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Telling a better story
At HMG, our job is to tell our customers’ stories for them. We do this in a variety of ways, on many platforms, and for over four decades. Effective communication requires skill in content development as well as the visual elements going along with the project ranging from social media posts to magazines. Underlying each is a structure helping guide the entire process.
Are there any podcast listeners out there? Ann enjoys listening to Mignon Fogarty, The Grammar Girl, on her Quick and Dirty Tips network. One of Fogarty’s recent guests was Matt Abrahams whose book, Think Faster, Talk Smarter, was the subject of their conversation. Among the topics they shared to help communicators improve their work? Structure. Abrahams cited three examples:
- Problem – Solution – Benefit
- Comparison – Contrast - Conclusion
- What? So what? Now what?
The first, problem-solution-benefit, has driven enormous amounts of marketing communications missions over the years, including our own at HMG. Entire branding campaigns have been predicated on this structure and its efficacy remains strong.
Comparison-contrast-conclusion examples ooze out of political ads of every type and from the debate stage, too.
What? So what? Now what? This structure piques our interest and has already infiltrated some content development work at HMG. These three simple questions shape pithy and pertinent comms, attracting and holding attention while opening the door with anticipation, too.
So be watching for our prose and projects to reflect the What? So what? Now what? structure with the hoped-for result of increasing interest, action, and results. This includes the very article you’re reading now!
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