1. Digital Strategy & Storytelling
for Entrepreneurs
Doyle Buehler, MBA
@doylebuehler
The Greatest Story Never Heard?

2. Isn’t it cool - It’s the greatest time
in history, as we have access to
literally billions of people around
the world.

3. It’s also the worst time in history,
because we have access to… literally
billions of other people around the
world. Competition is fierce;
…you’re 1 click away from disaster

4. It’s never been easier to
get your story out there,
but it’s the hardest time
because there is so
much more noise out
there

5. What’s the
difference between
Yoda & Luke
Skywalker?

6. *In business for 16+ years
*Built multiple tech/ecom startups
*Expanded around the world
*Top 40 Fastest Growing Company in
Canada & #1 Fastest in the State
*Agency work with Fortune 100 Co’s
*Run a Global Strategic Digital Consultancy
Strategy & Storytelling for
the digital age.
@doylebuehler

7. Ask me later on how to get a free
copy of my NEW Book on Digital
Strategy - “#Breakthrough –
Unleash Your Remarkable Brand
Value, Influence & Authority”
Start Your Transformation
Journey
Breakthrough.Digital

8. Where are YOU now?

12. In the Digital Age, story
matters now more than
ever.
If you have a strategy you
can tell your true story.

13. A website by itself doesn’t work -
most of them are just brochures.
Build a website and no one shows up,
SEO doesn’t really work anymore, the
confusion for traffic. People going to
your website and nothing happens - is
the website a problem or is it traffic,
which ads should I buy…? If your
toolbox only has a hammer, every
problem is a nail, content marketing
for ‘free’ traffic...takes 6-12 months,
doesn’t always work. Is it the website
or is it the agency? Can’t figure out
who to blame. What’s missing from
this picture - The Strategy.

14. Can’t figure out who to
blame?
What’s Your Strategy?

15. There has to be a better way

16. We were born to tell stories
& we intuitively know how
to listen to them, but rarely
how to tell them, or tell
them with impact.

17. Your customer is the hero’s
journey, that can fade into the
distant without the right pieces in
place.

18. The story is what gives your
customer clarity & certainty.
This is your strategy. You control the
narrative

19. It’s not a story about how
awesome you are, along with
your amazing tech &
company
Nor how you are going to
“change the world”. They’ve
heard it all before.

20. Nor even be the next “amazing” founder

21. The Hero’s journey is about
your customer, the hero of
their story.

22. How Do We Build Your Story,
Your Strategy?

23. The keystone concept
We need a ”Keystone”,
a framework,
methodology to hold it
all “up”.

25. The #Breakthrough Digital Strategy Framework

26. The #Breakthrough Digital
Strategy Framework

27. #1 Discovery & Strategy

29. Strategy Questions
• What are we “about”? __________________
• What do we do best? ___________________
• What makes it work? ___________________
• What VALUE are you going to Deliver – Today?
“Tomorrow”? Next Year? ________________
@doylebuehler

30. Case Study - RedBull
• What are they about?
– Excitement
– Entertainment
– “Energy”
• Value?
– Become a better person
– More motivated
– “Adrenalized”

31. Next Steps
• “Distill” Your core
concepts from answers
• Create your three core
“themes” or Domains of
– Your brand value
– Your community value
– Your product & content
value

32. Implementing Your Strategy
• People
– Understand your audience
– WIIFM
• Objectives
– What are you trying to achieve?
– Why? Create relevance to your audience
• Value
– What value are you ‘exchanging’
– What themes are you using to deliver your value?
– Deliver your value through your content

33. #2 Content Planning
& Creation

35. What Are YOU Going To “TALK”
About?

36. WHO Are You Talking to?

37. What is Content?
• Not just a “blog”
– Ebooks, checklists, webinars, videos, web text, images,
infographics, stories, books, course, training…
• Educating Your Audience
• Creating awareness of ‘you’ (Profile)
• Informing about their “environment”
• Focused on YOUR keywords

38. Your CONTENT Drives
Your Audience
• What is YOUR Original Content?
– Not all sales
– Your Business Value
– WIIFM? “What’s In It For Me”
• Where is your Digital Leadership? Your
Strategy?

41. What About Keywords?
• Yes, research!
– https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/
– http://www.semrush.com/
– https://answerthepublic.com/
More so, they distill out as PART of your VALUE
statements, Your digital strategy, and your specific
content!

43. How To Identify YOUR
Target Persona
Start by describing the ideal customer who might benefit most from the content you
create:
• WHO is the persona?
• WHAT traits characterize her?
• WHAT roles does she play?
• WHAT does her typical day look like?
• WHERE is there a gap in her needs/wants (beyond our products/services)?
• WHEN does she need to close this gap (i.e., where is she in the purchase funnel)?
• WHY would she care about us, as a company (aside from our product)?

44. Identify Your Persona
TARGET PERSONA: ________________________________________
Job title/Role: ____________________________________________
Typical challenge: _________________________________________
Needs Gap: ______________________________________________
Funnel position: __________________________________________
What she cares about: _____________________________________
Place your persona’s picture here and give her
a name, to help your content team keep her
top-of-mind.

