I heard an interesting comment from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about storytelling during her interview with Jon Favreau on Pod Save America. She was asked why she thinks she has captured the imagination of millions through her social media and political activities. Her comment was a helpful marketing reminder:
“I tell stories with all of my five senses.”
That idea has me thinking about practical marketing efforts that ping all the senses. They don’t just describe a purpose; they allow you to see, smell, taste, touch and hear it too.
Writing Emails, Blogs, and Narratives
Marketers are often challenged to tell a brand’s story or a personal account of an experience that connects to business. If you can reach into your five-senses, you can tell that story in a way that allows it to come to life and make it more tangible. The more a story grabs you, the more it can have an impact on your actions.
What would happen if your storytelling or brand messaging was so rich that your intended audience went beyond seeing a picture of your idea?
Imagine if you pull them inside your world so they can feel the experience viscerally.
- Brand Smell How can you get someone to smell, taste, touch, or hear the story beyond the narrative? When you read about tea, wine or perfume, can you almost smell it and does the stimulating emotions or capture your imagination? Does the fragrance linger?
- Brand taste – Did you ever watch a movie and have a taste in your mouth when it is over? (besides popcorn)
- Brand sound –Can you recall reading a book and hearing the sounds the author describes hours after you put the book down.
- Brand feel – Have you had the experience of a brilliant description of a room where you could almost touch and feel the texture of the environment, the roughness of a sofa, the cold, sleek marble countertop?
Five Senses, Richer Stories
When you tell or write a story, try and go beyond the apparent description. Use vivid color, shape, light, and movement. Find provocative and evocative words to grab your reader so they can taste and touch the picture you are painting. Experiential marketing does this by giving you a multi-sensory event or activity that connects you to the brand’s essence.
If you are writing copy for a website, brochure or press release consider using words that push some buttons.
- When describing scents, think in terms of sweet, sour, fresh, spicy, dirty, and filling.
- When describing touch consider temperature, smooth, rough, or silky.
- When describing the taste, use the sensations from the mouth of swallowing, drinking, eating, licking, and salivating.
- When describing the sound, bring up the singing, the ringing, birds, engines – sounds from the environment.
- What picture do you want someone to see and is it in color, sepia, black and white or 3-dimensional?
The more complete your story is, the more a listener, reader, or viewer can experience what you intend. Excellent writing takes you along for a journey, and it is transformative. Richer, more expressive language can help you make a brand experience more meaningful.
Whether you are writing copy for an email, a webpage, a blog post or brochure, imagine the reader tasting, smelling, feeling and hearing what you have to say.
Are you using rich, juicy language in your marketing so you can feel the magic and hear the story?
Excuse me now, I have to go taste the rainbow?
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com The conversation is free, and we can explore working together.
Photo by Richárd Ecsedi on Unsplash
