In today’s corporate structure, everyone is trying to get an “edge.” Companies want to wow their customers, their stakeholders and even their employees so their brand and their message stay relevant and meaningful in the current marketplace.
Businesses are scrambling to capture both the mind-share and heart-share of their audiences. This is important, because mind-share plus heart-share equals productivity-share. If you can use strategic entertainment to open up the hearts and minds of your intended audience, chances are they’re going to do more for you because they get your message, they like it and they experience it.
Consider the following points.
• Take the traditional blinders off.
The first step to doing that is to become a student of the strategic entertainment process. Talk to a creative advisor about your company’s objectives for your next sales meeting, advertising campaign, convention, etc., and allow the discovery process to occur. If you’re willing to put yourself back into the classroom and be open to learning about new ideas and concepts, then over time you can develop the confidence to try something new.
• Have a clear picture of the meeting, event or marketing message.
Often, people planning a meeting, event or branding initiative don’t have enough information to make an informed decision. That’s why you have to set some time aside and think the meeting, event, or message through, even if you’re only going to be communicating with a small group of in-house employees.
Don’t just say that you want to inspire your salespeople or that you want your customers to buy your products. Who is your intended audience? What pains or stresses do they have? What is the theme of your meeting, event or branding initiative? How are your company’s products doing in the marketplace? All this information is critical for you to be able to communicate effectively with your audience.
• Focus on creative concepts and ideas.
Sure, you need to have a talking point or a starting point in terms of what you think you want, but then you have to go deeper and share ideas with others. Throw some concepts on the table, create a storyboard of ideas, and then see if the original idea has stayed the same. It’s all about keeping an open mind. You need to get input from others and be receptive to new ideas because someone else may come up with an innovative concept you never thought of. You need someone to challenge you and what you want in terms of the message and the event. Only then will your final product have impact and meaning on your audience.
• Clearly communicate your needs, concerns and feelings to those responsible for the meeting, event or message.
Technology has replaced many human interactions and conversations. While email and instant messenger are great for relaying information to others, you’ll get much better results when you actually interact with someone, whether on the phone or face-to-face. If those who are responsible for creating a strategic entertainment experience for your audience don’t know upfront what the marching orders are, they could be going off on a tangent that’s light years away from what you want simply because you’re not clearly communicating from the start.
Get the Return You Want – Strategically
To stay ahead of your competition, you must be innovative and constantly trying to reach forward—trying to do better than last year. That’s where strategic entertainment will give you the edge. So whether you’re writing the agenda for your weekly sales meeting, creating your company’s next marketing campaign or planning the speaker for your next convention, remember that audiences want an experience, not just a fact-filled message.
About the Author:
Jon Stetson is an internationally-acclaimed intuitionist who provides intelligent, interactive entertainment to business audiences of all sizes. The Stetson Experience offers a connection between mind, mirth and mystery, entertaining groups that included President Bush, Donald Trump, CBS, and the New England Patriots. For more information, visit Jon at www.JonStetson.com
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