45. #3 Social & Sharing

47. @doylebuehler

48. #retailer2016 @eretailer

49. What Channels Are You Going To CHOOSE
TO Maximise Your Social Media Activity?
#1: ______________________
#2: ______________________
@doylebuehler

51. #4 Video Content
& Visuals (Branding)

52. “The use of images, videos, infographics,
presentation and other visuals on all online
digital channels to craft a graphical story around
your key brand values and offerings ”
Visual Storytelling

53. Not About Cute Kittens

54. Visuals
• Liked 2x more than text only
• Articles with relevant images have 94% more
total views than articles without images
• This is Visual storytelling

55. Voracious Video • Shared 12x more
than links and text
posts
• Youtube is Second
Biggest Search
engine
• Facebook is fighting
Google/Youtube
over video

56. #5 Web Alignment

57. Blowing Away The Digital
Blunders
• Blunder #1: If You Have to Tell ‘Me’
How to Get Around Your Site –
You’re Doing it Wrong
• Blunder #2: Being Cute and Clever
Doesn’t Lead to Conversions
• Blunder #3: What’s In It For ‘Me’
WIIFM?
• Blunder #4: Expecting a Contact Us
Page to work as a lead generator

58. Have Your Created A Website Specification To Capture These?

60. Question You MUST Ask
Yourself
1. What is the purpose of your website? Leads? Sales?
Information? Be specific.
_______________________________
2. Does it currently work with your strategy and your content?
____________________________
3. What is it that you feel does not work properly, or you would
like to improve._____________________________
4. Do you have a content management system?
____________________

61. 1. What platform are you using? Is it future-proof? ______________
2. What is YOUR REAL Story you are telling? ________
3. Are you using your original, unique CONTENT? _________
4. How often do you Optimise & Test? __________
5. Are you creating a “Journey” that your audience can explore?
________
6. What are you doing for “onsite” SEO – Content, Keywords?
_________
7. Have You created a website specification for you, your employees
and your suppliers? __________________
Your Website Checklist

62. #6 Online Lead
Generation

63. ATM
• [visual of ATM]
Source: Daniel Priestley, Key Person of Influence

64. Delivering Value To Your Audience
[Nurturing visual]
Nurturing the conversation and delivering consistent brand value
• [visual of actual pieces in flowchart]
• [visual of email sequences]
• Delivering Your Value over time = nurturing
Del iveryval ueTo your auDience
val ueSequenceDevel opmenT
inTereST&
moTivaTion
enaBl inG
acTionS
Sol uTionS
Seemore
Do more
Havemore
viSual S,viDeo,TexTTo
capTureTHeimaGinaTion
viSual S,viDeo,TexTTHaT
reinforceWHaTTHey
areTHinkinG
WHaTDoeSa “Sol uTion”To
your auDiencel ook l ike?
BeGinTHe“conver SaTion”
anDmovepeopl eTHrouGH
iniTial aTm,DepenDinGon
neeDS&reaDineSS
Seemore
Do more
Havemore
*WHaTcanTHeySee?
*WHaTcanTHey Do?
*WHaTcan THey Have?
HoWcan youenGaGeyour auDience?
WHaTuniqueSol uTion Do youproviDe?
@doylebuehler

65. #7 Advertising & Analytics

66. Word Of Mouth Only Goes So Far

67. How To Create A Successful Ad
Campaign
Step 1: Identify Your Persona
Step 2: Identify Your Channel(s)
Step 3: Clarify Your Purpose
Step 4: Set Your Budget & DEFINE Your ROI
Step 5: Develop Your Messaging & Visuals
Step 6: Run a Test program
Step 7: Use Remarketing Pixels
Step 8: Measure, Test, Optimise

68. Analytics
You Can’t Measure
What You Can’t
See?

69. Performance
• Baseline – take one – use
Google Analytics & Insights
• Objectives – what are they
• Optimisation – yes, back
and forth
• KPIs – what are you
measuring
• ROI – What is it, how?

70. Digital is harder.
If you’re not prepared.

71. Think of it like 7 Buckets…

72. The keystone concept
We need a ”Keystone”,
a framework,
methodology to hold it
all “up”.

73. The Hero’s journey is about
your customer, the hero of
their story.
Remember

74. Capture.
Their Brilliant Story

75. Capture.
Their Compelling Story

76. Capture.
Their Human Story

77. Capture.
Your SOLUTION with THEM.

78. Your Survival Is Not Assured.

79. @doylebuehler
What’s Killing
Businesses?
*A total of 250,242 entities were deregistered from the Australian
Securities and Investments Commission by June 30 2018
*According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than
60% of small businesses cease operating within
the first three years of starting.

80. You have two main
challenges to make
sure that you’re not
going to be a
statistic:
Your Digital Strategy Challenge

81. 1) Develop a #BREAKTHROUGH Digital
Strategy for your Business - Writing the
Story That will Inspire Your Ideal Customer to
Invest in a better future with you.
2) Delivering Your Story Online - getting all
the digital pieces correct so you can put your
story out into the world.
Your Digital Strategy Challenge

82. The
#Breakthrough
Framework

83. What’s 1 Degree off Course?
Strategy is the 1%

84. Remember - it’s not about your story - it’s about
your hero’s story - your ideal client story. We
want to be Luke Skywalker, but must be like Yoda
@doylebuehler

85. Be the Yoda. Be the Team.
Because Story Matters in creating
your own certainty, your own future
for the real hero, for your business.
This is your strategy.

86. Create the call of adventure
for your Hero.
Tell THEIR story with Your
Strategy.

87. The Digital Revolution Is Here
@doylebuehler
Doyle Buehler

88. www.Leadership.Digital
Take the Leadership.Digital Quiz & Get a
Free Copy Of #Breakthrough

89. @doylebuehler

90. http://www.linkedin.com/in/doylebuehler
https://www.facebook.com/doyle.buehler
http://www.twitter.com/doylebuehler
http://www.instagram.com/doylebuehler
http://www.youtube.com/user/doylebuehler
Please Find & Follow Me On Social

92. 1) Who is your hero - what are they thinking
and feeling?
2) Writing your Hero’s journey - what do
they really want - what they are telling you
and not telling you?
3) Map the digital journey with your digital
assets, platform, value, marketing…
How To Create & Capture
Your Remarkable Story: