In November 2008, I read a new blog post from David Meerman Scott – “Downsized? Fired? Here Are the New Rules of Finding a Job.” A month later, I was laid off from my job. Returning home, I immediately reread the post.

The takeaway can be distilled into these two sentences:

You want to find a new job? You have to stop thinking like an advertiser of a product and start thinking like a publisher of information.

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From caveman drawings to silent movies, visual storytelling has been used to educate, engage, and motivate audiences for centuries.

The digital age, though, has ushered in a new set of tools and technologies for visual storytelling. Eric Goodstadt, president of Manifest, and Sacha Reeb, chief creative officer at the content marketing agency, tackled the topic in their Content Marketing World presentation, Five Very Different Examples of Stellar Visual Storytelling and Why They Are a Step Above the Marketplace.

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I was excited to attend a particular session at Content Marketing World. With 10 minutes to go, I picked up my pace down the hallway. When I arrived, the door was closed with a sign that read “FULL.”

Darn.

A missed opportunity for sure, but I made up for it by viewing the presentation later and writing about it for you here.

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Is reviewing site analytics something that’s always on your to-do list but never gets crossed off?

Andy Crestodina of Orbit Media says that doesn’t make sense. “The reason to use analytics is to stop wasting time and to abandon those tactics and processes that don’t make a difference. I use analytics because I’m busy,” he says.

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Bring up the topic of personalization and marketers undoubtedly reference Amazon and Netflix.

Amazon has an uncanny way to recommend related products to add to your shopping cart, while Netflix knows just the movie or show you’re in the mood for. While their personalization is indeed fantastic, they have a big advantage: your customer data. Amazon knows your detailed purchase history, while Netflix knows your detailed viewing history.

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A badge of honor is displayed on my Twitter profile: I joined in December 2007. Back then, we were still at 140 characters and link shortening tools didn’t exist. Retweets and replies were manual. That’s right: To retweet someone, you had to type “RT @[user],” then copy and paste their tweet.

Not the new kids on the block, Twitter and Facebook are teenagers. And Instagram? It is 10 this year.

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Most brands are poor at brand storytelling. They take the “brand” component too literally and make it all about them. Or they create content without a real story.

Done well, brand storytelling can be not only a differentiator but a memorable opportunity to draw and engage an audience.

Let’s explore three avenues for successful brand storytelling shared at Content Marketing World 2019.

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This story begins in the present.

Brian Fanzo is a founder, CEO, and keynote speaker. He does 70 speaking engagements a year. Over the past four years, he has done more than 4,000 live video broadcasts.

Brian works with leading brands, including Dell, Adobe, IBM, and SAP. He did influencer engagements at Mobile World Congress and the Super Bowl. Chances are you know Brian.

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