Information As A Story

Information As A Story

“The shortest distance between a human being and the truth is a story.” — Anthony DeMello

What’s the most important skill necessary to good blogging? I am starting to think it lies in the ability to tell a story. People need information, yet they desire stories; I think it’s possible to deliver both at the same time. I’m not talking about good writing skills, great grammar or punctuation. Of course they are important. If they were life and death elements of success in blogging, Drew probably would not have invited me to contribute to this blog

Look at the business communication and marketing materials of the average real estate professional with a critical eye. Rarely are stories being told. For that matter it’s sometimes hard to find completed sentences. Great pieces of artwork have the ability to tell epic stories on a single piece of canvas. Let that sink in for a second. Instead of staring at a the blinking cursor and wondering aloud “what am I going to say?”, we should start thinking of each new blog post as a blank canvas, with a limited amount of space to tell a soup to nuts story, a story that stays on topic and leaves the reader with the feeling that they need to come back for more. After all, the goal is to get the reader to subscribe thus affording you the opportunity drive home your brand and “top of mind” awareness. When your reader eventually makes a decision to do business with someone, you’ve not only cemented a business opportunity, you’ve considerably shortened the selling cycle because your client already has pretty good idea of who you are and how you do business.

Stories Connect

“There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories“ — Ursula K. LeGuin

The cornerstone of Real Estate 2.0 is connection. Contact amongst humans has been achieved since the dawn of time through story telling. We want people to feel something when we speak. As business professionals, we want someone to make a call to action through these words and we want them to feel good about the reactions and decisions they make as a result. Stories touch every last part of the business process, especially in real estate.

Story Telling Fuels Creativity

“Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.” — Robert McKee

Take a look at the average listing on the web. Take a look at an average listing presentation. Take a look at the average web site. Take a look at the average blog. The common denominator is a lack of creativity in the story telling. When I am on the lookout for another blog by a real estate agent to feature, I block out plenty of time to look. The cut and paste commandos are everywhere these days. The tell tale sign is the graph of last month’s MLS stats usually followed by a bullet list of links to news stories and other blog posts followed up by a listing or two. The listings always have a section called a description that is usually nothing more than an extension of the features lists that are a part of the overall listing data. One of the first things we’re taught as salespeople is the feature / benefit tenet. A good story will convey the benefits associated with the features. Using creative license in telling a story adds power and impact. Which sounds better?

A. Large Picture Window

B. Sweeping panoramic views are enjoyed over a cup of coffee at sunrise. Calming sunset hues help you relax at day’s end.

Information is more powerful and better retained if it’s delivered in the form of a story.

Do The Work

“A writer’s brain is like a magician’s hat. If you’re going to get anything out of it, you have to put something in it first.” — Louis L’Amour

Have you seen the commercials on television for Sylvan learning centers where the kids say something out loud but what they really think is shown on the screen? Many real estate professionals are the same way when it comes to blogging. Those that take the time to really understand the process will find they enjoy the time they devote to it.

Hopefully the new vision for this blog will establish it as the ultimate magic shop for real estate blogging.