“Story is the promotional currency of the new millennium and millennial thinkers.”
That’s a phrase our team is probably starting to tire of hearing me say.
But I keep saying it because it’s true.
We’re all aware that technology is pushing our society to change and adapt at an ever-quickening pace. We are connecting more and more with people through ever-expanding social networks, and yet our relationships seem to be getting shallower and more superficial.
Have you noticed?
As more media and more images bombard our senses, it becomes harder and harder for any one message or any one voice to stand out or get noticed. This is the world in which we live.
So how do you publish, promote, and market in this environment?
I contend that story is the answer.
Think about it. Whether you’re at a cocktail party or listening to a sermon in church, you tend to “zone out” and not retain but a fraction of what you hear . . . that is, until someone begins to tell a story.
People love stories. They gravitate to them. Why is that?
In part, it’s because stories create emotion.
Whether you are a left-brain analytical thinker or a right-brain creative thinker, you are still an emotional creature and respond to emotion.
Any good salesperson will tell you that most sales are made on emotion, or that emotion is at least involved. So when you can take your central message and tell it in the form of a story, you’ve got a much greater chance that your message will be heard.
Maybe you don’t think you have a story. But you do.
And with some creative coaching, you’d be amazed (and maybe even a little impressed!) with just how cool, how unique, and how moving your story can be to the audience you want to reach and serve.
As publishing and marketing experts, helping people tell and sell their story is what we do. Need help with your story? Put us to work for you by calling 407-563-4806. We’d love to help you succeed!
The older I get, the more aware I’ve become of my shortcomings. I see how many people in the world are smarter, more determined, and more accomplished than I am.
Maybe you feel that way sometimes, too.
But I’m coming to appreciate a quality I possess that serves me well, and I think you would benefit from embracing more of it in your own life.
I’m talking about passion.
People are drawn to those with energy, enthusiasm, belief, and conviction. Most people in the world walk through life anxious, worried, distracted, stressed, and overwhelmed. But when they encounter someone — like you — who speaks with a light in their eyes, an energy in their bones, and a fervor in their spirit, it stands out. It makes others feel better just to be around someone with that kind of passion.
So when you speak to a group or talk with someone one-on-one, I encourage you to do so with a level of energy and enthusiasm. It’s infectious.
Because let’s face it: the world could do with a little more passion. Let it start today with you!
Most successful people will tell you becoming a success did not happen overnight. The guy who commands $25,000 every time he speaks? The woman who hits the best-seller list every time she puts out a new novel? These folks didn’t get there overnight.
Sure, there are exceptions to every rule. But the vast majority of successful people and companies know the road to success is long and arduous.
Are You On the Ground or Airborne?
Creating media buzz for your product or service is like getting a plane off the ground. You spend a lot of time building up speed, working to get enough air rushing under and over your wings, and then all of a sudden, Voila!
You have lift.
So it is with sound marketing campaigns. You start making connections and doing all the things you know how to do in order to create a base of fans who love what you’re about and decide to tell their friends. That takes time. And the smaller your starting customer base, the longer it takes to reach liftoff.
Analyze as You Go
Whether you’re at “ground zero” in building a fan base or already well on your way, you need to pay attention to what’s working and what isn’t. Some of your efforts will bomb, and others will bring unexpectedly positive results.
But you keep going.
When working your marketing plan, I’d recommend having someone more objective than you look it over and help you set realistic timetables and goals. If you have a sound product or service that meets a real need for an identifiable and reachable segment of the market, you will likely be very successful.
You just need to give it enough time.
Need an objective, seasoned, creative partner for your marketing strategy? Our HigherLife marketing division creates customized strategic marketing plans. Put us to work for you by calling 407-563-4806. We’d love to help you succeed!
If you’re like me, between the decision to write and actually writing, there’s a huge chasm filled with ignorance, insecurity and doubt. How do you get started? Well, everyone is different, but here’s a simple strategy that works for me, and I can be fairly ADD when it comes to having to sit down for any length of time and do just one thing.
To start, make a list of all the key points you want to cover in your book. Don’t worry about getting these in order at this point. Just get them down onto a document. It might help to have a friend or two who know you and have specific understanding or interest in your topic to join you. Brainstorm a bit on all the things you want to see covered in your book.
Once you have a good list, organize them in a logical flow. Think about what will be most helpful to your reader, what you want to tell about your subject and in what order. This is important because the order in which you present a concept is critical to how easily your subject is embraced and understood. Each item will become a chapter. I like to come up with a one line catchy title for the chapter heading and then type a simple one paragraph opening summary of what I want to cover in that chapter. This whole process can be done in as little as a couple hours. But even if you devote the better part of a day to it, it’s a critical first step that will make the rest of your writing adventure, well, an adventure rather than a chore.
Now that you have a chapter by chapter outline for your book, you are set to write. Before you start writing actual chapters, take time to write a letter to tell someone why you are writing your book, what you hope your readers will get out of your message and share some examples or insights on why you know that what you have to share is worthwhile. This will become the introduction.
