The Magic of Storytelling
For centuries stories have been used to celebrate our culture, our
lives and as a means of passing along a message. Do you remember that great
teacher you had that used stories to help you learn new concepts? I bet you can
even remember the name of a teacher that used to make school come alive by
using storytelling in the classroom, whereas the names of the teachers who just
used to "lecture" you in the classroom are likely long forgotten.
The reason why storytelling is so powerful is because
really great storytellers have the ability to help us connect with a story.
They draw us into the story and make us feel specific emotions or help us to
experience the world around us in a particular way. Think back to that book you
just couldn't put down; as the story progressed you began to develop either a
like or a dislike for a specific character. I can't tell you how many
discussions I was involved in regarding Christian Grey (from 50 Shades of
Grey), it was amazing how his story captivated so many of us.
So what does this have to do with marketing your crafting
business?
If we look at most of the products showcased at a craft
show, the simple truth is that many of the items on display can be purchased
far cheaper at a big box retailer like Wal-Mart. So why then do people pay more
to buy from us?
Since starting Makers Move, my partner and I have had the
opportunity to speak with not only the makers themselves, but also the buyers
who attend these craft shows. Interestingly, what we have heard over and over
again is that customers make purchasing decisions based on the maker's story
and not simply the item they have created. Better yet, truly great stories are
perceived to have greater value to the end customer which is why they pay more
for the item.
A great example of the power of storytelling can be found
within the story of my partner Mandy's tie dye business. For those of you who
do not know Mandy, she is the mother of 5 amazing kids. Like so many of us, she
has always wanted to take her kids to Disney World to experience the magic of
Disney, but the costs of a 7-person trip was a challenge. In order to earn the
extra cash to take her family on this once in a life time trip, Mandy started
"Over the Rainbow Dying" and something amazing happened. Mandy
started getting calls from media outlets wanting to interview her about her new
business. Within a short time article after article was being written about
Mandy and her business and that she was "Dyeing for
a trip to Disney World". As people learned about Mandy's
business and the story behind it, people began to connect with her story and
her sales began to increase.
How can you make storytelling work for your
business.......
When crafting your brand story, you must illustrate what
your voice is, what you stand for and why it matters to the lives of the
audience. Remember that good storytelling isn’t even
directly about you, your brand and your solutions/products; it’s about
emotions, experiences, needs and the written and unwritten images associated
with these emotions and needs, in relationship to the feeling your brand
evokes.
Never forget, the ultimate goal of marketing is to
inspire, to motivate, change, and encourage the buying of a product or draw
people into your store.
So how do we craft our brand story? The
following info-graphic is a great road map for developing your story.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Want to be featured by Makers Move Manitoba?
Click on this Link Feature Me
What is Makers Move?
Mandy Johnson and I founded Makers Move Manitoba in the Fall of 2015 as a means to support and promote the many amazing artisans, hand-makers, crafters and farmers located right here in our beautiful Province. Right from the start our goal was simple; to create a community of makers and help connect them to customers and admirers who believe in the value of shopping local and supporting small business.
One of the greatest things about Makers Move Manitoba has been the opportunities that we have had to meet and talk to the many talented members of our community. Through these dialogues you have shared your triumphs, your fears and your greatest challenges with us allowing us to understand how we can leverage the strength of the entire community to help break down barriers for all of us.
What we have learned is that regardless of how successful any one of our members has become, we all suffer from the Crafters/Makers Dilemma which has made it difficult to take our passion for creating from being a hobby to becoming a business which one day could actually become our main source of income.
More importantly, we have learned that by harnessing the strength of our community, Makers Move Manitoba can become the catalyst that breaks down the barriers that prevent many of us from achieving our true business goals.
As we continue our quest to procure the best possible resources to overcome the various obstacles we makers face, we also wanted to make the following commitments to all the amazing members of the Makers Move Community:
To our MAKERS
We promise to always strive to provide a variety of the very best resources available to aid your business to reach its full potential.We offer a variety opportunities for makers/growers to grow their businesses.
Mandy Johnson and I founded Makers Move Manitoba in the Fall of 2015 as a means to support and promote the many amazing artisans, hand-makers, crafters and farmers located right here in our beautiful Province. Right from the start our goal was simple; to create a community of makers and help connect them to customers and admirers who believe in the value of shopping local and supporting small business.
One of the greatest things about Makers Move Manitoba has been the opportunities that we have had to meet and talk to the many talented members of our community. Through these dialogues you have shared your triumphs, your fears and your greatest challenges with us allowing us to understand how we can leverage the strength of the entire community to help break down barriers for all of us.
What we have learned is that regardless of how successful any one of our members has become, we all suffer from the Crafters/Makers Dilemma which has made it difficult to take our passion for creating from being a hobby to becoming a business which one day could actually become our main source of income.
More importantly, we have learned that by harnessing the strength of our community, Makers Move Manitoba can become the catalyst that breaks down the barriers that prevent many of us from achieving our true business goals.
As we continue our quest to procure the best possible resources to overcome the various obstacles we makers face, we also wanted to make the following commitments to all the amazing members of the Makers Move Community:
To our MAKERS
We promise to always strive to provide a variety of the very best resources available to aid your business to reach its full potential.We offer a variety opportunities for makers/growers to grow their businesses.
Our RESOURCE page is a great place to start.
A great way to boost views to your site or page is by signing up to have your work FEATURED by us (click on link).
Also be sure to follow us on
Instagram @makersmovemanitoba
Twitter @MakersMoveMb
Facebook Makers Move- Manitoba
Linkedin Makers Move Canada
Pinterest Makers Move Manitoba
| As Mandy and I continue along on our mission to grow the Makers Move Manitoba community and continue to create a series of resources that help all of you grow your businesses, you can help us by continuing to share your successes, failures, struggles and fears with us. Your stories can be used not only to inspire other members of the community, but also to provide us with the information necessary to help us build/acquire the resources that will provide the greatest impact to our entire community. |
To our CONSUMERS
We promise to always strive to connect you to Manitoba's very best artisans, hand-makers, crafters and farmers in an effort to help provide you an opportunity to "support local" and keep your hard earned money at work in our communities. With out you our makers wouldn't have a business. We thank you for your support.
Did you know that if each of us spent $100 a year on local businesses instead of chain stores, it would put an extra $3 Million back into our economy and create thousands more jobs every year.
No comments:
Post a Comment