Do you have a favorite Pixar movie? Mine is the original Toy Story. I still remember going to the theater to see it with my family. It was my younger brother, my mom and me. We all went to the theater expecting another great Disney movie. The Micky Mouse company had been on a roll in the late ’80s and early ’90s. They were coming off their biggest hit ever with The Lion King. Now they were partnering with a newcomer in the studio industry and people didn’t really know what to expect. The result was a game changer. Toy Story was one of the first computer generated animated feature films. It was amazing. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. Granted, I was only about 11 or 12 at the time, but it was something special and that was evident no matter how old you were at the time.
There was something more impressive about Toy Story, though. Take away all the computers and the animation and you were left with a great story. That’s what people connected with when it came to the movie. People went back to see the show over and over because the story was so unique and so interesting. Beyond the story there was even more depth. There were these characters that were amazing. You had Woody the toy cowboy and Buzz Lightyear the toy spaceman. It was incredible. The characters and the story made Toy Story a movie unlike any other. By now you’re probably wondering what this has to do with content strategy and your business. Thank you for sticking it out with us because now it’s time to get to the learning part of the program.
The Toy Story Content Strategy
As we’ve mentioned before, content is one of the building blocks of web design. Most people overlook the content that makes up a website. It’s actually something that needs to come before the web design process. It’s best to have the content prepared ahead of time so your designer can use the content in their strategy. You can revise the content as the designer works, but the secret to moving the project along faster is to be ready with your content. Toy Story started as a simple idea.
Over a few years, quite a few years actually, the story developed and even during production the story changed numerous times until the creators had something they felt would work. There was a lot of clutter removed until only the most interesting and simple story remained. The focus the entire time was on the story. It was about telling something the audience could connect with. This is important not just in movies or animation, but in business and in life. It’s essential to have a story people can relate to and understand.
For your business, it’s just as necessary to have a story people can understand. This means being able to tell someone what you do and how it can help them. You often do this in real life when you meet potential customers. The trick with your website is to have it be you when you’re not there. Your website is basically doing the face-to-face meeting with new clients when they go online to learn about your company. When you understand this concept it should become easier to write the content for your site.
Think about the story you want to tell potential customers. Ask yourself what your current customers find interesting and most valuable for their situations. They don’t want to hear about new features and changes to your services. Customers want to know about how they will save time and money by using your service.
They want to know that they will be entertained or feel special when they use your product. Toy Story made kids feel like they were on a big adventure. It was exciting. It made kids feel like their toys really could come to life and that made life exciting and fun.
The parents in the audience loved the story too. It allowed them to be kids again and look back with nostalgia on the old toys of their childhood. The story was really about the kids, not about Pixar or Disney. And then there were the characters in the movie. The two main characters were Buzz and Woody. You still can’t go into any toy store these days without seeing these characters everywhere. Kids love them and even the parents love them.
Does your business have characters? I’m not saying you have to be crazy and wacky. Just be yourself and show yourself to your customer on your website. People trust people. They want to get to know you and that means putting photos of yourself on the site. It means writing things like blog posts and making your site more personal. People connect with people and characters. In the case of Toy Story it was toys that were the characters. For your business it means that you’ll have to become the character of your business. It allows people to feel an emotional connection with your company that is lacking with other companies. It leads to purchasing decisions and loyalty. Those two things mean dollars in your pocket. Tell a story with your blog. As you work on your website design project remember what Pixar did way back in 1995 when they revolutionized an entire industry. You can succeed with your website. Tell a story and make sure to include the characters.
