So you turn to StoryBrand, a framework proven to work by tens of thousands of brands and leaders. One of the best ways to implement StoryBrand is by spending a day focused on this work with the right people and no distractions. You have one goal: leave with a clear, compelling message. 

But how do you do something like this, especially when you’ve never done it? Maybe you’re a StoryBrand fan and have read Building a StoryBrand or attended a StoryBrand event.

But can you lead your team through the framework?

If you think the answer is yes, keep reading. Below is a step-by-step plan for running a successful StoryBrand session. 

The exact roadmap I’ve used dozens of times

Since 2016, I’ve personally applied StoryBrand to more than 200 organizations, not including hundreds more as a StoryBrand event coach for the last five years. 

One of the things I’ve done for dozens of brands is a Messaging Strategy Session. This one-day workshop helps teams clarify their messaging, build a strategy, and get aligned. 

I’m about to show you exactly how I approach a day session for clients. Everything you need is below. 

How to run a StoryBrand Messaging Session

Before the day

• You know this approach is right for you if any of these are true:
• You have a leadership team that doesn’t say the same thing about the company
• Marketing & sales are slow
• You offer a confusing or complicated product or service
• You feel that you talk about your company too much and not enough about your customers
• You need to move quickly to revamp marketing and sales
• Deals get stuck
• -People balk at your price

These are just some of the problems solved by a StoryBrand day session. 

Doing a StoryBrand day sounds fun (because it is!). If you need more clarity on the problem the day needs to solve, the time spent may be wasted. Knowing the core issue at hand is half the battle. 

Who should be there

Whenever I do a day session with clients, they always ask, “Who should be there?”

My answer is the same every time: “I need the least number of necessary people. I define necessary as anyone with a vote or veto in the final result. I also want someone who has frontline expertise with customers.”

To explain further, here’s what I mean:

• Vote These are usually the leadership team and whoever heads up marketing or sales. 
• Veto This is obvious: it’s the owner or CEO. I added this after a client didn’t tell me the CEO needed to review and approve everything we did. I found this out the day before the website was supposed to go live. That was fun (not.) Now we get ahead of it. 
• Frontline Experts In B2B, this is your sales team or customer service team. These people talk to customers every day. They may not have hard data on demographics, etc, but they know people. Having them in the room helps us get specific insights for a clearer story. 

Two other audiences don’t get invited:

• Voice These are people with opinions, but they sit outside of voting power. We may bring them in later to refine the work, but they don’t get to create the work. 
• View These are people further down the line who will hear what we create in a company rollout. 

There’s one last person who should be there: a facilitator.

Allow me to be shameless for a minute: this is the role I play in these sessions. I’m an outsider in charge of leading the day, getting to consensus, asking questions, and creating results. I’m separate from the decision-makers in the room, so I can untangle the confusion, separate what’s important from what’s not, and lead the group to something clear, compelling, and (most importantly) profitable. 

You can also get a Private Workshop Facilitator through StoryBrand to lead this.

There’s a chance you have someone internally who can fill this role. If so, great!  It could be a head of marketing or sales. Whoever it is needs to be comfortable with:

• Pushing back when needed
• Asking deep questions
• Resolving disagreements
• Keeping people on track with the StoryBrand Framework
• Leading to a clear, compelling message

Once the attendee list is decided, it’s time to determine the agenda. 

What to do in the day

I once had a job where I was on the executive team. We met every Tuesday. A new leader came in who spent a couple of hours on Monday crafting the meeting agenda. 

He didn’t want to send it ahead of time. He preferred to surprise people. So each week we scrambled for comments, struggled for ideas, and needed clarification about what was happening. 

Summary: no one likes surprises. Unless they win a trip to the Bahamas. 

You need to determine an agenda ahead of time and send it to people. This helps them be prepared. 

Deciding an agenda needs to happen after you have clarified the problem to solve. The issues guide the day. Once those are known, the day is simple to plan. 

Here’s a look at a typical agenda for my StoryBrand sessions. Plan to start at 9 and end around 5:

• Walk through the StoryBrand Framework
• Messaging for the overall brand
• Messaging for 1-2 audiences, verticals, or products
• Draft a new homepage
• Draft a new marketing and sales plan
• Whatever else we have time for

Lunch usually happens after the brand messaging is done, usually 11:30-12. I give a 5-10 minute break every 90 minutes or so. People need a mental break. As someone once told me, “The mind can only absorb what the seat can endure.”

Note: You’ll notice tons of great ideas come up in your time together. Ideas that may turn into campaigns, emails, and so much more. Assign someone to capture that list so you have a project list after the day is done. 

Running the session

Offsite is great. Even if you rent a conference room nearby, get people out of their normal environment and separated from the usual demands of their jobs. 

Even better if you fly everyone to Honolulu (still waiting for this to happen).

If you stay in the office, set hard rules for people coming in and out. Unless there’s an emergency, everyone is in all day. No email, Slack, or texts. Keep focused on the work at hand. 

Now you start. I usually introduce StoryBrand so everyone understands what we’re doing for the day. This helps people think in the right direction and take ownership of the process. 

