One story. Two versions.

1 – We gave my grandmother a framed copy of the Draper Roundhouse, which was painted by Al Rounds. It was a Christmas gift.

Now for version two.

2 – My ancestors owned the land that the Draper Roundhouse was built on, which has since been torn down, and my grandmother has always wanted the Al Rounds painting.

Since my wife works for an art company where Al Rounds frequently visits, she asked him if he had any prints left of the Draper Roundhouse, which is a limited edition print. A week later he notified my wife that he did have one, and then personally autographed the canvas and helped pick out the frame and matting for the painting before we gave it to my grandma.

The point is, the story matters, and it makes the painting even more special for my grandma knowing all the details. The same goes for our businesses, the services that we offer or the products that we sell, and we need to have different versions of the story we tell about each. Short ones and long ones. The trick is learning when to use each story.

Marketing is story telling, and the better you get at telling the right story at the right time, the better off you’ll be.

Two Questions.
What do you do?
How do you do it?
One story. Two versions.