What stories are you paying attention to? Is it the upcoming Presidential election? How about the Cubs/Indians World Series? Maybe it’s the national anthem protests or the latest Kardashian gossip.
There’s no one correct answer. Whatever your personal interest, that story is going to appear bigger than most others and you’ll be able to recite more facts or updates than any other current news story.
The challenge for any business is to figure out which story will get noticed by the intended audience.
A story about weight loss usually isn’t going to be of interest someone that isn’t trying to lose weight. However, a story about how to help a friend or family member lose weight might draw attention.
People pay attention to different stories or advertising because it fits with their individual life or interests – professional or personal.
Not sure you believe me yet? Answer this: How many signs did you see on your commute from home to your place of work? The answer depends on you. For example, if you’re looking for a new home, you’ll notice “For Sale” signs everywhere. If you’re not looking to move, you likely didn’t see many home for sale signs outside your immediate neighborhood. You only noticed the homes for sale in your neighborhood because you have a vested interest in your own home’s worth and who might become your new neighbor.
It’s subconscious, but when you accept this reality you can take advantage of it. That’s what we do for our clients. We don’t want to talk to everyone, just the right people. It starts with understanding your primary target audience, then decipher where they get their news, and what type of news they want to see. We share your story where it will have the most direct impact.
After telling those stories, look for the people one step outside your primary target audience that can still influence the decision makers, followed by taking two steps back, and so on. Returning to the weight loss example stated earlier, it’s reaching out to friends and family of someone looking to lose weight in hopes that they can influence the person actually trying to shed a few pounds.
In a professional setting, the equivalent may be a broader case-study type story about how a competitor to your target company benefited from using your 3rd party service or product. The company Executive who may not be as interested in all the details and specifics of your product or service, but they may like the overall result. That Executive may share or mention the story to a subordinate/the appropriate department head that you’ve had trouble reaching directly. When the boss tells an employee to look into something, they usually do. So now you have the opportunity to share the details and specifics with your true primary target client, the person making the final decision or recommendation back to the Executive.
Ultimately, it’s about getting your story heard and noticed by the people most likely to already be interested in it. The more targeted and focused you make your story, the more likely it will have the intended impact.