From there, start asking questions. I usually ask questions in the order of the StoryBrand Framework, capturing notes on MyStoryBrand.com along the way. 

Here are some of my favorite questions to ask:

• What do customers want from you? 
• What keeps them from getting what they want? 
• What are their feelings and frustrations about this? 
• Of all the things you could do every day, what makes you keep doing this? In other words, what makes you want to eliminate the problems people face? 
  • Be ready: This is the hardest question because it’s the philosophical problem. Everyone gets stressed out here. If you do, you’re in good company. 
• How do you understand your audience? 
• What case studies, expertise, metrics, etc, do customers value most?
• How do people go from prospect to raving fan?
  • This is the StoryBrand “plan” question. You’ll be amazed at how many teams spend a ton of time on this because everyone needs to learn the sales process.
• Once someone buys, what happens next? Or what should happen next?
• What’s the next step someone takes if they want to buy?
• What free thing can we offer that people will want?
  • This is the Transitional Call to Action. Think downloads, checklists, webinars, etc. Think of a specific problem people often have, then answer that problem in a free offer. Bonus points if the title points to loss aversion, like Expensive Mistakes.
• How is life better with your company?
• How is life worse without it?

If you know StoryBrand, then those questions walk straight through the framework. 

There are other questions I ask to dive deeper and expose other marketing and sales problems:

• What seems obvious to you but you must explain to every customer? 
• Think of a customer from the last 12-24 that you wish to replicate and have all your customers be like. Easy sales process, high value, they got results, and now they’re a repeat customer or referral source. Talk about this story. 
  • This is one of my favorite questions because it unlocks most of the BrandScript. 
• What makes you different from competitors?
• What testimonials do you have?
  • Most testimonials are boring. Testimonials should be a sales tool. They should address objections, show life after hiring you, or build trust. If the testimonials aren’t good, get them rewritten. 
• What is unique about our work or our process? Is that on the website anywhere?
• If you could stop selling to any customers and still hit revenue goals, who is it?
  • I ask this so we know who isn’t a fit. Marketing attracts. Like a magnet, it should also repel the wrong customer.

Know you’re on the right track

As you go along and hear the pieces of the BrandScript, capture those. Restate them and get affirmation from everyone in the room. As you go on, return to the beginning and show how the story connects. Make sure everyone is on board with what you have. 

Here’s how I do it: I start with Character. Once I feel like I know what this is, I say “So it sounds like people come to you because they want X, right?” Look for head nods and verbal affirmations. 

If someone disagrees, pause. Don’t move on. Find out why they disagree. This is where things can get tricky. Strong personalities may try to force their opinion. Or it may create indecision. 

When in doubt, stick to the framework. Remember: the goal of the day is to create a single, clear, compelling story. So if you get dissension, ask yourself: “Does this create a singular story, or does it feel disconnected from the other elements?”

These moments may happen throughout the day. As they do, refer to the question above. The dissenting opinion may still be a great idea. Capture it! The idea may not fit into your messaging, but it may be useful in an email, a campaign, or elsewhere. 

Great movies leave so much material on the cutting room floor. Your day session may result in the same thing. 

Managing expectations

It will be easy for things to drift. People don’t normally dedicate seven or eight hours to focus on topics like this. So all kinds of ideas will arise. Without focus, you’ll wind up chasing all kinds of tangents. 

That’s why I recommend having a notetaker. Have them capture ideas, tasks, and potential projects to revisit later. The goal of this day isn’t to brainstorm every possible marketing and sales issue; it’s to get clarity in your messaging. 

Ending the day

If you stay on track, avoid tangents, and follow your agenda, then you should be ready to wind down by 4 or 4:30. 

Don’t skip this part: make sure to spend time reviewing the day and discussing next steps. Here’s your Day End Checklist:

• Recap the messaging you created and get confirmation everyone is aligned with it.
• Review the Action Items list captured by your designated notetaker. If possible, assign owners to those items and dates for follow-up. 
• Remind everyone of the importance of clarity and why their contribution is so important. 
• Dismiss. 

Then what?

The bulk of the work is done in the day session; the real battle is won in the execution. Once the day ends, it’s time to put the messaging and actions list to work. 

Like this: 

• About a week after the session, get everyone together for one hour. The goal of this meeting is to review and finalize what you discussed in the day session. 
  • Why a week? Because it gives people time to think about what you discussed live. They may come back with more insights. Or they may affirm what was done.
• Spend time prioritizing the next actions necessary to roll this messaging out, like:
  • Updating the website
  • Updating sales material
  • Creating new sales and marketing talking points
  • Writing a lead magnet and email campaign
  • Rolling it out internally
  • Training the internal team

These initial projects are critical. The faster you communicate a clear message, the greater your chance of success. You and the team put in a ton of work in that day’s session; now it’s time to bring it to the world. 

Long-term, there are more things to do, like:

• Getting everyone to memorize your elevator pitch
• Creating StoryBrand messages for every audience, product, and service
• Revamping advertising content
• Creating new print material for trade shows and events
• Updating sales enablement collateral
• Creating objection handling points for sales 
• Creating sales and marketing emails
• Defining a content marketing strategy for the website, email, and social

These are just the beginning. 

