Marketing Is Like Acting. It Works Best When Hidden.
After committing the ultimate marketing sin, I applied the storytelling technique when writing for clients.
I committed the ultimate marketing sin. I created content for contents’ sake. Worse still, I counted it as a win.
For one client, my content was producing over 130,000 views a month (170,000 on a good month). Did it bring in sales? Sure. Did it bring in enough sales to justify the expense? I was hoping nobody asked me.
I had built a highway filled with traffic — but nobody was pulling over for a coffee at my roadside diner.
My Secret
Something changed when I started telling stories. Clients didn’t start saying, “Wow, love the narrative, Tom” or “Gee, great use of subtext.” But they did say, “Loved your piece,” and “Great work. Sales want you on every project.”
That had never happened before. Clients always paid my invoices promptly, but they hadn’t gone out of their way to compliment the work. It was new and it was nice. And it was my secret.
They never realized I was telling stories, but they suddenly loved my ‘business writing’.
