What an Irish fife concert taught me about marketing
It all begins with an idea.
Over the summer, my family went to Ireland to visit friends (our second time in this magical land!)
We happened to time our trip with the final weekend of the big annual festival held in our friends’ small town in rural County Donegal.
And this year’s festivities included an evening performance of Ireland’s first-ever fife orchestra, Idir an Dá Ghaoth (please don’t ask me to pronounce that!)
Not only did this concert offer incredible music and song to enjoy — but in between each song, a narrator weaved the story of the history of the fifing tradition in the region over the last 150 years...
Stories of families, of hardships, of celebrations.
The importance of fife bands during the Potato Famine, the world wars, the Troubles.
As the music swelled, I wasn’t just listening. I was feeling.
I mean, my teens make fun of how easily I cry… but gosh, I had tears streaming down my face several times! (My Irish friend grabbed my hand when she noticed and said “I’m glad it’s not just me!”)
The stories made the music absolutely unforgettable.
That’s the power of storytelling: it pulls the audience into an emotional journey.
And that’s exactly what we need to focus on in marketing too.
You can do this even without the booming of drums!
A few ways to infuse your storytelling with that kind of emotional resonance:
Start with a moment, not a message. Instead of launching into “what” you offer, begin with a vivid scene. This hooks audience emotionally before you deliver your solution.
Show transformation. Every great story is about change. I was reminded of this when I watched Beauty and the Beast on the flight home and saw the Beast move from selfish to selfless. In marketing, share where your customer started, the challenge they faced, and the transformation they experienced with your product or service.
Lean into emotion. Facts inform, but feelings move people to act. It never hurts to share concrete numbers (50% time savings, and so on). But what sticks is the frustration, relief or elation inside the story.
Keep the reader as the hero. Always remember to position your customer as the hero overcoming obstacles, with your product or service as the guide. (Refer back to my newsletter about this if you need a reminder.)
Tie it back to purpose. Just like the Irish orchestra wove meaning into their music with narration, your stories should circle back to why your work matters and the deeper value you provide.
When you tell a story well, your readers not only understand your message, but they also feel it.
And when they feel it, they remember it.
So as you sit down to plan upcoming marketing strategy, instead of thinking “what should I say?”, focus instead on: “what story can I tell to move my reader?”