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The Most Important Element of
Your Marketing Story

image of actor Charlie Chaplin

Robert wrote yesterday about David Mamet’s advice on dramatic tension, the key element that drives every compelling story.

But there’s another element that’s critical to story, and it’s particularly important when you’re telling a story that intends to persuade.

Whether you want to make a sale, gain an email subscription, or motivate a change in behavior, your dramatic story will fail if it doesn’t have one thing:

A relatable protagonist.

In other words, your story needs to be about someone we care about.

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How to Captivate Your Audience with Story
(From America’s Greatest Living Playwright)

image of typewriter

There’s been a fevered interest in the art of storytelling among the marketing crowd recently.

The masters and the hacks alike are thumping from every available pulpit that storytelling is the most powerful device on earth in regard to human influence.

We are told that story — applied to salesmanship, preaching, advertising, conversation, marketing, songwriting, and blogging — contains the power to deliver the world to the deft storyteller’s door.

This is correct.

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The Copyblogger Gratitude List — Happy Thanksgiving!

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“Shouldn’t I be grateful for something other than Tivo? And Lost?”
~ Christine Kane, “What the Hell Am I Doing with My Life”

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the U.S., a holiday traditionally dedicated to heroic feats of overeating, football watching, and avoiding delicate topics of conversation with family members.

But I’m told that before the development of these fine traditions, the holiday was supposed to be about gratitude.

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Will Your Site Survive the Google Shrink Ray?

image of robot with ray gun

Google likes to play a little game with those of us who do business online.

The game is called “change all the rules and see who survives.” It’s often a fun and rewarding game for Google users, but it can be painful for business owners.

In the latest version, Google has rolled out a feature called Instant Previews.

When enabled, users see a cute little magnifying glass sitting next to their search results. The user can view a quick snapshot of sites simply by hovering over links. Why do you care?

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Copyblogger Weekly Wrap:
Week of November 15, 2010

image of bubble wrap

It’s official… this will be my last year for doing this “falling back” thing with the clocks. In the spring, I’m “springing forward” and then never changing again. Of course, I’ll then be an hour late for everything over the winter, but I figure the damage will be minimal because I have TiVo.

So if I ever forget to write the Wrap or forget to repay a loan, or to shower, this is why. But remember, you can’t yell at me about it because it’s like my religion or something.

While it lasts, here’s my summary of what happened this week on Copyblogger:

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How to Make Your Website Mobile Friendly (And Keep Your Readers Happy)

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Is your website content ready for mobile devices?

By the year 2013, forecasts predict that there will be 1.7 billion mobile internet users.

And it’s a pretty safe bet that at least a few of them are visiting your site, and seeing it on a screen that takes up just a few inches.

So what happens when readers feel cramped or have to work hard to navigate your site or read your content?

They leave.

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