There’s a lot of chatter in marketing circles about the importance of building a platform, about using the power of “content marketing” to get people to connect with you.
I couldn’t agree more. Many of our clients whose books we develop and publish authored a book precisely to be able to connect with more people, to offer them valuable information that would build trust and connection that ultimately leads to a customer engagement.
However, once you understand the power of content marketing, you must not fall prey to the “one and done” mentality. You can’t just offer a free report or ebook and then assume your audience will stay with you. No, you have to keep your audience hungry for more.
One of the best ways to do that is to regularly share fresh stories. People love stories. Each story you tell needs to both satisfy and make your audience hungry for more. Remember the Fox television series 24? Jack Bower became a national hero through those seasons. I can remember nights when my wife and I would DVR the shows and then binge watch multiple episodes. Why? Because while each hour-long episode was insanely satisfying, the show’s creators were masters at ending each episode with a hook that made us want to keep watching.
So when you write your book, by all means, share stories to illustrate your points. But keep collecting fresh stories to share in your blogs, e-newsletters, and social media.
Ever notice how the most successful novelists create a character that enables them to write multiple books built around that character? The end of each novel typically offers you a preview of the next book in the series.
Apply this mindset to your marketing. Be continually sharing fresh stories and “Ah-Ha!” insights that bring value to your audience and keeps them engaged with you.
Plan ahead. Build a schedule of stories to share. Maybe what happened to you yesterday in a meeting won’t apply to what you plan to write about this week, but log it because that story might perfectly illustrate a point you want to make or a new resource or service you want to offer your audience a few months down the road.
So become not just a master storyteller. Be a master story collector!
