A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of standing in front of 150 writers at our three-day conference at the Glasgow Westerwood Hotel, in my role as President of the Scottish Association of Writers.
There’s something fascinating that happens every time you put a group of writers together.
Give them the same prompt.
Wait ten minutes.
Let them read their stories aloud.
What always amazes me is that you don’t get one idea completely rehashed. You get ten completely different stories.
Same starting point.
Different imagination.
Different perspective.
Different outcome.
That’s storytelling.
And it struck me… that’s also marketing.
Too many businesses start with the same “prompt” as their competitors.
Same services. Same claims. Same wording.
“We’re professional.”
“We care about our customers.”
“We deliver quality.”
It’s the equivalent of writing the most predictable story possible.
But the businesses that stand out? They do what great writers do.
They look at the same thing… differently.
They take the reader on a journey.
They build interest.
And then they reveal something unexpected.
A different angle.
A stronger insight.
A reason to remember them.
And here’s the part many businesses miss.
Great stories aren’t told all at once.
They unfold.
Slowly. Deliberately. And… over time.
A chapter here.
A reveal there.
A twist when it matters.
That’s exactly how we approach marketing with our clients.
We don’t try to say everything in one go.
We help them unfold their story over time.
One month it’s a case study.
The next, how a service is actually delivered.
Then an investment in new equipment.
Then the people behind the business, their skills, their experience.
Each piece adds something new.
Each message builds trust.
Each story gives the audience another reason to stay engaged.
Before long, you’re not just another company saying the same things…
You’re a story people are following.
Because in the end, whether it’s a short story or a digital campaign…
If there’s no imagination, no structure, no sense of journey…
…it’s just noise.
And the businesses that win are the ones that know how to tell their story – one interesting piece at a time.
Question: How are you getting your message over to your audience?
Call or message me.