Here’s the thing: you can implement StoryBrand in every area of your business. Clarity is critical everywhere. No single project or action will change everything; the big shift is the mindset shift. You and your team change your thinking to make everything about your customer. You focus on their problems. You make everything easier for them. You help them see what’s at stake if they do or don’t move forward. 

Do this in everything you say in marketing, sales, and customer service, and you maximize your chance at success. All because you spent one day clarifying your message. 

The post How to Run a StoryBrand Marketing Session appeared first on Wes Gay.

In this article, you’ll learn what those mistakes are and how to avoid them.

What is a StoryBrand BrandScript?

The StoryBrand BrandScript is a powerful tool to organize your thoughts, clarify your messaging, and create something incredibly powerful.

The layout makes it easy to follow the StoryBrand Framework. The result is a clear message that makes money. 

Many people think just doing a BrandScript fixes everything. This is not the case. If mistakes are present, then the messaging just won’t work (and that’s super frustrating). 

After reviewing hundreds–if not thousands–of StoryBrand BrandScripts, I’ve seen some people make a lot of mistakes. Thankfully, there are only a few mistakes people make. More importantly, they are easy to avoid and easy to fix. 

Wanting too much in a BrandScript

The first common mistake is wanting too much in a BrandScript. I’ve seen it over and over again with more than 200 clients and countless other situations. 

People go to the Livestream, read Building a StoryBrand, or enroll in Business Made Simple University. They hear about the StoryBrand Framework and feel confident they can fill out the BrandScript on their own. 

But the inevitable often hits: including everything instead of just the necessary things. 

In other words, they’re scared to edit. 

Editing makes the BrandScript much better and more effective. 

The best way to think about this tool is as a script treatment. A script treatment is a term in the film industry. When a screenwriter wants to pitch a film, they create a summary in a few pages. It outlines the characters and the plot. 

No details, no dialogue, no fluff. Just a few pages simplifying everything to the core. A final script is 120+ pages. This document is four pages. It’s a summary.

That’s what the BrandScript is: a summary. If we do the hard work to distill it down to its core essence, then we can build everything else around it. But if we don’t do that hard work, then we will never know the root message we want to convey. 

Be comfortable with cutting stuff out. Good ideas–and even great ideas–can live elsewhere. The BrandScript should be simple. 

It doesn’t “sound right”

“This just doesn’t sound like us.”

This is a common statement at StoryBrand events. They finish everything, read it, and don’t immediately say “YES!”

Instead, they say “Hmmmmmm.”

The most common reason why? The BrandScript isn’t specific or connected. 

Let’s start with specifics. Stories live in details. Think about movies where the camera cuts to a small thing, only for that small detail to become a major point later. Or think about a TV show where we know the specific place where things take place. 

Vague, general points don’t work. It’s the specifics that make things stand out. And it’s what draws people in. 

For example: Let’s say your Internal Problem is “They feel frustrated.” It’s a fine (and often used) answer. What if you say why they’re frustrated or what makes them frustrated? 

Now your Internal Problem may be “With no clear marketing strategy in place, they’re frustrated by disappointing results.”

The other reason a BrandScript doesn’t sound right is the story isn’t connected all the way through. Often this simply means:

• The Character Want and Problem sections don’t align. 
• The Plan doesn’t actually solve the problem. 
• The whole thing doesn’t sound like what a customer says about you.

These are all easy fixes. They’re the same fix too: simply think about your story through the lens of a customer story. Get their story to align with your BrandScript. Then  BrandScript problem is gone. 

Not having a “Want” that’s interesting

There are multiple ways to view this one. 

Some people think what a Character Want is what they Google to find you. This could be true. 

Another perspective is the Character Want is the bigger thing they’re really after. This is the approach I usually advocate. 

Here’s why: if you sell software, would you say your Character Wants “a B2B sales software”? Or would you say your Character Wants “a sales software that helps them make more money”?

• Which one is more interesting? 
• Which one would make people say “YES!!” when they read it? 
• Which one sounds like what customers wake up in the morning ready to buy?

This BrandScript problem brings up a broader reminder: there is no right or wrong story, only a better or best story. This requires testing to see what really resonates with customers.

Fighting back the “whatabouts”

“This is great, but what about X?”

I’ve heard this sentiment often. When people try to create clear messaging, an inner voice often appears. It’s a voice afraid to edit. 

Your company does a lot of great things for a lot of wonderful customers. When it comes to your BrandScript, though, it must be simple. The whatabouts must be removed and saved for somewhere else (like an email or social post). 

One way to solve this BrandScript problem is to ask What percentage of revenue does this represent? 

Attach decisions to dollars and the right answer quickly appears. 

Early in my StoryBrand journey I spoke with a new client about her company. I asked about their company services and the revenue attached to each service. 

• 5 services total
• $5m in annual revenue
• Service One made $4m per year
• The other four services made $250k per year each
• The other four services were most often used after someone used Service One

That realization instantly eliminated the other four services in her messaging and marketing. Why? Because only current customers bought those things. New customers bought Service One. 

