How To Capture Your Customer’s Attention

STORYTELLING TIPS FROM LITERARY GREATS TO CAPTURE YOUR CUSTOMER’S ATTENTION

Storytelling is at the heart of what GDR does. Why? Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale said it best –

“You’re never going to kill storytelling because it’s built in the human plan.”

Storytelling dates back to the beginning of time. It’s programmed into our DNA as part of the human experience. So how can you and your brand do this effectively to capture your customer’s attention?  What would your customers or people looking at your business think of you when they see your sign, your business card, your blogs, website, social media posts… The list goes on.

Are you confident that they’ll tell you what you wanted your brand and business to stand for?

If not, make sure that storytelling is an integral part of your brand to connect with your audience and capture your customer’s attention.

It is an important aspect to always consider to ensure your unique voice, vision and values, are always at the foreground to set you soaring above the competition. This is what will set you apart and either mean you will be chosen by a prospective customer or left behind.

In 2020, with bush fires seeing Australians sheltering or staying at home due to poor air quality, and now the Great Lockdown due to COVID-19 internet usage has been pushed up by 70%! Time spent scrolling through Facebook has also doubled while at the same time booksellers are becoming indispensable as we turn to ambitious reads to escape or online modules and blogs to focus on self-development.

2 million blog posts have already been posted today, and that’s just on WordPress.com and other WordPress.org self-hosted sites!

So what can we learn from famous authors and novelists that we’re embracing as we try to cut through the noise and capture our customer’s attention?

Here is the GDR recipe for building a compelling brand or content story calendar as said best by some of the world’s literary masterminds on how to tell your story:

#1 “Sometimes the ideas just come to me. Other times I have to sweat and almost bleed to make ideas come.” – J.K. Rowling

So you’re starting from the very beginning or planning a new campaign? Don’t worry if it doesn’t come to you straight away. The best ideas may take a while to brew. Try creative exercises like convergent ideation exercises or divergent ideation exercises to get the creative juices flowing.

Just remember, stay true to your brand, what it stands for and what makes it special and the rest should follow.

2 “As to the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out.” – Mark Twain

Long, superfluous, complex and adjective riddled sentences – much like this one – can lose the attention of your reader. We want information instantly and to be enticed to read more quicker, so if you’re unsure cut, cut, cut. Think about what needs to stand out and what you want the reader to feel. What is the key takeout in your content and let that stand on its own two feet.

#3 “Remove everything that has no relevance to the story.” – Anton Chekhov

Just like point two, this is especially important when writing short pieces such as for social media. Keep it short and concise so people can stop and get it, instantly.

Come up for air when telling your story and don’t go off on tangents. We must keep our reader or listener in mind. Be single-minded about your message. Your customers will have a better reason to remember and consider you when the time comes.

#4 “Never use the passive voice where you can use the active” – George Orwell

Guide your reader through your story with clarity. Use an active voice so your customer follows your point more easily.

For example:

RED Real Estate is Sydney’s leading estate marketplace. Search and take virtual tours for hundreds of properties currently for sale or to rent.

RED is at the forefront of this sentence making it easier to figure out what is happening to whom and by whom. Rather than…

Search and take virtual tours with Sydney’s leading estate marketplace – RED Real Estate. With hundreds of properties currently for sale or to rent.

Put your “who” at the beginning and your readers will find it easier to connect with you and your story. Thus, capturing your customer’s attention.

#5 “Write what should not be forgotten.” – Isabel Allende

Perhaps the best advice, but one easier said than done.

We want our stories to stand the test of time, to remain poignant, to stay sharable. This gets easier the more you read and the more you see why the same posts keep popping up on your news feed. However, an easy trick to ensure your writing does not disappear amongst the masses is by repurposing successful pieces in your archive.

GDR can show you how here: 5 Reasons to Update Your Old Blog Content

The bottom line: cut where you can and keep the good stuff!

GDR is here to help. From ideating and identifying what is the key message you want to say to your customers (or prospects), to creating a brand personality that best represents your business.

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