This document discusses brand storytelling for libraries. It defines brand, storytelling, and content marketing. Brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that influence a consumer's choice. Storytelling assigns meaning through patterns of ordered events. Content marketing creates valuable information to attract an audience. The document advocates that libraries have compelling stories to tell as community institutions that empower, support, and connect people through ideas, imagination, and knowledge. It provides tips for libraries to start an organizational culture of storytelling and measure its impact.

1. brand storytelling {for libraries}
Heather lambert hlambert@tn.gov

2. define: Brand
A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and
relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision
to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer
(whether it’s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn’t pay a
premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value
exists for that consumer.
A brand's value is merely the sum total of how much extra people will
pay, or how often they choose, the expectations, memories, stories
and relationships of one brand over the alternatives.
--Seth Godin

3. define: Storytelling
Stories are how we assign meaning to things. Humans are "creatures of
context" and we always are looking for ways to put things in context.
Stories are patterns made up of events that are put together in a
particular order and this order gives it meaning.
-- Bill Harley
Storytelling is the interactive art of using words and actions to reveal the
elements and images of a story while encouraging the listener’s
imagination.
Storytelling involves a two-way interaction between a storyteller and one
or more listeners.
--National Storytelling Network

4. define: Content Marketing
A marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant
and consistent information to attract and acquire a clearly defined
audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.
--contentmarketinginstitute.com

5. People like storytelling because it tells
them whether brands ‘have a clear sense of purpose’ and
‘create their own world’. It makes people ‘intrigued to see
what they’ll do next’.
--AESOP marketing

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8. stop counting things
start tracking outcomes

9. no context, no outcomes, no personalization- no story

10. A good story is an end in itself. Whether or not it helps define a
brand, sell a product, or make a point, a story must stand on its
own. If it only exists to thinly disguise a marketing message,
you’re not fooling anybody.
-- Rob Walker

11. we can no longer push our messages across, we need to
pull customers in with engaging, useful content.

12. we know stories. we own storytelling.
we are the good guys. we have amazing stories.

13. be the source of information people with which
people want to engage.

14. how to start

15. broaden your perspective on storytelling.

16. create an organizational culture of storytelling.

17. get organized
assign responsibility
pull on the same rope
measure your impact
don’t forget to distribute
have something to say
content sandwich - Rachel Metscher

18. learn from others.

19. Our stories are as compelling as gum, beer, burritos, coke, tennis shoes, cable, search
engines, perfume or donuts. Everyday we build genuine connections with people.
We empower the youngest mind, we comfort and support the oldest soul. We
connect families, bring books to life, facilitate life change and ease life
transitions. People share with us their love, friendship, delight, sorrow,
desperation and loneliness. We foster exploration, we support
families, we connect communities, we encourage life long
learning. We aren’t part of the capitalist machine, we don’t have a
partisan agenda, we don’t sell junk made in China, we don’t send
jobs overseas. We are open to all people regardless of color,
creed or ability. We develop ideas and spark growth. We are
imagination, we are kindness, we are the best of our
communities. We maintain a connection to the past at
the same time giving tools engage with the future.
We are stories.