With short attention spans and a barrage of information coming at us every day, it would be easy to assume that short tag lines are the way to go when crafting copy. But long copy has been shown to be more effective. Why? Because users love stories; that is how we as humans relate to one another and understand context. Content strategist Mari Mesibov will explain how, through storytelling, content strategists can deliver back-stories to engage and connect with users, as we have connected to one another since the beginning of time. This webinar will enlighten you about the power of stories and give tips on how to use them in your content. Marli Mesibov is a content strategist with passion for the user experience. Her work spans websites, web applications, and mobile for enterprise companies and startups across the country. She is an editor at UX Booth, and a frequent conference speaker. Marli can also be found on Twitter (@marsinthestars), where she shares thoughts on UX Design, content strategy, and Muppets. You can learn more about her and her work at http://marli.us

1. What’s In a Story?
Marli Mesibov
January 23, 2014

2. Experience the DCL Difference
DCL blends years of conversion experience with cutting-edge technology and
the infrastructure to make the process easy and efficient.
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World-Class Services
Leading-Edge Technology
Unparalleled Infrastructure
US-Based Management
Complex-Content Expertise
24/7 Online Project Tracking
Automated Quality Control
Global Capabilities

3. Valuable Content Transformed
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Document Digitization
XML and HTML Conversion
eBook Production
Hosted Solutions
Big Data Automation
Conversion Management
Editorial Services
Harmonizer

4. We Serve a Very Broad Client Base . . .

5. . . . Spanning All Industries
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Aerospace
Associations
Defense
Distribution
Education
Financial
Government
Libraries
Life Sciences
Manufacturing
Medical
Museums
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Periodicals
Professional
Publishing
Reference
Research
Societies
Software
STM
Technology
Telecommunications
Universities
Utilities

6. My story
• Content strategist, based out of Boston
• Boston is filled with stories
• Storytelling is enjoyable

7. The Little Red Hen

9. “Who will help me plant
the seeds?”

10. “Not I.”

11. So the little
red hen
planted the
seeds all by
herself.

12. “Who will help me
take the wheat to
the mill to be
ground into
flour?”

13. “Not I.”

14. So the little red
hen brought
the wheat to
the mill, all by
herself.

15. “Who will help me
bake the bread?”

16. So the little red
hen brought
the wheat to
the mill, all by
herself.
“Not I.”

17. So the little
red hen baked
the bread, all
by herself.

18. “Who will help
me eat the
bread?”

20. Stories stick with us

21. The content migration story
Marketing takes care of branding
updates
 Development select a content
management system
 Content strategy does the content
migration


22. The content migration story
Auditing the content
 Creating new content
 Archiving old content
 Deleting unnecessary content
 Updating old content
 Designing responsive layouts
 Writing adaptive copy


23. The content migration story
Don’t start by baking
the bread. Start by
planting the seeds.

24. The content migration story
Auditing the content – for what?
 Creating new content – why?
 Archiving old content – which pieces?
 Deleting unnecessary content – when?
 Updating old content – how?
 Responsive layouts – for whom?
 Writing adaptive copy – for what?


25. Why do stories stick?

27. History of storytelling

28. History of storytelling

29. History of storytelling
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Explains the
origin of women.
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Explains human
personality
attributes.

30. History of storytelling
• Explains why
bad things
happen.
• Explains
hope.

31. History of storytelling
• Storytelling as
a peace
offering.
• Storytelling as
a means of
engagement.

32. History of storytelling
Emadeddin Baghi,
Iranian Author
• Storytelling is
influential.
• Storytelling is
memorable.

33. Holiday Stories
NPR

34. In many cases,
long copy has proven
more effective than
short copy.
@marsinthestars

35. The long and the short of it
@marsinthestars

36. The long and the short of it
@marsinthestars

37. The long and the short of it
@marsinthestars

38. The long and the short of it
It didn’t work because
the content was
longer.
It worked because the
content was better.
@marsinthestars

39. The long and the short of it
@marsinthestars

40. The long and the short of it
@marsinthestars

41. “In reality, you cannot
have a page that’s too
long – only one that’s
too boring.”
-Conversion Rate Experts
@marsinthestars

42. The long and the short of it
@marsinthestars

43. Stories are memorable
@marsinthestars

44. Basecamp organizes
projects.
@marsinthestars

45. for thousands of
companies, Basecamp
organizes projects.
@marsinthestars

46. when they need it, for
thousands of
companies, Basecamp
organizes projects.
@marsinthestars

47. Like a mountaineer’s
Sherpa when they
need it, for thousands
of companies,
Basecamp organizes
projects.
@marsinthestars

48. We tell stories that can be
READ. We:
 Research
 Establish
the story
 Add details
 Distribute
@marsinthestars

49. Research
@marsinthestars

50. Research
It’s EVERYONE’s job!
@marsinthestars

51. Research

Good research = personalized
content!
• Have conversations, not interviews
• Pay attention to vocabulary
• Identify patterns
@marsinthestars

52. Research
The point of questions
is to hear what users
have to say. Their
vocabulary is just as
important as their
answers.
@marsinthestars

53. Research
Share your own
stories – but only a
few. Remember the
main focus is on the
user.
@marsinthestars

54. Research
Identify patterns.
Patterns are more
valuable than
outliers.
@marsinthestars

55. Establish the story
@marsinthestars

56. Establish the story
Beginning: Little Red Riding Hood
wants to visit her grandmother.
Middle: She meets the wolf, who
eats her and her grandmother.
End: The huntsman kills the wolf, and
they all live happily ever after.
@marsinthestars

57. Establish the story
Beginning: Joe wants to spend
more time with his family.
Middle: Joe buys the new Moto X
phone. He can work anywhere!
End: Joe leaves the office early, to
take his family on a picnic.
@marsinthestars

58. Establish the story
Beginning: Sally needs a recipe to
make chicken.
Middle: On her recipe website, the
chicken recipes are bookmarked.
End: Sally makes a wonderful
dinner, everyone is happy.
@marsinthestars

59. Add details
@marsinthestars

60. Add details
A person  a girl  Goldilocks
Strangers  bears  a family
A story  a whole world  a
brand
@marsinthestars

61. Add details
@marsinthestars

62. Add details
@marsinthestars

63. Distribute
@marsinthestars

64. Distribute
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The goal: engage with the audience.
• First, learn where the audience is.
• Participate in their conversations.
• Advertise your product or service
where it helps.
@marsinthestars

65. Distribute
It doesn’t matter
where you market
your content, so long
as you go where your
audience spends time.
@marsinthestars

66. Next Steps
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Create a story
Personalize a story
Use different mediums
Interact with your audience
Trust
@marsinthestars

67. 1. Create a story, and
build the brand
around that story. Tell
a story that shows the
value of your product.
@marsinthestars

68. 2. Personalize the
story to your target
audience, based on
what you learn from
what they say.
@marsinthestars

69. 3. Use different
mediums to help grow
the story. Go to the
places where your
users hang out.
@marsinthestars

70. 4. Interact with your
audience. Bring them
your content, and
help them understand
all of its value.
@marsinthestars

71. 5. Trust the story to
pull in the audience.
@marsinthestars

72. Thank you!
Marli Mesibov
www.marli.us
@marsinthestars

73. Q&A
Linda Morone Cassola
SVP, Sales and Marketing
(718) 307-5728
lcassola@dclab.com
Marli Mesibov
Content Strategist
www.marli.us
@marsinthestars