Creating Rolls Royce moments - #14
Plus free storytelling worksheet download
Hello, my lovely Deep Divers,
I hope you’ve had a good couple of weeks. I finally feel like I’m in the flow after September’s rollercoaster of emotions. It was such a long, glorious summer, and so difficult to get back into a routine.
Now October is here, I’m (strangely) loving the relentlessness of it all. It reminds me of being on a long run and the first ten minutes are awful and you just want to die; but then you start to relax, your muscles start to move automatically, you start to enjoy the rhythm of your feet pounding the streets and your mind starts to wander.
Being busy certainly focuses the mind. It’s a welcome distraction from the news, at the very least, which seems to get gloomier by the day.
But I’m not here to analyse the news. Today, I’m diving straight into sharing my ideas and tactics on how to sprinkle some storytelling magic on your marketing copy.
Launching today in BE CREATIVE is a new series focussing on how to use simple and effective stories on your website. This week I’m looking at how to create a Rolls Royce moment that will make people stop and take notice.
In BE CONSTANT, I share a handy storytelling worksheet that should help you start crafting your own story. Yes, storytelling is a creative activity, but it’s also about being constant, about always sticking to what you believe in and what you stand for. Let me know how you get on with it.
Finally, in BE CURIOUS, I’ve picked three things that will hopefully make you smile.
Enjoy!
BE CREATIVE.
New series: how to use storytelling on your WEBSITE - tip #1
Your website is the best place to fully explain who you are and what your business is about. It’s your space, so make sure you own it. You’re not fighting an algorithm or competing against other, louder, snazzier social media feeds.
I always think of my website as my shop. It’s a lovely, quiet space, with gorgeous lighting, funky art on the walls and loads of fascinating books for sale. There’s amazing coffee brewing and good music playing.
Outside, on the high street, it’s really busy. Everyone is trying to lure people into their shops, using loud signs and shouting. I’m very happy in my little shop, ignoring the craziness outside. But I do need people to come into my shop, otherwise I don’t get paid.
Storytelling is a proven technique that lures people into your website.
Your home page is your one opportunity to hook people - so the words you use really matter.
Tell them a story that makes them stop in their tracks. It doesn’t have to be a long yarn. It’s about finding words that pack a punch; forcing your reader to look at something from a different angle.
Steve Rawlings, author of the super-useful Storytelling Tactics Pip Deck cards, talks about creating a Rolls Royce moment.
This is a stylistic copywriting technique created by British advertising genius David Ogilvy, who wrote the following ad for a US magazine in 1960.
"Cruising at 60mph, the loudest noise inside the Rolls Royce comes from the electric clock."
Next year, Ford spent millions on an ad campaign promising cars "as quiet as a Rolls Royce”.
This ad is memorable because it’s unusual.
It’s telling us something we’re not expecting to hear. It’s giving us a tiny nugget of information that speaks volumes.
Ogilvy came up with the idea after spending days trawling through engineers’ reports, so his lesson for storytellers is: do your homework.
Why this technique works - and how you can use it in your copy.
1. It’s a vivid moment. In just a few words, Ogilvy gives us a rich, sensory movie we can play in our heads.
What's the vivid moment you can describe on the landing page of your website? Something we can hear, see, taste, smell or feel? Emotions are important - think of ways to tap into your customer’s emotions right from the start.
2. It's exemplary. This one small moment stands for the whole. It tells us that Rolls Royce is a precision engineering company that pays attention to details.
What's the single fact or detail that tells us everything we need to know about your product?
3. It's widely relatable. You may have never driven in a Rolls, but I bet you’ve been in cars that make a lot of noise whilst cruising at 60mph. So you can imagine how good Rolls Royce quality feels.
How can you make your Rolls Royce moment relatable to something your audience will understand?
I hope this helps add a bit of storytelling magic to your website copy.
Next week I’m going to cover the rule of three. Little pigs, wise men and magic wishes all come in threes; I’ll explore why and how you can use this simple technique to focus your readers’ minds.
UNLOCK YOUR BUSINESS STORY IN THREE EASY STEPS
There is no such thing as a dull person or business, just the wrong questions. Everyone has a story. Download my free storytelling worksheet to unlock yours.
BE CURIOUS.
Three things to make you smile
Want to use more creative words? Top tip, lose the very. Here’s how.
This is such a joyous article about joy - I’m quite a happy-go-lucky person, but I could definitely spend a bit more time doing stuff I love just for the hell of it. Thanks to the lovely Anne for sharing this one.
Sometimes you have to understand what’s bland in order to create something special. I introduce you to Bland Book - brainchild of Copywriter Vikki Ross and Designer Paul Mellor. Thanks to Sonder & Tell for sharing this one.
That is all - have a wonderful weekend.
All the love,
Manfreda