Service One became the main thing. Everything else became a whatabout that moved somewhere else. 

Telling a story customers don’t know they’re living

This may be the trickiest BrandScript problem to solve. 

Occasionally a company has a unique perspective or offering compared to competitors. This uniqueness may mean they’re trying to get customers to think differently about a problem or solution. 

Trying to change someone’s perspective isn’t easy. Some brands can do it. When it comes to the BrandScript, though, this is the exception, not the norm. 

The typical issue here is wanting to tell a story a customer doesn’t know about, doesn’t care about, or won’t cause people to take action. 

Think of an industry where basically every business says the same thing. Like an orthodontist. Orthodontists basically do one thing: straighten teeth. That’s the bulk of their revenue. 

Everyone knows what an orthodontist does. Choosing one isn’t about whether you want straight teeth or not (who doesn’t?). Yet most orthodontic marketing doesn’t get customers to show up and pay money. 

How could this be changed? By thinking about the story a potential customer is already living. What problems do they have other than crooked teeth? What are their fears and pain points beyond the implications of not having straight teeth? Lean in that story. 

Remember, StoryBrand works when it tells a story customers are already living. So do the hard work of uncovering that story, and you’re more likely to win. 

Nailing the philosophical problem

Out of all the sections of the BrandScript, this one creates the most stress for people. 

It forces you to consider the underlying issue at work, the Why? behind what you’re really trying to solve. Nail it and your messaging gets much stronger. 

The key is how the question is framed. The common approach is asking something like Why is it just plain wrong for your customers to experience these problems? 

But why questions can be difficult to answer. Reframe the question with something like this: 

With all the things you could be doing, what is it about this problem that makes you want to get out of bed every day and solve it? 

Use your motivation to make a customer’s life better. There you find an incredibly compelling Philosophical Problem. 

Congrats! You avoided the biggest BrandScript problems

After doing hundreds of client BrandScripts and hundreds more for StoryBrand events and other Certified Guides, I know these problems are the most common people face. 

And as you’ve seen, they are easy to fix. 

In the end, it comes back to the heart of the StoryBrand Framework: build a clear, simple, compelling message. That’s it. 

Focus on those things and the problems here will go away.

The post 6 StoryBrand BrandScript Mistakes appeared first on Wes Gay.

History’s greatest (and most successful) leaders consistently point to reading as a source of their success. So I try to read often in order to expand my understanding of the world and grow my expertise.

There is an endless amount of marketing books on the market. Some great, some good, some unnecessary. I’ve read a mix of all three, for sure. And I’ve read some of the “standards” often hailed as required reading in the business world.

Surprisingly, my greatest insights came in unexpected places. Sure, I’ve learned a ton from Seth Godin’s extensive work. Yet perhaps the greatest marketing books I’ve read aren’t technically marketing books at all.

Instead, they speak about a marketing concept from a unique angle, causing me to think differently and expand my perspectives.

So here are five of my favorite unexpected marketing books:

Book 1: Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore

From Amazon: The bible for bringing cutting-edge products to larger markets.

Marketing Nugget: Building a strategy that works

This book is a classic for tech companies. Moore shows how to build a marketing strategy – for any company – that drives more revenue. For those struggling to build a marketing plan in any industry, this is a must-read.  

Favorite Quote: “Marketing’s purpose, therefore, is to develop and shape something that is real, and not, as people sometimes want to believe, to create illusions.”

If you’d like to get it on Amazon, here’s the link.

Book 2: D-Day by Stephen Ambrose

From Amazon: Stephen E. Ambrose’s D-Day is the definitive history of World War II’s most pivotal battle, a day that changed the course of history.

Marketing Nugget: Learning more about strategy

I know, I know. This book seems random, but it’s intentionally included. In Crossing the Chasm, Geoffrey Moore uses D-Day to help companies understand how to build a better marketing strategy. So this book dives deeper into what went on before, during, and after one of the most famous days in history.

Favorite Quote: The quotes from Churchill, Hitler, Stalin, and Eisenhower listed before the Table of Contents hit you with the magnitude of this day.

If you’d like to get it on Amazon, here’s the link.

Book 3: The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

From Amazon: We live in a world of great and increasing complexity, where even the most expert professionals struggle to master the tasks they face. Longer training, ever more advanced technologies—neither seems to prevent grievous errors. But in a hopeful turn, acclaimed surgeon and writer Atul Gawande finds a remedy in the humblest and simplest of techniques: the checklist.

Marketing Nugget: Creating consistency and reducing errors in the work

Gawande is a surgeon, New Yorker contributor, and now CEO of the Jeff Bezos/Warren Buffett healthcare company. He revolutionized healthcare in America by introducing checklists, and the lessons here are powerful ones for marketers and business leaders.

Favorite Quote: “What is needed, however, isn’t just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard–harder than trustworthiness and skill and perhaps even than selflessness. We are by nature flawed and inconstant creatures. We can’t even keep from snacking between meals. We are not built for discipline. We are built for novelty and excitement, not for careful attention to detail. Discipline is something we have to work at.”

If you’d like to get it on Amazon, here’s the link.

