I love stories. And I see them all around me. I’ll be sitting in a bar or restaurant, and I’ll look at the people around me and start figuring out their stories, the couple on a first date, the girl who likes the guy across the table but is only getting the attention of the one next to her, the tension between a husband and wife. I see stories in people’s clothes too: The clothes you run in tell the world how serious you are about that running. What you wear on a date, to a meeting, even to run to the store sends a message to the world about how you view yourself and your place in the world.

So maybe that’s why I’m always harping on stories in marketing. (Or maybe it’s the degree in Cultural Anthropology??) I’m not the only one who loves stories. Don’t you? That’s why stories are so effective in marketing. They engage, they entertain, and they give prospects a hook, something to hang on to and associate with your business. Stories can also deepen your relationship with that prospect as they become a customer, then a loyal customer, and then an evangelist.

For example, today I met with a juice company that’s a potential client. They have great scientific data, their juice has all kinds of proven health benefits, they’re even spending money on research to investigate these benefits. But…there’s no story. There’s nothing to appeal to the prospect, for the prospect to relate to. They have all the ingredients for a great story, just need to figure out what it is. (I think they’re pretty smart though and will hire We Know Words so they get one.)

A few months ago we worked with www.aocvending.com, a startup. They are in the business of setting up coffee vending machines. And we agreed they also had the makings of a great story: To battle the perception that vending machine coffee tastes bad, we emphasized the coffee “experience” instead. Instead of going with just any coffee, they chose to use a local artisan roaster and organic beans. In the future, I hope they’re able to pursue the other elements of the story we talked about: highlighting flavors of the month, and soliciting feedback from customers on favorite coffee flavors.

Does your marketing tell a story? If not, can it? Once upon a time…