As a stage improviser, I love playing with the audience and creating stories in real-time. As a marketer that often applies improvisational tools to improve client outcomes, being prepared and still knowing when to ditch the playbook is a very important balancing act. Improvisation does not mean “winging [...]
On Thursday, May 2nd, I talked about the latest research on neuroscience and neuromarketing and how it applies to storytelling. What should marketers know so they can better connect with customers? Listen to the podcast and find out. Listen to internet radio with kathyklotzguest on BlogTalkRadio
Stories are currency. They travel, persuade and differentiate. They speak to who we are and what we value. Sometimes the best stories require us to get naked - metaphorically speaking, of course. That means being vulnerable. And we hate being vulnerable. Naked Conversations, a seminal book by [...]
I’ve always joked that marketing is a not missionary position! There is truth in comedy. Marketing is about preaching to the already converted. Your job is to attract people who believe what you believe. Too many businesses focus resources on marketing individual products and services. While that is [...]
There is a big difference between customers and advocates. Advocates are the passionate fans that talk about you and, by doing so, scale your marketing efforts. They are your best and most important marketing champions.What do you need to engage them? Why should they care? Before you [...]
I am a marketer. I am also an improviser. That means I am also a storyteller. Like improvisation, all great marketing is ultimately storytelling. Before I threw myself (slightly kicking and screaming) into improvisation, I did sketch comedy and stand-up. Few things will help you stretch your [...]
This post is part II of II. To read part I, click here. Truth and authenticity. Truth makes compelling comedy. Great comics talk about what they know - the good, bad, and ugly. Hacks try to sell what's popular rather than focus on generating authentic material that [...]
Comedy and marketing have much in common. Well, comedy is marketing, really. And some marketing is pretty comical, intentionally or not. Comedy is a priceless education. In addition to 20 years in marketing, my many years in sketch, stand-up and improvisation have provided a number of critical business [...]
Marketing is about the story you tell your customers, and the stories they tell about you. If there’s a big gap between who you say you are and who customers say you are, you have a problem. I can’t tell you how many times I hear businesses [...]
I wrote and posted this article well over one year ago. I find that it has become even more important! In fact, I just had this same conversation three times this week! As a result, I am re-posting with a few minor tweaks. You can read the original [...]