Book 4: Words That Work by Frank Luntz

From the Amazon description: In Words That Work, Luntz offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the tactical use of words and phrases affects what we buy, who we vote for, and even what we believe in.

Marketing Nugget: Understanding how people think and the power of words

Luntz is a legend in political arenas, with a specialty in creating a position that resonates with people and compels them to action.

Favorite Quote: “We live in an age when the world is no longer ruled as it once was by the Latin of the elites, but by the common, democratic tongues of the people. And if you want to reach the people, you must first speak their language.”

If you’d like to get it on Amazon, here’s the link.

Book 5: Long Story Short by Margot Leitman

From Amazon: With a fun, irreverent, and infographic approach, this guide breaks a story into concrete components with ways to improve content, structure, emotional impact, and delivery through personal anecdotes, relatable examples, and practical exercises.

Marketing Nugget: Telling a more compelling story

I picked up this book at the Amazon bookstore in Seattle. Marketing is really about creating and telling a powerful story. This book is packed with insights for developing and communicating a more compelling story, whether it’s in marketing, sales, or even leadership.   

Favorite Quote: “Don’t hide your quirks – take a closer look at them. They may be the key to a great story.”

If you’d like to get it on Amazon, here’s the link.

What are some of your favorite (and maybe unconventional) marketing books? Leave your comments below!

The post 5 Unexpected Marketing Books Every Business Leader Should Read appeared first on Wes Gay.

Students and parents start planning for a new school year in July. Stores have big displays filled with school supplies. They run campaigns about back-to-school sales. And some states even run a tax-free weekend on things students need for the new school year.

For some reason a new school year almost feels like a second chance at a New Year’s Resolution. We realize the end of the year is about five months away, so we revisit that list of goals we abandoned in January. And as a result, the things we tried in January (going to church, reading more books, growing our business) all receive a new level of focus.

Why? Because we know we still have plenty of time left to end the year strong. And if you’re running a business, you can leverage the remaining months of the year to meet or exceed your goals.

Thankfully we only need to look to our local school to know what we can do to elevate our marketing, sales, and business for the rest of the year. No, I’m not suggesting you go buy a new lunchbox (but if you want to, send me a picture of what you bought), nor am I suggesting it’s time to go buy a new Trapper Keeper (#throwback).

Instead, take a few minutes and work through a simple back-to-school marketing checklist. Once you walk through these simple steps, you’ll have a clearer  vision of where you are and where you need to go in order to crush your business goals in 2018. 

Five ways to audit your marketing today

1. Review personas just like a teacher looks at the class list. Know who you’re talking to and ensure your message is right for that audience. A 10th grade English teacher would fail if she thought she was speaking to 2nd graders. It’s about delivering the right message to the right people. Don’t know where to start? I recommend either reading Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller or attending his live workshop in Nashville.
2. Review your current platforms and tools just like a school supply list. What are your current tools and platforms in your marketing? Think email, website, social media, and whatever you do offline. Review analytics, check the platforms for basic mistakes and see where you can make things more consistent. I take clients through an exercise where we create a company pitch, then use that everywhere the company has a presence online.
3. Review your marketing strategy just like a teacher reviews a lesson plan. If you don’t have a marketing plan, then you’re living in the world of assumption marketing, just hoping everything works. It doesn’t have to be a sophisticated or complicated solution. Simply list your overall goal and what marketing steps you need to take to get there.
4. Review how today connects to tomorrow just like teachers build topics on each other. I think the most practical piece of the StoryBrand Framework is The Plan. By knowing next steps, it’s much easier to lead people down the path toward becoming customers. Make sure you have a plan for how people go from browsers to prospects to customers. (I love this tool to help my clients visualize the process.)
5. Review the seasonality just like how teachers think differently based on the semester. Fall semester is about football, Thanksgiving break, and surviving until Christmas. Think about your ideal client and what’s going on in their world between now and December 31. Then consider how you can shift your messaging or build campaigns that connect to the season.

This list of five things should take less than 30 minutes to review, and you’ll walk away with enormous clarity and confidence in your marketing plan.

But reviewing isn’t enough. Just like in the classroom, you need to put that newfound knowledge to work. Prioritize that list based on what you can do now, what you can delegate to a team member, and what you can partner with someone else to handle for you.

Need help working through this list? Sign up below to get a handy marketing checklist to help you navigate each of the five steps. You walk away with a clear plan on what to do next, ensuring your company gets an A+ in marketing this semester.

Download your marketing checklist now

The post Go Back To School With This Simple Marketing Checklist appeared first on Wes Gay.

How Facebook ads are changing (or ruining) your business

Late last week Facebook announced a massive update: you can now see every ad being run by that business. In just a couple clicks, you get a look into how a company runs their Facebook advertising and marketing.

This update is likely in response to the Russian interference in the 2016 election, as well as the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Those events, along with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg being grilled in front of Congress about transparency, led to one of Facebook’s most interesting updates in a long time.

Once I saw the news (from Facebook’s Twitter account, ironically), I was instantly addicted. Now I can quickly see all of the Facebook ads run by any company, not just ads targeted at me. As a marketer and copywriter, it’s a fascinating look behind the curtain of companies and thought leaders I respect.

