Storytelling is the new buzzword in content marketing circles. And for good reason too, given how important stories are in the art and science of marketing persuasion.
But how do we reconcile storytelling with Search Engine Optimization (SEO)—the technique of using targeted content to attract organic search engine traffic?
Original image from Freepik
Like a good wine, great stories only get better with age.
Many of the world’s most memorable stories were written a long time ago. Timeless tales like David versus Goliath, the Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet, and The Ugly Duckling are told and retold, enchanting readers and listeners for generations.
What do the movie trailer for Rogue One and marketing content have in common? (courtesy of Star Wars YouTube)
Do you enjoy watching movies? I certainly do.
What about the trailers, teaser ads, and other pre-publicity marketing materials which Hollywood Studios roll out? I’m sure many of them grip your attention like a vice – especially huge blockbusters like the Marvel and Star War series!
Courtesy of Imagination.com
Driven and ambitious, you were one of the stars in your company. You excelled in whatever you do, and are well liked by your boss, colleagues and subordinates.
But one day, dark clouds rumbled. Your company was acquired by a global MNC.
Due to “surplus headcount”, many of your colleagues were made redundant. Rumour even has it that your job is next on the line!
Courtesy of Listening books blog
When was the last time you read, heard or viewed a compelling brand story?
Every single day, we are inundated with hundreds and thousands of itsy bitsy stories. Served in bite-sizes, these seemingly endless anecdotes reach us through our ubiquitous digital devices.
Visual content marketing is the new digital black. In an attention-starved digitally distracted world, images and videos rule.
As I’ve previously written in Visual Content Marketing: Insights from Asia, 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. Moreever, our brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text.
Courtesy of Business 2 Community
Do you know that 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual? Or that visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text?
In the age of high definition screens of all sizes – from 2 inch smart watches to 50 inch television monitors – visual content rules. This fact is further cemented by the meteoric rise of the image-based threesome in social media – Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr.
Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford reprise their roles in The Force Awakens (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
18 December 2015 is going to be a day to remember. For Star Wars fans around the world, it will be the day when Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is released in cinemas around the world.
Already touted as the movie event of the year, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is part of an epic space opera film originally created by George Lucas. Directed by J. J. Abrams, the 7th installment in the episodic Star Wars film series will star John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, and the original cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker.
Can you guess what the above image is saying? (courtesy of Kritter5X)
Wonder why certain content dazzles and sparkles while others taste flatter than a day old beer?
The secret lies in how words are orchestrated to create a perfect symphony.
The heroes of this age are no longer as pristine, well-groomed and polished as the ones before. Sometimes, they may even be tormented and tortured souls.
Or even a super-villain like the Joker (above).
(As I write this update, Todd Williams’ DC Comics origin story of the most iconic Batman villain could hit US$1 billion in box office performance.)