1. Using Story to Connect
in a Social Media
Landscape

2. Thank you, College of Informatics!
(Full Discloser: I Love NKU)

4. What Happens?
Our vocabulary changes
New words: analyze, data, investment, benefits, pros and
cons, ROI, end user, profit and loss, interface, customer
retention, benchmark, best practices, RFPs, search
engine optimization, social media, networking, sales
cycle, accounts payable, apps . . .
. . . .retirement

6. 3 Questions That Change
Everything
 Why a story?
 What is your story?
 How do you tell your story with social
media? (6 tips)

7. My Story

8. Why a Story?
“You have to tell a story, not give a lecture. You have to
hint at the facts, not announce them. You cannot prove
your way into a sale — you gain a customer when the
customer proves to herself that you’re a good choice.”
— Seth Godin, from All Marketers Tell Stories

9. Why a Story?
Stories = Connection
Connection = Customer
Customers Who Connect = Growing Business

10. What is Your Story?
It’s not what you do, it’s your why
 What you stand for.
 What you’re about.
 What you want to be different in the world.
 Your history, quirks, arguments, passions, daydreams,
successes, failures, and future plans.

11. How Do You Tell Your Story
with Social Media?
1. Shift your thinking.
Report, “Campaigns to Capabilities: Social Media &
Marketing 2011” from Buddy Media, @BuddyMedia
(posted on Fast Company’s blog, http://bit.ly/pR8AQx)
 Primary use—96%—of social media platforms is
advertising and promotion.
 “Content creation” is top priority (people want to read
stories).

12. Shift Your Thinking
 Every social media interaction—every status update,
Twitter link, video share, blog post or blog comment,
podcast, web cast, LinkedIn update—is a chance to tell
a story.
 A chance to communicate your why.

13. How Do You Tell Your Story
with Social Media?
2. Have a point of view.
 Your point of view is what links all of your social media
interactions.

14. Have a Point of View
 Create an energy statement (think: thesis statement).
Your energy statement represents your brand and your
vision for how life should be, according to your business.
“Your story is your best thing.”
 Let your energy statement(s) govern your posts. Ask
yourself: is this in line with my energy statement?

15. How Do You Tell Your Story
with Social Media?
3. Be targeted.
 Who is your person? Who needs to hear your point of
view?

16. Be Targeted
 Narrow down by ruling out/ruling in, and then don’t try
to be all things to all people.
 Talk directly to your people.
 Pick your social media platform(s) to focus on, and
create specific intentions around them.

17. How Do You Tell Your Story
with Social Media?
4. Have a voice.
 The voice you use for social media should be the same
voice you use on your web site—which should also be
the same voice you use to talk to your people in
person/phone.

18. Have a Voice
 Avoid generic “social media” voice. (The voice of
random urgency.)
 Say it aloud, and pay attention.
 Links alone are useless. Your voice is what establishes
context.

19. How Do You Tell Your Story
with Social Media?
5. Share others’ stories.
 Stories are meant to be shared. 50/50, or your own
metric (but have one).

20. Share Others’ Stories
 Awesome article about the unexpected benefits of reducing stress, from
my friend Kate Hanley (http://msmindbody.com)! http://bit.ly/nuHen3
 #gcva if you believe that you have The Thing, the thing that will make $,
you will run into the right people.
 @IncludeFitness Love the story of how you came up with the idea for the
product. You should always start with that story!
 New motto: if no one has thrown up yet, you have to keep going. Read
why it's a great remedy for curing creative block! http://bit.ly/qxYX4z
 See my art picks for today at Crescendoh @jennydoh @jenn_ski
http://bit.ly/dAm7lN

21. How Do You Tell Your Story
with Social Media?
6. Be a fortune teller.
 Ask: Will this piece of content be relevant to my story
___ years from now? (I go with “2” because I’m toward
the beginning of my brand cycle.)

22. Be a Fortune Teller
 How is it building on my story? (Not every single Tweet
or FB post will, but they shouldn’t detract.)
 If I took most of my blog posts, Tweets, Facebook
posts, etc., over ___ years, could I merge them into a
“brain map”? Would it tell a story?

23. Get in Touch!
www.judiketteler.com
judi@judiketteler.com
@judiketteler
facebook.com/judiketteler
www.sewretrothebook.com
513.731.2253
http://podcampcincinnati.com/s29