5 Nuggets of Knowledge I Dropped At Dig South

It’s been a little over a week and I’m already feeling nostalgic about Dig South. It was a great place to hang out, get inspired and share ideas with the local tech community. I co-presented a session titled “How Dr. Seuss Can Help You Rock Digital Storytelling” with my friend and former colleague, Kelley Jarrett. Our goal was to tell our audience about the critical role of storytelling in the digital marketing efforts for any brand.

Here are 5 takeaways from our session:

1. We live in a conceptual age where people look for meaning and purpose in absolutely everything they buy.
Whether it’s a laptop, desk lamp or dish soap, the consumer will actively seek out stories from brands that they can identify with. Stories can pull people towards your brand and make them loyal advocates.

2. Every story follows the same basic dramatic structure
From ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ to ‘Star Wars’, to ‘Apple’ to ‘Charity Water’, every fictional or brand story has an introduction that leads to some kind of conflict, that rises to a climax and ends at a resolution. You can use this dramatic structure to help define your brand story.

3. Always give your audience the chance to participate in your story and be the hero.
If you have a compelling story, your audience will be inspired to take action to change the course of their own story. They can be the hero, whether it’s saving Third World communities with their donations, or giving their clothes a new lease of life with the purchase of a fresh new brand of laundry detergent.

4. Different characters can be introduced to tell new stories
A brand can have a cast of characters that tell different sides of the brand story. Different characters can also be used to speak to different audience segments.

5. Brand stories are never-ending.
Through audience participation, new characters and marketing campaigns, the brand story will constantly evolve and be retold. You and your audience are the authors. The story will be based on your interactions.

Thanks to all of you who made the effort to come and see us at 9am on a Sunday, special thanks to Steve Warner for his Dr. Seuss style rhyming introduction, and also Dave Baysden (@dpbays) for sharing this awesome sketch note of our session: