Once upon a time, a business owner was traveling through the digital forest when they came upon a fork in the road. A rusty sign pointed in two directions: Authentic Storytelling to the right and Obvious Marketing to the left. The business owner was at a loss. “Which path is the best for my brand?” they wondered. “If only I could glimpse into the future…”

Inching closer to the entrance of both roads, the business owner suddenly caught their reflection in a mirror hidden just behind the rusty sign. But it wasn’t just any mirror; it was The Mirror of Elbissop Semoctuo. (Translation: The Mirror of Possible Outcomes.) To their surprise, The Mirror of Elbissop Semoctuo presented them with two options: Take the path toward Authentic Storytelling or venture into Obvious Marketing. Curious to see what was in store, the business owner chose…

The Land of Obvious Marketing

The Mirror of Elbissop Semoctuo flashed and swirled, transporting the business owner into the Land of Obvious Marketing. As they walked down the path toward Obvious Marketing, birds constantly chirped to each other using calls-to-action and the landscape was adorned with flashing banners proclaiming, “Buy now!” and “But wait—there’s more!”

The rulers of Obvious Marketing believed strongly in the power of the Direct Message, filling their arsenal with:

• Feature-driven ads, emphasizing their superior features to those of other kingdoms, solely focused on convincing the villagers to buy their products. 

• Sales promotions blasted via email and social channels, aiming to drive immediate sales without building a narrative or emotional connection to the townspeople.

• Celebrity endorsements, where the focus isn’t on the brand’s values or the product’s benefits but more on their association with royalty.

The strategy was clear: The louder you were about your products and the more your marketing revolved around them, the more you sold.

However, despite the royals’ best efforts, the people of Obvious Marketing weren’t happy. The constant barrage of messages started sounding the same. The once-magical strategic spell started to lose its effect, and interest began to wane. The future looked bleak…and the bewildered business owner stepped back as The Mirror of Elbissop Semoctuo came into view and they were quickly transported to…

The Realm of Authentic Storytelling

Beyond the mountains of Hyperbole and the forests of Fine Print lies a different world—the Realm of Authentic Storytelling. As the business owner walked down the path of Authentic Storytelling, they noticed businesses gathered around digital campfires, sharing tales of their brands that resonated with their townspeople.

In this land, inhabitants greatly favored genuine connections over transactions. With this knowledge, the rulers made sure businesses:

• Aligned their content with their values. In Authentic Storytelling, businesses produced content, like blogs, videos and social posts, that spoke to the issues and ideals important to their brand...and to the people.

• Highlighted customer stories. They shared the success stories of their citizens to show how they were positively impacted by the businesses’ products and services.

• Engaged with their community. These businesses participated in community events, forums and discussions that aligned with their values and showed their commitment to the realm.

• Remained genuine. Businesses shared their true brand stories, including the struggles, failures and victories along the way, to maintain their authenticity as a business.

• Educated and provided value. Instead of going for the hard sell, the focus was on educating townspeople and providing them with information to help them solve their problems. Inevitably, this established them as a helpful and trustworthy resource.

• Listened to feedback. Authentic Storytelling asked for feedback from their citizens so they could learn what they were doing well and where they could improve—and they took steps to make improvements when needed.

The magic of Authentic Storytelling was that it brought values, emotions and experiences into one place that resonated with the audience on a deeper level. The future here looked promising.

What Road Will You Take, Dear Reader?

As a business owner, the power of your story lies not in the products you sell but in the values that you embrace, the bonds you forge and the hearts you inspire. As you ponder the road that suits you best, remember that the most powerful magic of all is found when you’re genuinely you.

And they all lived authentically ever after.

The End.