influence.inspire.connect.
So many tools and so little time, right?
But, we want to keep sharing tips and tricks to get your message out to your users.
Here’s one that helps you tell a story through search. Not sure the value of it yet, but could be a small part of your overall marketing campaign.
http://www.youtube.com/searchstories
Here’s what one of the companies we’ve highlighted, Kuru Footwear, has done.
We love stories here at Nudge Village and here’s a great story about Danielle …by Danielle.
What about you? – Could your idea, book, or business benefit from a little video?
In the case of a photographer, we think the answer is “Yes.” When offering services like photography, the service provider and customer interaction is extremely important. Why not give customers an idea of your personality, your interests and your approach through video instead of the typical paragraphs of information? If the possible customer approaches you AFTER seeing it, you know that they have already decided that you are someone that they think they want to work with – a warm lead!
We will soon be following Danielle’s example too!
This is just one great example that we were excited to share from the village.
Plus, she has a really cool big shoe at the end of the video – which matches her logo!
A few weeks ago we posted a Nudge about storytelling here at Nudge Village. Check it out here as a reference.
We like to practice what we preach…even if it takes us a while to do so. And, even if the story is really short.
We fished around a bit and found out that our first Nudge Villager – Danielle from Schuh Photography – had a bit of a story.
So, we copied the format we had shared in our daily nudge. Here’s what we copied from and then we’ll show you what we did!
And, here’s what we created!
It took about an hour to put it together, create a Slideshare account and post it here!
We’ll continue to post more stories as you tell us what you are learning.
Do you have stories about your business? How you got started? A story about how your product or service works in the lives of your customers?
Think about it a bit. Bet you’ll find you have a few too.
And…
Please share it with us! We’d love to post it here too!
A few weeks ago, we posted this entry about leveraging YouTube.
Take a look at what some of the people on Nudge Village are doing to leverage YouTube. It is a great way to convey brief messages and ideas to your target audience …and other stray people wandering around the web.
Each use a slightly different approach, but all can be effective.
Use Yourself – Kim uses it to promote 7 Principles of Alignment. Notice her body language, choice of background, storytelling, hair, make-up and brief presentation that is perfect for her target audience (stay at home moms wanting to start businesses, mothers already trying to balance work and home responsibilities, etc.)
You and the green screen – Setema uses a green screen in the background which then enables you to select whatever background you’d like (white, scenery, etc.). He is energetic, standing up, and conversational – perfect for someone that is a motivational speaker. (Note: Type “how to use a green screen” into Google and thousands of sites will come up with great information)
Use images and animation– Anthony uses video to promote a book. Notice that in this case he doesn’t say anything or show his face to convey a message to his target audience – die hard sci-fi fans.
Get (or create) an Interview – Bret gets interviewed by a tv station, but until you are at the point of getting asked for interviews, set up your own! Get a friend to interview you while you explain and show your product.
Let the camera roll– We used video yesterday to announce our Linchpin book winner in an informal way with paper, a few undisclosed people, and an informal narration from the Chief Nudger.
Write a story, convey it with stick people and paper – Another approach that has gained popularity in the past few years is the Common Craft approach to presenting information through video. It might look familiar to the flannel board stories back in the 1970s – basic paper cut-outs.
Don’t be fooled by the simplicity. This type of presentation takes a lot of time and money, but is an excellent way to convey difficult concepts simply. (FYI – we’ll be highlighting a company that offers similar custom videos to Common Craft soon!)
They wouldn’t let me embed it, but here’s an example from their site – http://www.commoncraft.com/protecting-reputations-video
Create one today!
Try it out. Just do something simple. It doesn’t need to be perfect and you will improve the more you try it and look at other examples on the web.
Need Help?
If you need help, send us an email at info@nudgevillage.com or post a request in the “Help Wanted” section on our site. We’ll make sure another villager extends a helpful hand.
Oh, and let us know when you make a video so we can share it with others here and give you feedback.
“A long time ago” and “Once upon a time” are phrases most of us are familiar with from books we read in our youth.
Even at school, stories were told to describe cultures, traditions and beliefs. I still remember a story in 4th grade where I teacher shared how an African tribe explained some Americans roasting hot dogs on a campfire. They referred to them as “roasting human fingers on long sticks.”
Yuck was the thought that came to my 4th grade mind, but I also realized how we all had different understandings based upon our life experiences. And, I still remember that particular story over 30 years later.
Storytelling, believe it or not, is becoming even more important today. In a world of extreme technical advances and information overload, a simple story can convey more meaning and value than a data dump.
How can you use stories in your business? Here are a few ideas and we would love to hear yours!
These are just a few examples! Anyone can use stories to show their customers how their product/services can help them.
Here’s a great little example that is being used over and over and over again (the “Meet Joe” and the “Meet Jane” approach) because it is effective, can be created in Microsoft PowerPoint and easily distributed on the web or on paper.
http://www.slideshare.net/ShekharSahu/meet-joe-meet-healthcaremagiccom
Don’t you want to use healthmagic now that they’ve shown you how they can help you?
