‘Eazy-Email’ Three story-driven ideas for email marketing and articles
Claims-based marketing is out.
Story-driven marketing is in. Act accordingly.
When I was an up-n-comer-gym owner, the rage was to run Facebook ad campaigns for 6 week challenges in the gyms.
Challenge was $300 or so, and then try to ‘sell’ em on the back end for the membership.
We ran one. It was moderately successful on the front end. But only a couple stuck around. The problem (even then) was we did things differently to other gyms (slower, stricter et cetera), and the people who came in just wanted the challenge deal. It’s the whole ‘not part of the world for long enough’ deal.
Anyway, I don’t know for sure anymore, but from what I can tell, a lot of those tactics ain’t working like they used to.
People want to go deeper now, they need to trust you more, and they are hesitant to act unless there’s a catalyst.
Enter the world of longer form content: emails and articles
Longer platforms where you can hash out your compelling business story, talk about the change that’s happening in the culture, that’s important, and show people how to progress.
But how do we come up with ideas?
“We don’t know where we get our ideas from. We do know that we do not get them from our laptops.”
-John Cleese
I have to say, I get a few ideas from the laptop (watching old interviews, et cetera).
But largely agree with Cleese.
The most compelling stories seem to come from the real world, our business, and the people we serve.
When you do this well…
Every time we read your article, or email, we’re getting more clarity on your business story.
So here are three types, that work great for a story-driven business.
Type One: Strategies, ideas, or tips to move forward in your new world
If you’ve followed my other work, or are using a story-driven approach to your own marketing, then you’ll be familiar with the idea that in your business, what you’re really doing is creating a new ‘world’, or a new future for your clients.
And that this new world, is important because of a some kind of change in the culture.
Example:
Say you’re a lawyer, and there’s a shift in the business climate, people need more support, and the old way of dealing with cut-throat lawyers on a per-minute basis is dead.
The new, high-trust way is having a lawyer support your with a fixed job fee.
Or…
You’re a premium, online personal trainer, and people are spending more time at home, are more stressed, and are less active than they used to be. The old model of exercise prescription doesn’t suit where we are now.
This calls for a new type of strength training that’s more holistic…
Or…
You’re an accountant. There’s been a change in the culture because Xero and other software takes care of a lot of the admin work…
So the new world is where you service clients more like an advisor, or even business mentor, helping set KPI’s or strategy.
In each case, there’s a change we’re pointing out. This creates an old way of doing things, and a new way, or new ‘world.’
This ain’t the only way to do it. But it helps to position you as a leader, rather than a salesperson.
And because you’re now an evangelist of the new path, there’s an opportunity to deliver ‘value’ - i.e. how to take another step forward in your new world.
So anyway, this is one way to find stories for emails and articles. Look for tips, breakdowns, case-studies that could help people to move forward in your new way of thinking, so they can thrive in the new environment.
Note: This is very different to a ‘general’ tip that you see a lot of. Because it’s in the new way of thinking. Therefore, helps to tell the story of your business more clearly.
[Yep, this article is an example of exactly that.]
Type Two: Stories of client wins [or other people who are aligned with the new world]
When you’re leading a new charge, you want to celebrate that whole new direction and way of thinking, not just your service or offer.
This is where a lot of service businesses fall short. They celebrate specific ‘successes’ or testimonials of their clients, but it’s often self serving and obvious.
“Here’s my client Brad, look at his results. I was responsible for that. Buy from me…”
Hmm.
Instead, what happens if you broadly discuss, and celebrate wins of people who are making progress in the new world that you’ve mapped out.
Let’s go back to the examples:
The small business lawyer celebrates the small business that’s thriving in the new economy.
The premium trainer celebrates other practitioners or athletes training in the new way.
The accountant celebrates businesses that are succeeding with KPIs and business goals.
Clients who are winning.
Peers who are winning.
And other industry leaders who have a similar vision, and are part of your new way of doing things.
All can be gold stories for your emails and articles.
[even in some parts of the health niche, where there are rules around testimonials. This is fine, because you are telling a broader story, not drawing a direct conclusion from your service]
When you think about success stories, think about ‘success’ in the new world, or new way of doing things.
This will open up a lot more opportunities for these stories.
Example:
In a recent article, I wrote about some of the best story-driven marketing I’ve ever seen. This (so far) has been one of the most highly viewed articles on the site.
The click through rate was astronomical.
But if you look at it, I just elevated a business that has great story-driven marketing, RA MA institute.
I didn’t work with them.
I just celebrated them, because they ‘got it’.
Our podcasts? Often the same thing. They’re filled with examples of businesses that we elevate.
Sure, we do elevate and celebrate clients as well. Success stories. But you can go bigger, for your emails, and it helps you to build your narrative of what you’re about. It shows that you aren’t just in this for ‘you’, but you’re also passionate about the cause or change that you want to make.
[I’ve seen some clients thrive almost exclusively on client win emails, and new world strategies/tips emails. i.e. Type 1 and Type 2.]
Type Three: Stories that reiterate why the new world is important
Yesterday I hosted a workshop for a podiatrist company that has a couple of business locations. They have a new world, or new game that they’re playing which is very different from the old school podiatrists. They use more strength training, and their focus is building capacity up in the body, rather than relying on orthotics and support for life et cetera.
Anyway, it’s not enough for them to just pop up once and say “You know, things have changed. Now we do it this way.” Or throw it on the sales page. They have to consistently point to the old way, and how it isn’t equipped to help us anymore.
Same for all of us.
Why I yap on so much about world building and story-driven businesses, and why we are seeing them thrive in the new trust-economy. Not enough to just drop it once, you gotta repeat it. (“It’s provocative… It keeps the people goin.”)
You need to keep reminding us of the macro shift, or importance of your new world, in the content. That’s where the story is told. That’s where the sale is largely made.
So stories around this shift can be great for content like emails and articles.
Another example:
Everyone knows Brené Brown for her work about vulnerability. Well what she did was she researched ‘shame’ for years. She kept uncovering more information about why ‘shame’ has become an important topic when it comes to vulnerability in today’s culture. That things have changed, and we need to learn to bring out shame et cetera. Kept talking about it.
Point is, she re-iterates this shift around needing to talk about shame in the new culture.
And this is something we can resonate with, and drives up the necessity of listening to her.
You see this in political content all the time. They do it almost daily. “So and so did this or that”. And then they say “See! They are so bad”. This helps to raise the stakes, and reiterate what the vision of the future could be like with that person leading.
Some health coaches do this well too.
They constantly point to the declining food quality, or the drop in testosterone for men in general, whatever. And by bringing this up over and over, it doesn’t focus on the individual’s problem, but speaks to the changing context, and why working on health in their way is more important now than before.
Whether you’re in design, professional services, coaching… remind us why your work is important ‘now’, by telling stories about the relevant change in the culture.
Conclusion
Welp, there ya have it. Three types of emails or articles that are story-driven to a T, and sure to help you clarify what you’re about, and where you’re going, so your people can jump on board.
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