The Partner Channel Magazine_Winter 2018

MARKETING
Journey
A HERO’S
story by ADRIANNE MACHINA
illustration by SPIDER JOHNK
I
love a good story, whether I’m telling them, reading them, or watching them. A story pulls you in
and makes you care about the people involved. When used for marketing, a story can help you create
credibility, generate leads, and illustrate competence.
The problem with many business-to-business case studies, videos, about us website pages, and
other areas where companies have an opportunity to tell a story is that, well, they don’t really tell a
story. They only share the success. They jump right to the end. And frankly, that can be a little boring.
I want to challenge you to think about how you can take readers on a journey – a hero’s journey – where you
are the hero. Taking examples from classic stories, I want you to stretch your imagination and move out of your
comfort zone to tell stories that are more real, and more impactful. Implementing an ERP or CRM system may not
have dragons or car chases, but framing your case studies and videos in a more dramatic story format can boost
your results.
THE NINE ELEMENTS OF A GREAT DRAMATIC STORY ARE:
1. A Hero with a Past
Have you ever noticed that most heroes are orphans? For example, Batman was orphaned as a child, which
propelled his mission to fight evil.
“As a young child, Bruce Wayne watched his parents murdered before his eyes. Thomas and Martha Wayne
were walking home from the Monarch Theater one night with their son, when they were held up at gunpoint
by a mugger who demanded the pearl necklace that Martha was wearing. Bruce Wayne swore an oath to
rid the city of the evil that had taken his parents’ lives.” Excerpt: Fandom
You too have a back story. Often, small businesses will take on the personality of their owner(s), and that can be a
great story to tell. What made you start this company? What made you care about ERP software? What compelled
you into the technology world? Where did you come from? Do you have interesting personal hobbies?
Painful past stories are pure gold. I often tell my story of lugging a giant computer projector and monitor through
airports, traveling all the time, and spending my days cold calling when I wasn’t on the road. That experience gave
me a love of technology, and particularly of marketing technology.
38 WINTER 2018 | THEPARTNERCHANNEL.COM