Yet when I saw the news, I couldn’t help but think of one real truth:

This will dramatically impact online marketing. And it will likely reveal a difficult truth for many companies:

Facebook ads aren’t about volume. They’re about clarity.

Like most things in marketing and business, however, just having Facebook ads doesn’t guarantee success. This is where lots of good people waste their hard-earned money: they pour dollars into an ad budget with little return.

Why?

Because they focused too heavily on how. Just having Facebook ads running isn’t enough. Beta testing images and audiences isn’t a guarantee for success. Many invest time and resources into how they communicate and reach people, yet spend little time on what to say.

And as Donald Miller says, “People buy products and services only after they read words that make them want to buy those products or services.”

How you should use Facebook ads

Now everyone can see how business pages use Facebook ads. And what will happen? It will expose many who focused first on how instead of what. It will reveal which companies are wasting money every day on ads that aren’t working.

And no business owner wants to lose money intentionally, yet so many people do.

Thankfully, you don’t have to be one of those people. You can answer the what question first by doing these three things:

• Choose a single problem to solve. Customers and prospects have problems related to your product or service. Pick one and think about it. How does it make your customers feel? How does life get worse if their problem isn’t solved?

• Have a clear solution. People pay attention when you talk about problems because they want a solution. Create a clear, simple path they can take to solve the problem in front of them.

• Give them just one action to take. Don’t create options for how to move forward, and don’t be a wimp about it. If you’ve talked enough about their problems and revealed how you can make life better, then confidently tell them what to do.

As I said earlier, focus first on your words. Put some time and effort into getting those right, then move on to ad creation.

A real-life example

I’ve followed the work of Michael Hyatt for a long time. His blog, podcast, and resources have been incredibly valuable for my life and work. He’s been open in recent years about how his company grows rapidly, and I think a primary driver of leads for him is Facebook ads.

Let’s take a look at two ads he’s running right now for his Full Focus Planner, and I’ll show you why each one works.

This ad works because it focuses on our aspirations, addressing who we want to become but also empathizing with what keeps us from getting there. So here’s how that ad fits in the three-part framework I listed above.

• Single problem People have goals but rarely achieve them due to busyness and distraction
• Clear solution A system that tracks your tasks in light of your goals by providing greater focus
• One action Click the link

This ad also focuses on the planner, but it takes a different approach: using social proof from a satisfied customer. Instead of sharing what the customer’s problem, Hyatt lets a customer tell us what the problem is. We see ourselves in this quote, and it works. Let’s take a look at it based on the three-part framework:

• Single problem A task list that’s a mile long
• Clear solution A system that forces you to focus and finally get more donw
• One action Click the link

Yes, when you see the ads run by his Facebook page, the number is overwhelming. But remember: his team is testing different messages for different audiences to see what works. So I scrolled through his current ads to show you some great examples of getting the messaging right first:

Now it’s your turn

Transparency can be a good thing, although sometimes it’s a bit painful. Letting everyone see your Facebook ads may seem a little overwhelming, but it’s a great opportunity to do a reset, to focus first on content then on delivery.

So here’s what I want you to do:

1. Look at your current ads in light of the 3 steps I listed earlier.
2. Pick one ad and rewrite it based on that formula.
3. If you aren’t sure what ad to choose, grab a free 15- minute review with me here.

Your business deserves to grow, and that starts with a better message. Now go out there and create it. The world needs to hear it.

The post What You Can Learn From the Latest Changes to Facebook Ads appeared first on Wes Gay.

A lack of clarity is frustrating. When we work for a leader who’s unclear, we wonder what else may be going on behind the scenes. When our marketing message is unclear, we get frustrated because our efforts see little reward. When our sales process is unclear, we see money leaving our company and joining our competitors. When our recruiting efforts are unclear, we hire  the wrong people into our company and eventually it destroys what we built.

These feelings are awful, but they’re also abundant in too many companies. People get discouraged, disconnected, and distraught because there’s a supreme lack of clarity in the business.

Thankfully it doesn’t have to be this way. We have systems and frameworks for almost everything, from the Franklin Covey time management solution to the Lean Six Sigma approach for manufacturing. And thanks to the StoryBrand Framework, we finally have a way to the clarity that’s so critical for our company.

I’ve worked with dozens of companies since becoming StoryBrand Certified, and I’ve seen a common problem: too many make the mistake of assuming it only applies to marketing. Because a clear message is about what’s on our website and in our emails, right?

Wrong.

Clarity is the key for growing your business. And if you want the growth you deserve, then consider taking these teams to the next StoryBrand Workshop:

Who should attend the StoryBrand Workshop

1. Marketing. Your marketing team should know exactly who you serve, what you do, and how you solve problems for customers. Most people who attend the workshop come from the marketing team.
2. Executive leadership. Nothing sticks in a company long term if it doesn’t have support from the top. Executive leaders who understand this process lead better, healthier companies.
3. Sales. A clear message only works if the sales team understands it too. And since this process focuses on how to effectively position a message, then the sales team should be the masters of the StoryBrand Framework. When they understand it well, it transforms how they sell to customers.
4. HR. I know, I know. This one seems a little crazy, but let me explain. For HR folks, they serve two groups: future employees and current employees. So when they understand their office is the guide (step 3 of the StoryBrand Framework) to these groups, it transforms how they lead.

