In many ways Covid-19 launched us into the future. E-commerce was on the rise before the pandemic, and but it really took off in March of last year. By 2024, experts predict that online shopping will account for nearly 22% of all retail purchases in the world, up from 19.5% this year. In a world where your customers can get products and services from anywhere, how do you stand out?
First, we need to get online - on the platforms where our customers are. Second, we need to figure out a communication strategy that makes an impact on the people that matter to our businesses.
At PFD, we recommend making storytelling be a central part of that communication strategy. At first, this may seem a little odd - storytelling in our minds may be reserved for friends over a beer or for around the campfire. This being said, storytelling can be a simple and effective way to connect with others and stand out insourcing customer’s minds. There are many reasons for this, as anthropologists believe that our brains are wired to hold onto stories, but especially in a world with continued uncertainty and noise, we need to meet our customers where they are at. What people need are stories of authenticity, hope, and connection.
Chip and Dan Heath, in their book Made to Stick, outlined the types of stories we need to share as companies if we want to make an impact on our customers into three “plots” - the challenge plot, the connection plot, and the creativity plot. Importantly, these plots do not mean we should make up stories about our company to share with our customers, rather, they outline the types of stories the people in our companies are already doing - we just need to learn to look for it.
The Challenge Plot
The Challenge Plot is a classic story we look for as humans, where we see a person or team face a tremendous challenge and overcome it, like David and Goliath. If you have a successful company, you no doubt have had the challenge plot come up. For example, one of our clients, Evergent, has a good portion of their team located in Hyderabad, India. Unfortunately, this is a place that was heavily impacted by Covid, and so team members and their families faced tremendous challenges as they navigated unthinkable circumstances. The extraordinary resiliency of the team, and the measures Evergent took to help keep the team as safe as possible are truly commendable.
The Connection Plot
The Connection Plot is a story that appeals to the social parts of our brain. It’s fairly self-explanatory - it’s a story about people connecting in meaningful ways. The connection plot is why we like stories of unlikely animal friends, and communities coming together to help each other. For this plot, we can celebrate the true friendships that are formed in our companies and the outreach we are doing to the community. For example, a few years ago, when Nebraska underwent quite a bit o flooding, one of our clients, Hometrends LLC, paired together with the local fire station and donated mattresses for people who lost everything in the flood to sleep on.
The Creativity Plot
The Creativity Plot is a story of ingenuity, where someone or a team creates something new and better for the world. It is the story of MaGyver and of Apple - when we hear it, we are inspired by the cleverness and genius, and we want to be a part of the change. For example, it is the story of one of our clients, Nox Health, that is using technology to radically transform how people sleep, so they are no longer sleep deprived. To use specialized technology for human flourishing through getting better sleep is creativity at its finest.
If we want to cut through the noise and clutter, we have to figure out how to genuinely and authentically share what we are doing in the world with the people who matter to our businesses.