My suggestion is that you write one chapter of your book each day. Use your outline and write whichever chapter comes easiest to you. As a guide, try to write roughly the same amount of text for each chapter. Shoot for anywhere from 800-2,500 words per chapter. I personally prefer more chapters and shorter chapters, but it’s really up to you. Each chapter is essentially nothing more than a magazine article in length. No big deal right? But if you have a 30 chapter book and you write one chapter a day, you’ll have your entire book written in one month! Pretty cool, huh?
If you want us to critique your manuscript, we have professional editors who will provide you with a formal manuscript review where we can coach you not just on your writing style, but on how well your message connects with your target audience, how well defined your message is, how marketable it is…and a host of other insights. So what are you waiting for? Get busy!
Some time ago, I was invited to lead a workshop for the Billy Graham Evangelical Association. It was an honor. During one of the sessions, I heard a speaker, Ron Hutchcraft, make a statement that stopped me in my tracks. He said, “Everyone creates programs to tell us how to evangelize. The trouble is, we don’t need more programs that tell us the how to. We need programs that give us the want to.” I had never thought of that before, but it makes perfect sense. People who aren’t deeply motivated to want to do something won’t be motivated by programs that teach them how to do it. The principle applies in many areas of life.
Maybe you are a personal trainer and want to write a book or develop a course that teaches me how to tone up my abs or develop biceps that feel like steel pipes. Great! But until you’ve motivated me to want to do that, telling me how is a waste of effort. You can apply the same principle to dieting, investing, becoming a better spouse or parent — you name it.
The solution? Focus on inspiration before moving to information.
I tell first-time authors all the time that their book ought to be 70% inspiration and 30% information. Why? Because the purpose of the book shouldn’t be to tell me everything you know about your subject. It should be to motivate me to want to know more. Big difference!
Notice the rhythm of an infomercial. They give you enough information to make their success claims credible, but far more time is spent saying and re-saying a simple inspirational message. I’m not suggesting you should write a book filled with fluff that repeats the same thing over and over again. I am saying the main focus of your book should take time to compel, convince, move, and motivate me toward a new insight or action.
Don’t impress me with everything you know. Instead, move, encourage, and motivate me to take action!
So, you’re thinking about writing a book. If you’re like many beginning writers, between the decision to write and actually writing, there’s a huge chasm filled with ignorance, insecurity, and doubt. How do you get started?
Step 1: List the Key Points
At the outset, writing a whole book can feel like a daunting task. So don’t try to bite off that whole task right now. Just focus on creating a list. What are the key points you want to cover in your book? Don’t even worry about getting the ideas in order right now. Just write them all down in a document.
Step 2: Ask a Friend
If you have a friend who knows you and has some understanding or interest in your subject matter, ask them to take a look at your list. Is there anything you missed? Anything they’d want to know more about that you hadn’t thought of yet? Anything they’ve heard you talk about concerning your subject that isn’t written down on your list?
Step 3: Organize Your Ideas
Think about the order in which it would be helpful for someone new to learn about your subject. What is the best way to get them started? What are some of the meatier, in-depth ways of looking at your topic that might be better saved for later in the book? Put the items on your list in what seems like the most logical flow. Each of these items on your list will become its own chapter in the book.
Step 4: Get Down to the Essence
Next, try to come up with a catchy one-liner for each of the chapters on your list. These will become your working chapter titles. Then, write one paragraph for each chapter on the list that distills its big idea down to its essence. This one paragraph will guide the boundaries of what you cover in that chapter.
Step 5: Write a Letter
Now write a letter to one person to communicate why you are writing your book and what you hope they will get out of reading it. This will become your book’s introduction chapter.
Step 6: One Chapter Per Day
Finally, set aside time each day to write just one chapter. Shoot for 800-2,500 words per chapter, and try to write roughly the same amount in each one. It may be helpful to think of it like you’re writing one short magazine article on each chapter topic — no big deal, right?
If you have 30 chapters in your book, you could potentially be done writing the book in a month. (Hey, it’s possible — right?!)
If you want us to critique your manuscript, we have professional editors who can provide you with a formal manuscript review that coaches you not just on your writing style, but also on how well your message connects with your target audience and its marketability. Contact us at info@higherlife.com to learn more!
Back in the day of traditional publishing, publishers would hand you the cover design and final edited manuscript of your book before it went to print, and that was that — your input on major editorial changes and cover design was not part of the process.
But in this age of author-driven publishing, it is.
So, what is the process, and how can your input mix with the expertise of your publisher to deliver a successful book?
Once you provide your manuscript to your publisher, the first step is content editing. In this phase, you and your editor exchange back-and-forth notes to make sure the flow of the message is strong.
Take time during this phase to glean every bit of expert advice from your editor and publisher as you can.
What is the best flow and organization of the chapters? Does any material need to be cut or better developed? What do they recommend for the book’s title and subtitle?