There are too many companies out there suffering from a lack of clarity. Sales are down, the marketing doesn’t work, and the wrong people join the company while the right people leave.

The underlying culprit? A lack of clarity.

If everyone on your team – especially the four groups noted above – gets aligned around the StoryBrand Framework, then your business becomes unstoppable.

Why not bring the StoryBrand workshop experience to your entire company? Click here to get more information about a Private Workshop!

The post Who Should Attend the StoryBrand Workshop? These 4 Teams appeared first on Wes Gay.

No, I don’t mean trucks, love, or dogs. Nor does it involve cowboy hats or tractors.

Maybe I should clarify here: great marketing is like a sad country song. It has nothing to do with lost love or D-I-V-O-R-C-E (for you non-country music fans, that’s a song title). Instead, let’s focus on why country music is so sad.

Specifically, why country music is the saddest of all genres. And for a good explanation, I turn to Malcolm Gladwell.

On season 2 of his Revisionist History podcast last year, Gladwell dedicated an entire episode to sad country songs. He looked at the history of country music through the life and lyrics of Bobby Braddock, the man credited with writing more sad country songs than anyone else.

Gladwell looks at the difficult life of Braddock, along with the lives of famous country music singers and songwriters. Every musician he covers shares one thing in common: a difficult life event.

While walking listeners through this episode, Gladwell compares country music to rock & roll – specifically the sad songs. And it’s in this comparison that he reveals why a country song is more likely to make you cry than a Rolling Stones ballad:

Country music is specific.

By sharing concrete ideas, places, and emotions, listeners put themselves in the song. They relate to what they hear because it feels real; it’s something from their past or something they enjoy.

Why do songwriters use this tactic? Because it works. Every time.

As Luke Laird said on the Building a StoryBrand podcast last year, great songwriters create word pictures that feel familiar. It’s as if the writer thinks about us specifically, then creates a lyric we understand. When we understand, we connect.

And when people connect, they take action.

In marketing, we want to write emails, blogs, or website text that people can relate to. We work hard to craft the perfect message, hoping it resonates with our target audience. Yet it sometimes feels as though things aren’t connecting.

If you want to reach more people in your message, then get specific.

Focus on things that matter to your customers, not the features and benefits of your product. Consider what your audience cares about, then create content designed to resonate specifically with that audience. Position your message in a way that your ideal customer knows your solution is the best solution for their problems.

Country music isn’t the most poetic or complicated music on the planet. Everyone knows that. But it doesn’t matter. Country stars are consistently the top artists each year in every possible category. Why? Because they sing songs people understand, and when they understand, they connect.

Getting specific means you’re clear to your audience. You convey a sense of empathy for their situation. You talk to them in a way that resonates with them. Those who resonate with people create loyal fans. And what do loyal fans do?

They become customers.

If you’re looking for better ideas to improve your marketing message, then start with a sad country song.

Like this one.

The post Country Music Holds A Powerful Marketing Secret appeared first on Wes Gay.

Elements of the StroyBrand Framework

The StoryBrand Framework ia a 7-part formula of storytelling designed to help companies create clarity in their messaging. It’s not just about marketing; it’s about communicating anything. 

We’ve used it with our clients to do everything from marketing funnels to sales pitch decks to customer marketing campaigns.

It works. Every time. Why? Because it uses story elements. Since story captures our attention, people pay more attention when they feel like they’re in a story.

Story in TV Commercials

GMC: Dad like a pro

VisitFlorida

Publix

Amazon Prime

The post 4 Clever Examples Of Storytelling in TV Commercials appeared first on Wes Gay.

When the calendar changes from December 31 to January 1, people feel the need to start something new. A fresh year brings a sense of newness to our lives, driving us to set goals and attempt something great in the next 365 days.

Most resolutions fall into the same categories: health, money, relationships, work, and reading. If you haven’t set a New Year’s Resolution in one of those categories, then you’ve never had resolutions.

Setting goals is key to achieving goals. Countless leadership experts and productivity gurus share the power of setting goals and writing them down. Whether big or small, achieving goals starts by putting pen to paper.

Yet there’s one critical part of goal setting ignored by most: failure. Not failing to meet your goals, because that’s a common topic, too.

Instead, I mean intentional failure. Deciding up front certain things where you plan to fail. Areas that, if you’re successful, actually hinder your goal progress.

One popular New Year’s resolution is reading. Most people want to expand their understandings of certain topics, and books are still the best way to do that. Yet many of us fail our reading goals due to “lack of time.” We blame the clock as the reason why we don’t read.

But is time really the problem, especially when we are current on seven TV shows and listen to talk radio in the car? The time used to watch TV could be used for a book, and knowing the latest updates from your favorite morning radio show could be replaced by an audiobook.

