Tell Your Story in Four Ways
When I tell people that I write content that helps people tell their story, they say to me, ‘I’ve been sending a newsletter out and it’s had no response,’ or “I went on the radio to talk about this event I have coming up, but I didn’t get a single phone call.”
So why didn’t it work?
They put all their eggs in one basket.
Don't rely on just one medium to get your message across
The trouble is, not everyone absorbs information in the same way. The key is to tell your story through three or four different mediums at the same time. You just adapt your story to the medium you’re using.
The key to telling your story is to use multiple mediums.
Here are four ways to tell your story.
Tell it to the Horse’s Mouth
Talk to your friends and family about what you hope to achieve. Not only will they support you, but they know other people and they’ll spread the word to them. Tell people that you know will have an interest in what you have to say – they’ll be grateful for such useful information. You can also take it to the next level by knocking on the doors of organisations who will be interested in spreading your story to their members.
Tell it Online
You can now tell your story to the world thanks to the Internet. Start blogging, posting and tweeting. Use the word of mouth factor to reach specific people who you know will be interested and who will spread the word. They won’t see it as you pestering them; they’ll think, ‘This is interesting, I must tell my followers about this.’
Tell it in the Media
Yes, the world has moved online, but people are still very attached to their local newspapers and radio stations. There’s the familiarity factor; people like listening to programmes or picking up a paper and thinking, ‘I know her.’ You’ll create a word-of-mouth buzz around yourself that money can’t buy.
Tell it on Email
What do most people do at least once a week, if not once a day? Check email. So hit them directly in their inbox with a colourful, fun newsletter telling them about your organisation’s activities or about an upcoming event. You can hit everyone on your contact list within seconds.
Your story deserves to be heard. By telling it in a few different ways, you’ll reach more people and increase your chances of success in whatever you’re trying to achieve.
Full, Clean Driving Licence
These words, in a job advertisement, could be seen as prejudiced against people with disabilities. But I don’t think so. I don’t see well enough to drive a car and I’d rather know upfront if driving is a requirement. Then I won’t have to waste time applying for a job I won’t be able to do.
When I finished college, I applied to every radio station in the country for a job. One of them gave me a week’s trial. When I got there, they immediately told me that they couldn’t give me a job because they needed someone who could drive. I could have considered that they shot me down. But it wasn’t because of my sight. They needed an ambulance-chasing reporter who could get to the story as soon as possible.
The reality is, this is a difficult country to get around if you don’t have a car. As a self employed person, a lot of meetings I go to are held in industrial estates with no bus service, so I have to get a taxi. This isn’t the fault of the companies. Of course people want a place with plenty of free parking. It comes down to infrastructure, to an inadequate public transport system, to lack of parking.
But there are a few simple things companies could do to make it easier for people with disabilities to work with them. With improvements in broadband services, remote working is a viable option for many people. In my case, most people are fine with arranging to meet me in the city centre if I just tell them, or to give me a lift to and from outlying venues.
If a company wants to hire a person with a disability for a sales job that requires a lot of travelling, they could pay taxi expenses to the equivalent of what they would pay for mileage. People with disabilities who don’t drive get free travel, so a company could end up saving money. And above all, don’t be afraid to put the words Full, Clean Driving License on your ad. It saves us time. And it saves you time.
This blog also appears on www.kanchi.org, an organisation which works with employers to break down barriers to employment for people with disabilites.
Content Plans – Your Secret Weapon in Selling Your Business
In a case of life imitating art, the owners of baby-gift website Baby Elephant became parents. Keeping their business afloat and in the public eye was no small challenge. Yet they managed to keep growing and marketing the business, even getting an interview slot on The Sunday Business Post. How did they do it? With a content plan.
A content plan is similar to a marketing plan, but it focuses exclusively on how you can sell your business through words. Before you can market your business, you need to define your core message and what makes it different. A content plan helps you to do that.
The ingredients for your content plan include:
- Angle – the hook that draws people to your business.
- Goals – what your business hopes to achieve for your customers.
- Services – define precisely what your services offer, the common thread between them and what they achieve for your customers.
- Customer benefits – how your business solves their problems, how they will feel after they have bought from you, how it enhances their lives.
- Tagline – a catchy slogan that captures the essence of your business in one line. Don’t worry if you can’t think of one; some businesses lend themselves more to taglines than others.
- Types of content – identify the types of content that are most likely to capture your customers. If it’s your website that’s most popular, concentrate your efforts there. Or it may be a brochure or email.
- Media plan – Identify the publications and programmes that are relevant to your business and that your customers subscribe to.
- Social media plan – Similar to the media plan, identify the social media platforms where your customers are most present and plan the content that’s likely to engage them.
And most importantly of all:
- Deadlines. Commit yourself to a plan of action which will help you release your content consistently and regularly to your customers, whether it’s a press release once a month, or a newsletter every Thursday.
There’s no denying that a good content plan takes time. So why should you create one?
- It actually saves you time. It speeds up the process of creating content, because you already have a basic framework for generating ideas.
- Because you’ve already gathered your thoughts, it’s easier to produce content even when you’re busy.
- If you’re asked about your business at a networking event, you’ll be able to do your business justice because you’ll have put thought into what makes it stand out.
- You are the best person to market your business. And the content plan gives you the power to do that.
Finally.
