We recently shared our 2012 prediction for the association world as a guest blogger for Avectra. Check out our thoughts on storytelling below:
Does your association have its own Cinderella story to share? In your perfect fairy tale, wouldn’t members, the media, and other stakeholders regularly read, share, and promote your content?
Come 2012, many associations will find themselves poised to place more importance on storytelling and message development.
In our time-crunched world of social media, deadlines, and endless emails, it’s only natural to feel nostalgia for our favorite fairy tales of Disney days gone-by. So let’s revisit the traditional fairytale to identify a few of the factors at play when you’re looking to share your association’s story (and live happily ever after).
- Cinderella’s endless chores: Day to day obstacles preventing you from putting time and strategy into a content-sharing plan.
- Glass Slipper: Find your association’s unique differentiator and use online content that helps you standout.
- Evil Stepsisters: A finicky executive board that often stalls big ideas or initiatives.
- The Royal Ball: Your annual meeting. The culmination of your yearly content sharing.
Storytelling is an important component of PR and communications that is poised to be increasingly incorporated into associations’ online content. It’s about creating a tangible link between the organization, its content, and its member’s daily lives. However, association staff have many different stakeholders to consider, different audiences to address, and often face obstacles internally.
Regardless of the type of story, there’s always an author and a reader. The author (your organization) has a point to make while the reader wants to learn, be informed, or entertained. An effective story meets the desires of both parties, whether it is written for an online audience or for the media.
Regarding digital content, it’s essential to create and share stories that have a simple objective and simple elements. In today’s time crunched (and easily distracted) world, it’s paramount to be succinct and stick to the point.
Whatever your story is for your organization, each message you relay to stakeholders must funnel back up to that story. To come up with some story concepts, consider answering these questions:
- What aspects of the association’s vision do we want to project to members and key stakeholders?
- What is unique about your members and our industry?
- What’s going on in the headlines and how does it relate to our members everyday lives?
- How do we further engage members and encourage them to share their own stories?
Refreshing your organization’s content structure with human elements, anecdotes, and member stories helps create more compelling, memorable messages. For more information or storytelling training contact Epic PR Group at 703-299-3404 or visit us at www.epicprgroup.com.
This is a guest blog post by Adele Cehrs and her team from Epic PR Group, part of a series of predictions for 2012.