My friend Randall realized his commute was about 60-90 minutes total every day, sometimes more. So in 2017 he used that time to listen to audiobooks. He listened to more than one book per week, and listened to over 70 audiobooks by the end of the year. He decided to fail in his current knowledge of sports and news so he could read instead. And he credits that decision with making 2017 his best year personally and professionally.

Deciding our failures may sound odd at first, and maybe slightly uncomfortable. It’s not normal to say “I plan to be bad at this” because we all want to be successful. Yet achieving a goal or succeeding in one thing requires we fail at something else. In his book Finish, Jon Acuff talks about the idea of “bombing” certain things. That is, intentionally failing at things that don’t matter.

Those of us who struggle with New Year’s resolutions each year think we can improve ourselves by adding new things to what we already do; this couldn’t be further from reality. Making progress toward a goal requires we strip away something in our lives so we can get better at other things.

So how can you decide your intentional failures for 2018? Ask these questions:

1. 1. What doesn’t help me in life? Usually this involves TV or binge-watching something on Netflix. Or maybe it’s something else you do that someone else could do (either by delegating or outsourcing).
   2. What are my avoidances? Sometimes we do things in the name of productivity, but it’s really just busyness. We are actively avoiding doing certain things. What are the things you turn to?
   3. What good things should stop? This question is hard. It means we cut back on good things so we can do better things. Maybe you scale back on volunteer commitments. Or maybe you don’t take extra work. All good things, but they derail your goals.

Setting New Year’s Resolutions is easy, but working for them is hard. You can’t add them to your already busy life; you need to cut some things in order to achieve better things. It’s like pruning plants. It’s not easy, nor is it painless. But in the end, the rewards outweighs the pain.

The post Why You Need to Plan Failure in Your New Year’s Resolutions appeared first on Wes Gay.

Thanksgiving is over, we survived Black Friday, and nearly 51 million people made it home after traveling during the break.

As we approach the Christmas holiday, everything seems to speed up. Life is normally lived at a rapid pace, but the holiday season feels like you’re running 100 MPH with your hair on fire.

Just think about all of your extra responsibilities for the next few weeks:

• Family gatherings
• School events for the kids
• Church activities
• Work functions
• Shopping for gifts

And all of that is added to your busy schedule.

But here’s the reality: what’s true for you during this season is also true for your customers.

Their schedules also become overloaded. Their finances also get a little bit tighter with the added expenses. And because of these additional pressures, their problems get a little bit worse.

When time becomes scarce, we get frazzled. When money gets tight, we get anxious. All of those emotions make everything just a little more difficult.

Guide customers during the holiday season

That’s where you come in.

You get the opportunity to show how your company can solve the unique problems that appear during the holiday season. Customers need a way to solve their specific needs this season, and you get the chance to be their solution.

But how?

Simple: slay their villains.

When I work with clients using the StoryBrand framework, we talk about the villain – the source of all problems for your customer. If the villain is gone, life gets so much easier.

When it comes to the holiday season, the villains often become time and money. Since both things are in high demand with low supply, it’s easy for people to become overwhelmed during the holidays. Their problems are simply getting worse.

Customers need a way to solve their specific needs this season, and you get the chance to be their solution.

Let me give you an example. One of my clients works with married couples. During a coaching session a few weeks ago, we talked about how they can uniquely serve couples with their content. We decided the client needed to do a webinar called “How to holiday-proof your marriage.” The principles were nothing new, yet they were wrapped in the context of Christmas chaos. People showed up, got a ton of value, and my client was able to reach more people.

For married couples, the pressures of time and money magnify other problems. So what once seemed like minor inconveniences turn into major meltdowns. Why? Because the villains are lurking in the shadows making everything worse.

It’s your turn

Knowing the added pressure of bigger villains, you have the opportunity to help your customers slay those villains. You already provide the products and services they need; you simply need to point out how your offerings can solve problems.

Despite what people say, we are all trying to survive this time of year. We know the massive demands on our time and resources, so we do whatever it takes to reach the new year. And you’re in a position to help people through this difficult time.

Here are a few questions you can ask to discover how you communicate your solutions during the holiday season:

1. What problems are unique to the holidays for my customers? Think about how life gets a little bit harder for people during these next few weeks.
2. What feelings are unique to this season? Emotions run high during this time of year. Some are good, some are bad. Be specific as to what those emotions may be.
3. What causes these issues? As I said earlier, time and money are often the main culprits. Start there, then determine if another villain is lurking in the background.
4. How can I share solutions? This is a tactical question. Maybe you host a webinar, or maybe you write one blog a week that solves a problem and points people to buy your product. As an example, here are some blog posts I’d write if I were a health coach:
   1. The Ultimate Holiday Survival Guide To Eating Well
   2. 5 Steps To Successfully Navigating Unhealthy Holiday Parties
   3. 4 Reasons Why It’s So Hard To Be Healthy In December
   4. How To Holiday Proof Your Eating Plan
   5. 5 Ways To Make Healthier Holiday Desserts You’ll Actually Enjoy

These four questions can work for any industry of any size. Spend a few minutes thinking about the problems your customers face, and you’ll soon discover practical ways to help people dominate December.  

The post Here Are Some Ideas For Marketing During The Holiday Season appeared first on Wes Gay.