Nonprofit Storytelling and The Maltese Falcon

An interesting question came up after my presentation on content marketing to the Central West Coast Chapter FPRA. We’d just finished talking about the importance of storytelling, particularly for nonprofits. Many of the members of this chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association work for nonprofits. One of them mentioned that her nonprofit has so many stories; her biggest challenge is choosing which to tell. One of our CCM storytellers, copywriter David Chesnick, happened to be sitting at her table and offered a thoughtful reply.

Chesnick is a film buff. 

He reminded us that The Maltese Falcon was actually made three times. The first two projects are remembered only by cinephiles like David. It is only Jon Huston’s 1941 adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s private eye story, with that unforgettable cast of Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet, that became a hit. In fact, it is one of the most beloved classic films of all time.

His point? It isn’t which stories to tell; it’s how you tell them. All of your stories are worth sharing. They come from the experiences of real people who’ve faced real challenges, taken real (or even imagined) journeys, made discoveries and overcame adversity.

A few days later, Chesnick told me why, according to film historians, Huston’s film did so well. It was because his version, unlike the previous two, stayed true to the book. Huston took a very simple approach, telling the story the way it was originally written. The take-away from this for modern day storytellers – the best way to engage is not with hype or “brochure-eez” lingo, but by sharing stories just the way they’ve happened.

Further to this point, there shouldn’t be just one way to tell them, so think about all the options you have. Some are features; others are sidebars or briefs. If you find yourself asking that “which stories should I tell” question, it can only mean that you lack the infrastructure to tell your stories. Perhaps you’ve backed yourself into a corner with a rigid newsletter format or a website that isn’t up to your standards. Your focus should be redirected to building a stronger platform that will enable you to tell all of those stories. The sooner you do it, the sooner you will be engaging all of your communities more effectively.

It’s simple. Just be brave, tell stories and build communities.

Has 2014 been a year of "less" or did we get much more than we bargained for?

Just for kicks, I took a look back at a post from January 07, 2014 by Rob Rosenberg. He suggested 2014 would be the year of less - and that less, would indeed be - here it comes - more. His point was that in these few key areas of trending in 2014, the focus would be on less, but would offer more opportunities for health care marketers. I love his wrap-up, referring to "today's visually-driven, less anonymous, less traditional, more mindful and mobile customer with less patience."

Immersive experiences: On a recent trip to Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Penn., I took a tour of the new front entrance space and it was, quite simply, beautiful. A hotel-like reception area with uniformed ambassadors, brand and consumer-friendly colors/lighting and less—less clutter of wheelchairs in the hallways, less hassle with a separate waiting area for valet parking, and less lines with streamlined admission areas.

A visual world: Our world is visual. From online videos to Instagram, from Pinterest to Snapchat, consumers want less explanation and long-copy, and prefer ideas to be presented visually. The implications for marketers are endless in terms of advertising, signage, social media, online communications and so forth. In short, be visual and less verbose.

Impatience: It's just not for kids anymore...our entire society is becoming impatient. We want less in terms of wait times, administrative runarounds, lines, hold times, and for those brands that can achieve this, it will pay off in terms of more gratification and brand loyalty. Audit your brand and customer service initiatives to determine if it meets your patience criteria.

Going mobile: As more people will streamline their online activity with fewer devices and a greater focus on mobile technology, the consumer has definitely been the winner in the cell phone wars between Apple, Samsung, and others, as new devices offer many more features, apps and amazing synchronization between them. Evaluate your online strategy to make sure webpages and social media channels are optimized for mobile technology. In addition, this is the year to offer services and information, such as ER wait-times, via text strategies and/or mobile portals. Beep beep.

Less anonymity: Let's face it, it's hard to go stealth these days. From re-marketing digital ads to government monitoring of emails and social posts, "Big Brother" is definitely in the house. As a marketer, you can do more with less such as encouraging consumers to share safe information on landing pages, websites, and social media channels. You should also think about doing less in this regard, too. For example, I recently learned of a hospital that ceased publishing birth notices in the local paper for fear of arming potential baby-nappers with too much information. The trend toward less anonymity works for and against marketers and should be treated with caution.

Less tradition: From new marriage laws in many states to over-the-counter marijuana being sold in some states, old traditions and practices are being turned upside down. The opportunities for marketers are endless in terms of engaging the new consumers and recognizing that differences exist among them. The "modern family" of today is diverse, interesting and not sitting around the dinner table at 6 p.m.

Mindful living: More stress has caused the desire for fewer toxins in our lives and consumers are seeking out more Zen and less gluten. From healthier eating, wellness initiatives and more engagement in social communities and groups, marketers of health-related products and services have an enormous opportunity to support the concept of mindful living. It is not as much about getting healthy as staying healthy—mind, body, and soul—and health care organizations can surely take the lead.

These are just a few examples of 2014 being the "year of less." As marketers, it gives us greater opportunity to develop brand promises and service strategies that are more engaging and in line with today's visually-driven, less anonymous, less traditional, more mindful and mobile customer with less patience.