- It gives the edge to your business. Not many businesses have tapped into the power of selling themselves through words. Your content plan will help you stand out from the crowd.
Doing Business as a Speccer
I’ve decided to come clean. After two years of running my copywriting service, WriteWords Editorial and delivering creative writing classes, I thought it was about time I shared with you what it is like to do business as a visually impaired person – or speccer as I like to call myself. Most of the time, my sight loss doesn’t impinge on my work. All I need to run my business is a computer with a magnifier, Internet access and change for taxis.
Still, I had an experience this week that I think neatly illustrates both the advantages and the disadvantages of doing business as a speccer. I was invited to speak to a women’s network. I needed to get a taxi to the hotel, as like many of these business meetings, it was held in a place more accessible to cars than pedestrians.
As it was my home town, I knew the taxi driver and knew his car was silver. So when I saw a silver car, I opened the door to find it wasn’t him. When I got to the hotel, the entrance had a glass door. I put my hand out to open it and groped empty air.
The talk itself went well. I always use PowerPoint, even though I can’t read the slides, since I know people like to have something to look at. And because I have to learn off my notes, I look really brainy. Since faces are a blur, I don’t feel subject to the crowd’s laser-beam stare, so that reduces the fear factor considerably.
I talked about public speaking being more feared than spiders or death and my slide had a picture of a spider. Moments later, I heard muffled laughter. And one of the women informed me that a spider was hovering in front of me. It was probably fortunate for the spider that I didn’t see him; he would have met a grisly death.
On the way home, having lurched my way down a landmine step that materialised just outside the entrance of the hotel, the taxi driver apologised for teasing me. Then he did something worse. He said he felt sorry for me.
Since I have x-ray vision in speccer terms, it’s easy for me to forget that my visual impairment does affect me at times. If I did speak up about it, the people I meet would know why I seem to blank them, or can’t immediately lay my hands on where things are. And it would help them see that people with disabilities of all kinds can make a useful contribution to the business environment.
This blog also appears on www.kanchi.org, an organisation which promoted employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Top Tips for Successful Speechcraft
Last Monday night, I emerged from my snow-clad isolation to give a presentation-skills workshop to a women’s business network in Dungarvan. The workshop gave people the opportunity to morph into crazed queue jumpers, dead celebrities and cartoon characters. But in the middle of all the mayhem, there was a serious message. Here are 10 of the tips I shared about one of the core skills of presentation – actually writing your speech.
1. The goal of communication is to figure out what you want to say and put your message across in a way that your audience will understand.
2. Once you have figured out what you want to say, preparing your presentation becomes a whole lot easier.
3. As well as deciding what to say, decide what shape your speech will take. Will it be a debate, a story, or a fund of tips and advice?
4. Create a structure that will act as your roadmap when you are writing your speech.
5. To get yourself past those nervewracking seconds before you start to speak, pick a spot, plant your feet hip width apart, look around the room and take a few deep breaths. This will anchor you and silence your audience.
6. Reel your audience in by asking them a question or sharing an anecdote.
7. Don’t be afraid to borrow from others and inspire your audience with a quote.
8. Aim for one point per paragraph/section. This avoids clutter and ensures your audience understands your message.
9. Slow down your voice as you’re coming to the end, to signal to the audience that you’re ending and to add resonance to your ending.
10. Remember that no-one really cares what you’re saying. Chances are, they’re daydreaming, thinking of their to-do list or checking their phone. This is actually quite liberating. It means they won’t notice the quake in your voice or the slide you missed.
What’s Your Networking Style
Are you frustrated by the slow return you’re getting from going to networking events? It could be a question of style. Everyone has a networking style and if you can spot the style of the person you’re talking to, it could help you to win the business you’re after.
The DISC personality profiling system identifies four different styles that people roughly fit into. We’re all a mix of the four styles, but one style usually dominates. See if you can spot which style you are.
D – Go-Getter. This person wants to get straight down to business. They want to know exactly what return you can give them. They’ll swoop in with a firm handshake and proffer a business card immediately. When you’re talking to them, get to the point, explain exactly how you can help them. Set up a meeting immediately and stick to it.
I – Promotor. Described by some as the Labrador puppies of the networking world, the promoter is chatty, informal and views networking events as social occasions. They’ll greet you with a friendly hi, pump you hand – and look over your shoulder to see what other conversations are happening. Be friendly back and arrange for a cosy lunch. While it may appear as if you’re talking about nothing, the promoter will think you’re a marvellous person and will want to do business with you.
S – Nurturer. The nurturer is anxious to ensure that everyone else attending the networking event is comfortable and isn’t left on their own. They dress in unobtrusive clothes, so they won’t be noticed. They prefer one to one conversations and hate feel they’re being sold to. If you want to do business with a nurturer, don’t talk business at the event. Set up a one-to-one and they’ll eat out of your hand.
C – Examiner. Examiners are task-oriented, thorough and focused on getting the job done. That’s why they hate networking events. When you meet them, they often stand back because they want to get a good look at you. Put them out of their misery and say you;ll send them an email. This will give them time to give you a measured response.
This theory helps explain why some people’s networking behaviour seems pushy or unfriendly. It will help you play to your own strengths as a networker. Once you have an idea of another person’s style, you can match your approach to their style. And you’ll be in a better position to forge relationships that are beneficial to you both.
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