Leslie Zane

#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

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

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. 

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Devin Miller

#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.

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Chris Howell & Dr. Elsie Bigelow

#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.

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Jennifer Russo & Rebecca Armendariz

#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.
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Kenny Aronoff

#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. 

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Glenn Marvin

#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.

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Chad Burmeister

#275: How to Leverage AI to Amplify Your Sales Stories

If you are curious about how artificial intelligence could help your business, you are not alone. AI can solve problems across the board and dramatically improve sales performance.

But, anytime human tasks are replaced by technology, you run the risk of de-humanizing your brand, resulting in disengaged customers who turn to your competitors to meet their needs.

So, how can you leverage the power of AI while personalizing each customer experience? Chad Burmeister, CEO of ScaleX.ai, shares how to use AI to better understand your customers and deliver the right sales stories at the right time to exponentially grow your brand and business.

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Chase McLaughlin

#274: Why Moments Matter in Your Storytelling

Think back to a memory that had a lasting impact on your life. You’ll recall the defining moments because they have transformed you in some way. And when you share these pivotal moments with others, they too can experience the profound impact.

But, the magic is lost if the story is told without a narrative framework. Your story marketing is about transporting your audience from one perspective to another, from one place in time to a whole new opportunity. And that starts with the central moment in your story when everything changes for that person. 

In this episode, Chase McLaughlin, the marketer responsible for the new family storytelling app called Quilted, shares how you can capture your moments to create lasting stories.

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