Mogens Møller

#285: Can Storytelling Make Annoying Pop-Ups Work?

#285: Can Storytelling Make Annoying Pop-Ups Work?

Along with everyone else on the web, you probably share a disdain for pop-ups because they are not only disruptive and annoying, but they also completely hijack the user experience.

But pop-ups don’t have to be an abusive sales tool. When properly designed, they can actually be a desirable tool to help guide customers through purchasing decisions. By providing product advice when it’s needed through unintrusive “on-site” messaging, they can actually enhance the user experience.

I know, I know. You probably think this is all wishful thinking. I sure did. Thankfully Mogens Møller, CEO and Cofounder of Sleeknote, is here to explain how he has helped brands not only make pop-ups work, but grow their bottom-line with the power of creative storytelling.

(more…)

Brian Burkhart

#284: How to Tell the Story of What You Stand For

#284: How to Tell the Story of What You Stand For

If you and your brand stand for something great, then it’s essential that you share it with the world – because the impact you can have is immeasurable. 

But many leaders think they are telling the story of what they stand for, when actually they are just murmuring general thoughts and facts. When this happens, your audience disconnects, your leadership becomes listless, and your presentations come across as mundane. Even worse, your brand will be viewed as a commodity, unremarkable, and unmemorable.

To avoid such insignificance, Brian Burkhart, founder and chief word guy of Square Planet Presentations + Strategy and best-selling author of Stand for Something: The Power of Building a Brand People Authentically Love, shares how you can deliver iconic presentations that tell the story of what you and your brand stand for.

(more…)

Leslie Zane

#283: How to Get Customers to Instinctively Buy From You

#283: How to Get Customers to Instinctively Buy From You

Do you ever feel exhausted because you have tried every trick in the marketing playbook, and your efforts have resulted in little to no growth? Even worse, you have probably flushed away countless dollars and resources in the process. 

But, what if traditional brand marketing concepts are no longer (or never were) the most effective way? Instead of communicating emotion overtly, you might consider tapping into your consumer’s subconscious. 

Leslie Zane, founder of Triggers, the first woman-owned brand consultancy, explains why resonating with your consumers’ subconscious – what she calls the “Brand Connectome” – is the most powerful mechanism for accelerating your brand’s growth, and most importantly, she will teach you how to do so. (more…)

Rick Cesari

#282: How Video Storytelling Builds Billion Dollar Brands

#282: How Video Storytelling Builds Billion Dollar Brands

If you want to grow your brand presence online, video marketing may be a go-to tool for you. Because the cacophony of today’s tech-driven communications world demands brand communication be engaging, informative, and easy to digest. And no other storytelling medium can do this better.

But, if you don’t incorporate proven story elements into your video marketing, then your efforts will fall flat. 

On this week’s edition of the Business of Story, infomercial legend Rick Cesari, the creator of iconic brand George Foreman Grill, shares how you can make your online direct response videos captivate customers and ring up sales.

But that’s not all! He will also share lessons and strategies learned during his experience helping to grow four companies from start-ups to over a billion-dollar business. Listen as Rick explores the power of telling your origin story in your online videos to sell almost anything. (more…)

Jason Linett

#281: 11 Hypnotic Words That Sell in Your Brand Storytelling

#281: 11 Hypnotic Words That Sell in Your Brand Storytelling

Do you remember a time when a customer shared a pain-point that your product or solution was perfectly designed to solve, and in sharing your offering, you lost their interest? Or even worse, you were accused of trying to make a buck off their misery?  It sucked because you not only lost the sale, but the customer’s problem went unresolved as well.

But what if by simply choosing specific words, you can steer your customer in the direction you want? 

Today Hypnotic Influence Expert, Jason Linett, shares how to choose words or phrases that guide your audience into visualizing experiences that bypass their mental blocks and result in the outcome you (and they) want. 

(more…)

Devin Miller

#280: The Story Behind Successful Startups

#280: The Story Behind Successful Startups

As an entrepreneur, you probably believe that your product or service is superior to your competitor’s. And, more likely than not, you have poured countless hours, resources, and dollars into your marketing.

But if you’re communicating your features and not your benefits, you fall into the primordial muck of commoditization. Focusing on not what you make but rather what you make happen is how you turn your commodity into a meaningful movement.

In this episode, Devin Miller of Miller IP Law shares why the success behind every startup begins with their ability to inspire and create possibilities through a brand story that connects with the hearts and minds of their customers.

(more…)

Chris Howell & Dr. Elsie Bigelow

#279: My Brother’s COVID-19 Long-Haul Journey

#279: My Brother’s COVID-19 Long-Haul Journey

We are in the second surge of COVID-19 and if you’re like most people, you think it won’t happen to you.

But the coronavirus ransacked our brother, Chris. On April 24, we aired his story and what it was like to battle COVID. It is our most downloaded episode in five years of the Business of Story podcast, and some people say his story may have saved some lives.

Since then, many of you have asked how he is doing. Our brother Steve suggested we do a follow-up episode detailing the long-haul journey Chris has been on ever since.

(more…)

Jennifer Russo & Rebecca Armendariz

#278: How Frontline Communicators Use Storytelling During COVID-19

#278: How Frontline Communicators Use Storytelling During COVID-19

Trust, while in short supply these days from our leadership, is critical to combat any crisis. COVID-19 is enjoying a second surge with 100,000 new cases now reported daily in America. Hospitals across the country are nearing capacity and exhausted frontline workers are doing their best to save lives.

But without timely and accurate information for the public, the Coronavirus will continue rampaging through our families, communities and economy infecting our health and wellbeing.

Today we talk with two of Banner Health’s frontline communicators, Jennifer Russo, Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Rebecca Armendariz, Senior Director of Marketing and Public Relations. They share their roles in battling COVID by correcting misinformation through the media, raising internal morale with heroic storytelling and preserving their roles as leading healthcare communicators who speak the truth whether the public likes it or not.

They also discuss the importance of an authentic brand story as the platform for your crisis communications guiding how you communicate internally to rally your colleagues and externally to inform the public.

Stories deliver truth that creates trust. If we are to wrestle the pandemic into submission sooner rather than later, it begins with trusting the real leaders in this fight: Our healthcare practitioners. scientists and communicators.
(more…)

Kenny Aronoff

#277: Kenny Aronoff’s Legendary Purpose-Driven Brand Story

#277: Kenny Aronoff’s Legendary Purpose-Driven Brand Story

You, like most of us, aspire for success in your professional life. And along the way, you may have lost sight of your deep desires or what fuels you beyond making a buck. 

But ironically when you lose sight of what drives you, you often become your greatest roadblock.

In this episode, one of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s finest drummers, Kenny Aronoff (the heartbeat of John Cougar Mellencamp’s band) shares why following your purpose will make you unstoppable, undeniable, and the author of your own legendary brand story. 

(more…)

Glenn Marvin

#276: How to Tell Your Story on LinkedIn

#276: How to Tell Your Story on LinkedIn

Are your LinkedIn efforts falling flat? You might be feeling as if your sales posts promoting your business come off as a little “spammy” in the feed. Or like many of us, you’ve probably noticed the uptick of unsolicited sales messages on LinkedIn, too.

But, what if there is a way you could spend less time and be exponentially more successful on LinkedIn? The solution exists – and it’s uncovered in today’s episode.

In this week’s episode, I have a LinkedIn storytelling expert to help you shape and share your brand stories on business’s most prolific and influential platform. Glenn Marvin is the founder of Konnector, a digital marketing coaching firm in Auckland, NZ, and he’s here to share exactly how to tell your small business brand story on LinkedIn to build your influence and business.

(more…)