Brand Messaging: How to Bring Your Big Ideas and Messages to LifeThe best way to make your idea irresistible is to build the story people will tell themselves about it.
It sounds great to have an absolutely amazing product, an unparalleled service, and a bulletproof business model – and you not only know it is great, but that it could change a market, a life, or even the world.
However, there is just one problem: Others do not yet see its power or do not understand it.
It’s always a challenge to translate a big idea into the language that motivates change. Creativity is not enough. You need action.
But that is exactly why Tamsen Webster is our guest today. In this episode, Tamsen Webster shows you how you can build your big business ideas and bring them to life.
Tamsen Webster has spent the last twenty years helping experts drive action from their ideas. Part message strategist, part storyteller, part English-to-English translator, her work focuses on how to find and build the stories partners, investors, clients, and customers will tell themselves—and others.
Tamsen honed her expertise through work in and for major companies and organizations like Johnson & Johnson, Harvard Medical School, and Intel, as well as with startups that represent the next wave of innovation in life science, biotech, climate tech, fintech, and pharma.
She’s a professional advisor at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and a mentor for the Harvard Innovation Labs. She’s also served for over eight years as executive producer and idea strategist for one of the oldest locally organized TED Talk events in the world (TEDxCambridge).
She was a reluctant marathoner… twice, is a champion ballroom dancer (in her mind), and learned everything she knows about messages, people, and change as a Weight Watchers leader. True story.
Podcast Timestamps/Outline
02:00 – Introduction
02:34 – About Tamsen Webster
04:53 – What does the red thread mean?
06:16 – How does the red thread method help you build your idea?
07:44 – How does our story form a red thread that we unwittingly follow every day?
14:03 – How to become a TEDx speaker
17:01 – The TEDx test
19:03 – Should the concept of buyer personas be replaced with red thread personas?
20:40 – Case study: Converse shoes
22:28 – One idea and infinite stories
27:02 – How to “crack the code” for greater growth
31:03 – How do I create a story that will cause people to take action?
37:17 – How much does curiosity play a role in getting people to act?
41:13 – What does tying back a story to the beginning mean?
43:50 – Connect with Tamsen Webster
Memorable Quotes
“The best way to build an irresistible idea is to build a story that people will tell themselves about it.”
“We as humans create stories in order to explain how the world works. In order to explain the red thread of something (the big idea of something), we are constantly creating explanations in our minds.”
“When we start where somebody is, it ends up being a lot more powerful than talking about who they are.”
“No two people find the same red thread.”
“By building messages that only appeal to the people close enough to be able to convert then you end up saving yourself a lot of time, effort, and money.”
“Action is proof of understanding. The only way that you’re absolutely sure that your message got across is if that person behaves in a way that’s consistent with the fact that they agree with your message.”
“If you’re trying to give someone a quick summary of the idea, you want to combine something that they want via a means they don’t expect.”
“Curiosity is a drive state. It is a condition where we as humans are compelled to satisfy it. Anytime you can build curiosity, you’re in great shape.”
Episode Links and Resources
Tamsen’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamsenwebster/
Tamsen’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TamsenWebster/
Tamsen’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/tamadear
Tamsen’s website: https://tamsenwebster.com/
The Red Thread book: https://amzn.to/2XJhCri
Digital activity ROI assessment: https://b2bdm.com/digital-activity-roi/
More episodes related to branding: https://b2bdm.com/brand-personality