I think about Charles Kuralt a lot

David Chesnick has been a freelance writer for more than 30 years. Based in Sarasota, FL, David writes for clients in healthcare, destinations, luxury real estate, finance and just about anything else. This piece is typical of David’s thoughtful, reflective writing style. His eloquent storytelling for Consonant Custom Media, in the publications we've developed for Dattoli Cancer Foundation and Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, has helped our clients reach new levels of engagement with their communities, and earned him the respect and gratitude of everyone involved with these important projects. He’s the real deal, and more of his work can be seen on his website.

I think about Charles Kuralt a lot. For those who don’t remember him, Kuralt was a correspondent for CBS. He traveled the country’s back roads with a small crew in a motor home talking to people: a sharecropper who sent nine children to college, a man who collected twine, a fellow who stood on a corner waving to passing motorists. He never condescended, he never patronized, he was never snarky. He never tried to tug at our heartstrings with cheap melodrama.

What Kuralt did do was find the extraordinary in the ordinary. And he made us see it too, through his interest in the people he talked to and the stories they told. He marveled at humanity and exalted it. You knew he felt enriched by the opportunity to meet these people and he made you feel enriched by the experience. Much of this had to do with the absolute elegance of his writing. It was a marvel.

Like Kuralt, I have always felt enriched by the opportunity I’ve had to talk with interesting people, to hear their stories, and to tell them mine. Sharing a bit of my own story always seems to create a level of trust. It’s the power of empathy. The people I interview sense my genuine interest in them, and they know they are something more to me than a story I’m writing.

I think of people like Dr. Elzie McCord, who I wrote about for the Dattoli Cancer Foundation’s magazine Journey. Elzie grew up picking cotton, harvesting tobacco, and pulling corn in Georgia as a boy. Insects were a part of life in the fields and as a boy Elzie developed an interest in them. He went on to earn a doctorate in the field of entomology, work at DuPont and teach at New College of Florida and the University of Florida, devoting his life to working on how to contain the damage they do in an environmentally friendly way.

When he developed prostate cancer, his research led him to the Dattoli Cancer Center where he underwent treatment that led to his being cancer free.  But having met that challenge, Elzie was faced with another, one he described to me as far more difficult than his own - caring for his wife of 43 years in her battle with Alzheimer’s. The irony of his predicament is obvious but just as with his cancer he’s busy doing research, learning all he can, and handling himself with a good grace that’s humbling.

Then there are Florida Hospital Zephyrhills nurses Carri Randall and Michael Paladin. They’re part of the largest nonprofit hospital chain in the United States, the Adventist Health System. But they don’t see themselves as part of a large organization in which their individuality was lost. Just the opposite. They both speak eloquently about what they as individuals mean to their patients, the positive changes they bring to bear on the course of another’s life and their importance in the process of restoring someone to health.

Of course there are others: Nurse Rita Risalvato, who helped develop the protocols for Zephyrhills’ Heart Institute that would not only save thousands of lives in the community, but her own; Dr. Steve Lyons, Florida Hospital Carrollwood’s Associate Chief of Staff and Director of Orthopedics who helped fellow physician Dr. Gregory Wilkerson get back on his feet after a knee replacement at another hospital failed; and Bob, Ted and Tim Tudor, three brothers who lovingly looked after one another through their battles with prostate cancer.

These folks, and the hundreds of others I’ve interviewed and written about for various projects over the years may not have sent nine children to college on a sharecroppers income, save twine, or wave at passing motorists (and I may not write as elegantly as Kuralt, though I try). Their motives for telling their stories vary: some hope that by telling their story they will help others along their journey, others want to thank and praise their caregivers, and some want to make sense of what has happened to them and put it in a context that will allow them to come to terms with it.

Whatever their reason, they all share a common humanity and spirit that affirms life. Like Charles Kuralt, telling their stories has become my life’s purpose.

-- David Chesnick

Happy 20th Birthday, Banner Ads.

Jack Marshall writes in The Wall Street Journal: The banner ad, now 20 years old, might be widely disliked by journalists, consumers, publishers and even marketers, but there’s little evidence to suggest spending on banners is reducing significantly.

Marshall says it’s evident that Web publishers are now aggressively looking beyond the banner for ways to generate ad revenues. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Business Insider, and numerous other major U.S. publishers have recently begun selling sponsored content in addition to banner ads, for example.

Is it possible that revenues generated by sponsored content will one day replace those generated from banner advertising for those publishers? Potentially, but until then the banner ad will continue to be a key money maker for many web sites.

You’ve heard people say that nobody ever clicks on a banner ad. Well somebody must be doing it. I counsel my clients to give prospects a reason to click through to their sites. Create high quality content that will be the basis of a ‘click-through’ offer. Especially for B2B marketers, the need to provide an incentive for prospective customers to click through is clear. Develop content that is relevant, valuable, informative and “snackable.” That’s what will drive traffic to your site. And when that prospect lands on your site, you’d better be ready for him. As you would for a welcomed houseguest, get your house in order.