonate are the ones that are authentic. Even individuals within the B2B industry are exhausted by marketing jargon and the r entless pushing of messages. In order to have a story that compels, we as marketers need to tell stories that we ourselves believe in. We oft sk our clients to say, “Tell me, in your own words, what the story is” and allow the ideas to flow. Given the number of channels available to oday, having an authentic narrative that can be consumed in 140 characters or in 3 minutes on YouTube is the only way marketers can consisten y maximize the integrated opportunity. Ask yourself, what’s your story? The power of storytelling is on the rise, particularly as communicatio hannels proliferate. Having a single, compelling story that can be leveraged across channels impacts budget ROI, message consistency and bran otential. We at Cognito are helping our clients think more holistically about their communications because we believe that authentic, confide nd creative storytelling can unlock much-needed latent potential in what firms are already doing today. The art of storytelling is no long eserved just for campfires or children’s bedtimes – it plays a crucial role in the future of marketing. Corporate storytelling is about more tha ust marketing a message or disseminating content. It evokes action, emotion, empathy, even inspiration. It cuts through the noise of informati eing pushed out every second of every day. According to a recent Hubspot blog, an average US citizen consumes 100,500 digital words each da ifty one percent of professionals spend their time managing information instead of acting on it. And 5.3 trillion ads were served up on the i www.cognitomedia.com ernet in 2012. That’s not just noise – it’s a deafening roar. In B2B communications, the power of storytelling is often forgotten or underestimat particularly when we think about the sheer number of communications channels available to marketers today. We’re often faced with a dizzyin
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