A quick story …
There was once a company that was introducing a new video camera. (To our younger readers, video cameras were at one time large, stand-alone affairs.)
This new camera was unique because it was smaller than others on the market, with many new & cool features. The company decided to test two different ads.
Ad #1 consisted of a dramatic, beautifully-composed image of the camera, with eye-catching call-outs accenting the new & cool features.
Ad #2 featured a photo of a young boy sliding into home plate, and his Dad capturing this event with the new (slightly dusty) video camera.
Which ad do you think tested best?
Ad #2, of course.
Why?
The reason is clear; Ad #2 told a story. Just like this blog. AD #2 was about people, and how they were successful, and not about the product. It touched the viewer emotionally. It evoked a “me too” response. Ad #1 evoked … well … beauty-shot envy?
This is the point of this blog. It will be a short story.
Salespeople, if they’re good at what they do, know how to advance a sale by telling their prospects stories that create an emotional, visceral connection between them and the product/service in question. It focuses on need, desire, and personal experience … not features.
Successful marketers do the same thing. When a trade show or meeting rolls around, they don’t build an exhibit engagement program focused on detailed product specifications or functional data. They define powerful stories that connect emotionally with their target audience … stories that communicate successful outcomes driven by the product or service’s features; saving money, improving productivity, or increasing reliability and reduces downtime.
All of those outcomes are important to prospects and customers, but what makes that information sticky & memorable is the story through which they are communicated … a story in which they can see themselves succeeding.
After all, we are ALWAYS the heroes of our personal stories.
And when prospects see themselves as the hero in your solution story, they will FEEL the need to learn more, and customers will FEEL that their previous decisions to do business with you (and future ones as well) were justified.
Stories drive emotions; features do not.
Moral: When putting together a communication & engagement strategy for your trade show program, remember to focus on what’s important; story & people.
When you do, you’ll sell a lot more video cameras.