This is the phase in the editorial journey where you need to give the most input to your editor, as the manuscript you approve at the end of this phase will move rapidly through the rest of the process.
If you later decide you hate chapter 5, for instance, the book would need to return to content editing — which means more time and possibly more editorial charges. Make sure you’re confident of the manuscript you approve at the end of the content editing phase, as you don’t want to go backward on your journey.
Once you finalize the manuscript in content editing, your editor sends it on to copyediting. This is the polishing phase that makes the grammar and syntax shine.
Next, the book goes to typesetting and design before moving on to proofreading. At this point, your book will look like it’s about to be published. Any changes made here are limited to typos and typographical errors, as it’s about last-minute clean-ups that make the book squeaky clean and perfect.
Now, what about cover design? How does that get handled? Next time, I’ll explain the process and share how to be most effective in giving your input on the cover.
I don’t care how many objective facts you have going for (or against) you when it comes to your product or service. The simple truth is that emotion sells almost every time.
We are emotional and relational creatures. Haven’t you noticed? So it stands to reason that emotion will be wrapped up, in some way, in our decisions — including what we choose to buy.
This means those who tap into the emotions of their customers will see far better results than those who rely on facts and figures to present their case.
Let me show you what I mean.
I’ve linked to two short, professional video presentations below, and I want you to watch both of them.
Both videos were professionally created. Both share sound benefits related to the service provided. Both feature the same doctor talking about his practice.
But tell me how you feel after watching each one.
Video #1:
Video #2:
Now tell me, which one makes you more interested in connecting with the doctor? I’m going to bet it’s the second one. Why? Because we immediately connect with his story, and his story provokes emotion.
So, before you write your next ad or create your next marketing campaign, think about how you can create a stronger emotional connection with the people you seek to serve.
The first of the year brings me to an annual event called the Leadership Nexus, where I offer a keynote address on creativity and teach several classes on the themes of my book, The Creative Life: A Workbook for Unearthing the Christian Imagination.
As a published author, I know that the best way to connect with my target audience is to get out there and speak on my book’s subject. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way that you might find helpful, too, when planning your speaking engagements.
Use Your Book
The first few years I led seminars on my topic of creativity and faith, I thought it was important to bring fresh new information to each talk in addition to the content from my book. I drove myself crazy trying to go beyond, outside, and around the principles in my book!
Needless to say, the idea didn’t last long. I grew exhausted and had to give up and just go back to sharing the principles from my book.
Here’s the great news. It turns out people wanted to hear from me about the original content in my book! That’s why they were there. They expected me to talk on the creative life and what it means to me.
Build Your Speech
When you plan a talk, begin with your audience. What are they expecting to gain from hearing you speak? Highlight the ideas in your book that will meet the expectations of your attendees.
Next, outline your book. What are the major themes and principles? Choose 3-5 main points, and use those as the basis for your talk.
Third, consider examples and practical application. Make sure you can alternate from sharing the principles to sharing stories and practical applications as you move from roman numeral to roman numeral in your speech outline.
Finally, think about timing. On your notes, write next to the title of your speech the time your talk begins. Then next to each major point, write the time you should be speaking on that point. This way, if you go over on one section, you keep on target for when you need to finish and won’t bleed into the next speaker’s timeframe.
“Story is the promotional currency of the new millennium and millennial thinkers.”
That’s a phrase our team is probably starting to tire of hearing me say. But I keep saying it because it’s true.
We are all aware that technology is pushing our society to change, to adapt at an ever-quickening pace. We are connecting with more and more people through ever-expanding social networks, and yet our relationships seem to be getting shallower and more superficial.
As more media and more images bombard our senses, it becomes harder and harder for any one message or any one voice to stand out or get noticed. This is the world in which we live.
So how do you publish, promote, and market in this environment?
I contend that story is the answer.
Think about it. Whether you’re at a cocktail party or listening to a sermon in church, you tend to “zone out” and not retain but a fraction of what you hear . . . that is, until someone begins to tell you a story.
People love stories. They gravitate to them. Why is that?
In part, it’s because stories create emotion.
Whether you are a left-brain analytical thinker or a right-brain creative thinker, you are still an emotional creature and you respond to emotion.
Any good salesperson will tell you that most all sales are made on emotion or at least emotion is involved. So when you can take your central message and present it in a story, well, you’ve got a MUCH greater chance that your message will be heard.
Of course, your story needs to be authentic. It has to be told in a way that resonates with your audience.
As publishers, that’s a large part of what we do. We help people tell their stories. But as marketing experts, we also help people sell their stories. In fact, we are in the process of launching an entire new division of our company to work with organizations and individuals to help them compellingly define, align, tell, and sell their story.
Maybe you don’t think you have a story. But you do.
And with some creative coaching, you’ll be amazed (and maybe even impressed) with just how cool, how unique, and how moving your story can be to the audience you want to reach and serve.
