The Art of Story-Selling

3 years ago I made a video advertisement that people still talk about, and I'm going to tell you the story...

His name was Jon, and Jon had a handyman business.

Many of the ads for similar handyman businesses were explicit "buy my services" type videos. The type that no one stops for.

I saw them and decided that we weren't going to create another handyman video that doesn't convert. We were going to create something that gets people talking!

Over the next few weeks, I looked for a story. I interviewed Jon on and off camera, I asked questions, and I encouraged Jon to speak about the aspects of his life unrelated to being a handyman - his family, his charity, and how his previous work in insurance affected his mental health.

The final product was a mini documentary about how Jon is driven by a life of service; service being the common string through all of life's adventures including his now handyman business.

Here's what happened:

People began talk about it! The video was shared through both word of mouth and Facebook. It reached family, friends, and even peers in networks beyond Jon's

His clients began conversations like "I saw your video - I loved it!", and, "I really feel I got to know you before I even met you".

They learnt to trust Jon before working with him, so working with him became a no-brainer.

Here's the thing:

An explicit "I fix things" video would have never worked. It wouldn't have been shared. It wouldn't have been spoken about. And it wouldn't have gotten Sam as many clients with as many good people as he did.

And although a salesy ad may have gotten one or two clients, it still wouldn't have gotten the reach that brought an influx.

So how did we do it?

We told a story.

But we didn't ONLY tell the story behind Jon's handyman business. We were selling the ideology that was the essence of Jon's brand - service.

Service is his life's mission. His 'why'!

And this is now what I know to call storyselling.

My point is this:

People remember stories.

Stories get shared.

And it's in the stories

that your streetwear community is found

and grown.

Truly,

Elijah