“From the snap of the ball to the snap of the first bone is closer to four seconds than to five.”
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game

So begins the story of Michael Oher and Leigh Anne Touhy, popularized by the recent hit movie.

We are born of story and even in this day of 140 character communication, we are driven by the power of story.

Take another recent movie, for example. Avatar is a story of an alien indigenous people who are fighting for their survival against the money-hungry mining company. When you take away the special effects, what you have is a compelling story.

How compelling? A group from Quito, Ecuador recently took an indigenous tribe from the Amazon rain forest to see the movie. Some had never seen a movie before. None had seen a 3D movie.

And yet … their reaction was to the story, and not the special effects. “That’s us!” they said. Their home is rapidly being destroyed by multinational mining interests, and it’s the story that won them over.

The story inside this special effects extravaganza prompted the president of Ecuador to hold firm on his stance to protect wilderness areas, in spite of serious financial pressure from outside interest groups.

We Love The Underdog

Movies like Avatar and The Blind Side allow us to root for the underdog. The success of these movies should tell you why the archetypal underdog is so successful in marketing …

“They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano … But When I Started to Play!”

A good story can be told in a few words, a paragraph, or an entire book. Stories are effective because they make learning easy and enjoyable. Stories are entertaining, emotionally palpable, and intellectually stimulating.

Stories make us think, cry, laugh, and ponder life’s mysteries. They provide us with a clear visual image of what could be or what might have been. Stories like this …

On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty-five years ago, two young men graduated from the same college. They were very much alike, these two young men. Both had been better than average students, both were personable and both – as young college graduates are – were filled with ambitious dreams for the future.

Recently, these men returned to their college for their 25th reunion …

That simple story is credited with selling over $1 billion in Wall Street Journal subscriptions.

Telling a Story Online

In the direct marketing world, it’s easy to tell stories about overcoming tremendous odds to achieve a life-long dream, ending world hunger, or saving a life with only $25 per month.

What do you do on a website, Email promotion, landing page or squeeze page?

You tell a story …

Put yourself in the mind and heart of your reader or visitor. Let’s say they came to your website because they’re looking to buy some WiMAX technology. It’s not sexy, I know, but you could have this on your site (from a real site):

WiMAX is the next-generation of wireless technology designed to enable pervasive, high-speed mobile Internet access to the widest array of devices including notebook PCs, handsets, smartphones, and consumer electronics such as gaming devices, cameras, camcorders, music players, and more.

That’s one way to tell a story.

The above website could have engaged the reader with a story instead…

“Watch this,” you say. With a smile and a wave of your hand, you click the icon on the screen. Two minutes later as your prospect valiently hides a deep yawn, you find yourself staring wild-eyed at the Wi-Fi icon and pray that the signal soon returns.

That was then. This is now. WiMAX eliminates wait times, and keeps you online with faster, more reliable internet service, enabling you to never worrying again about those Wi-Fi coffee shop blues.

Yeah, it’s not “professional,” but isn’t that exactly what the best advertisers do on TV? They tell a story and paint a vivid picture in your mind. They EVOKE your emotional responses.

Why should it be any different online?

I say… let’s liven and shake things up a bit in the business world. How about we, starting today, refuse to write boring tech-speak online and truly engage with our readers?

Won’t that be fun?

How would you like to spruce up the copy on your website? Call me. I’ll make your site sing and your visitors sing along.