The Power Of Story Telling For A Business

 

 

Note: I did an interview with an expert in brand building. David Phillips together with his partner Steve Baltzois began a company Steve-and-David.com which is a subsidiary of Iconic Productions Pty Limited in Australia. The focus is on storytelling to propagate the business and how it can help a business’s patronage and growth.

BM: If I am a business owner such as a franchisee or franchisor, what has storytelling got to do with me?

D: The answer is, everybody has a story to tell. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to tell a good story, they don’t have the necessary skill to do so or they simply don’t believe it is necessary. Yet when you look at such great companies like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, their respective taglines: “I’m loving it” and “Can’t beat the feeling” have not changed over the decades. They are still telling great stories. Stories that resonate with the ordinary person. Remember stories validate us in the same way as a great movie gets everyone talking about it. This is the same reason why a powerful and punchy teaser of a business can resonate with customers – past and new, improving brand exposure and increasing customer engagement. The result leads to an increase in customer loyalty which is one of the fundamental prerequisites of business success.

Another big worldwide company is Burger King. Do you know they are known as “Hungry Jacks” in Australia? This is because a local company had already trademarked the name “Burger King”. This company was founded in the 1970s. Yet before the USA version of Burger King came to Australia, very few people knew of the “local” Burger King in Adelaide, Australia. Why did Burger King in Adelaide not tell their story? Why shouldn’t a Burger joint on the street corner in Adelaide, or St. Kilda in Melbourne, or Bondi Beach in Sydney or anywhere else tell their story to the world? People from all over the world visit these places every day!

BM: How can a business owner realize this kind of potential?

D: All it takes for the business owner is a slight paradigm shift in the way of thinking. Many franchisees, business owners, and entrepreneurs show an immense fear of doing what multi-million-dollar companies do because either they are too time-poor, they don’t have the expertise or it is completely out of their budget. Most franchisees feel that any promotion is expensive, and you need hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is not true. The same levels of success can be achieved using smartphone technology for a few thousand dollars and at the same time leverage expertise in teasing your story.

BM: So exactly what is “The Power of Storytelling” and how can it provide a competitive edge for my franchise or business? 

The Power of Storytelling begins with a blueprint to maximize your business potential including an expertly produced teaser of your business, created, and showcased on Digital media exposing your product to a wider audience. The competitive edge comes from knowing how to activate extraordinary memorable moments with your customers by perfecting the blend of film, theatre, and entertainment in your teaser. This is our expertise.

Remember that even before you see a movie the first thing that you see is the teaser. This teaser engages the audience and piques their interest. It will have them thinking and talking about the movie even before they go out and see it. That is one of the great things about the power of storytelling and it will work for your franchise business as well.

The second stage is to promote the video on digital media. Just imagine the kind of exposure you can achieve, TikTok alone has over 1 billion subscribers with over 15 thousand viewing hours a day. With this kind of exposure, there is a guaranteed increase in your customer engagement by over 4000 percent. The statistics here, speak for themselves.

The final piece of the action plan brings us back to the very beginning which is your story. Whenever I listen to someone for 1 minute, I know I have a great story waiting to be told to the rest of the world. Today’s franchisees and business owners should never underestimate the power of their products’ stories and how it can resonate with customers.

 

 

BM: What is the first thing you do when you see a great movie or TV show? 

D: I know when I see a great movie, I immediately tell someone, either a friend or a family member. That person tells someone else, and they tell someone else, and before you know it word of mouth spreads. Before you know it, your business and your product can be the next Hollywood blockbuster. That is the power of great storytelling.

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You may contact Armando “Butz” Bartolome for questions and more information.

By email: [email protected]

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