As the great song says, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

And speaking of wonderful, it’s that time of the year when we all gather around the TV. We’re going to watch a festive classic and bask in its glow for a time.

We’re bound for Bedford Falls, see. And we’re going to root for George Bailey when his frustration outweighs his satisfaction with his life.

But let’s get creative for a moment. Copywriters (or writers in general) can find learning opportunities at every turn.

Instead of just sitting back and enjoying the movie, you can glean ways to apply its storytelling principles to your copy.

So how can you improve your content using It’s A Wonderful Life?

If you want to get creative about your content, you need to study the storytelling of the classics. Improve your content using It's A Wonderful Life! — By National Telefilm Associates (Screenshot of the movie) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

You’d be surprised. So come with me and let’s take a stroll back to 1946.

And put your thinking caps on. (If you want to use a Santa hat, that’s cool with me)

Ready?

If you want to appeal to George, you have to think like an angel

George Bailey is deeply dissatisfied with his life. Unable to leave Bedford Falls, he watches life pass him by. Opportunities go to everyone around him while he holds the fort, waiting for his turn.

When his idiotic uncle misplaces $8000, bankruptcy and scandal loom large. Unsurprisingly, George snaps.

But no one in Heaven wants George to take drastic action. Instead, Clarence wants him to appreciate what he has.

I’m not saying that you don’t want your customer to take action. But you do know what their life could be like, if only they were using your solution.

After all, you want your solution to effect a change for your buyer, customer or client.

So you’re Clarence in our little roleplay.

But, like George, your customers can’t see what that life would be like.

Yet.

You need to improve your content to show them what their life could be like if they used your product.

Sell project management software? Show them the time saved that can be spent on creative pursuits. Or show them the glowing reviews they’ll get when their productivity increases.

But you don’t need to stay on the good side. You can also show them what their life could be like if they don’t use your product.

Take them to Pottersville.

So let them see those tasks that get forgotten and lead to customer complaints. Or the late nights catching up on things that could’ve been done by someone else in their team.

The benefits of your solution will speak for themselves.

Appeal to the better side of your customer

Clarence has a relatively easy job. After all, George is pretty saintly. It’s hard to argue with an angel when your existence led to the rescue of your little brother. Especially when that little brother went on to save an entire transport of soldiers.

And the future of Mr Gower depends on George being there to intervene when grief makes him put the wrong ingredients into diphtheria medicine.

But at his heart, George is a good person. He’s not malicious, he’s reliable, and he sticks up for the little guy.

Appeal to the George Bailey in your customers. Show them how your product not only improves their lives or business. But also show them how it improves the lives of their customers.

Think of the speech George makes to the board when Potter threatens to close the Building & Loan.

You know how long it takes a workin’ man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you’re talking about, they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community.

Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn’t think so. People were human beings to him, but to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they’re cattle.

He puts the concept of the business into understandable human terms. The Building & Loan gives the people of Bedford Falls the chance at a dignified existence. And it also builds community.

This speech persuades the board to appoint George as his father’s successor.

How can you inject that same sort of passion and improve your content? How can you make your solution more human?

Use testimonials to prove your worth

How often do you look up a product on Amazon and check out its reviews?

Do you discount the 50 5* reviews because there’s a single 1* review?

When you book a hotel, do you scour the TripAdvisor feedback before you choose?

We all do it. It’s just an online version of word-of-mouth – the most powerful marketing of all.

So you’ll hear terms like ‘social proof’ bandied about by marketers. And it’s nothing new. All it means is you’ve provided a good enough service that a customer is willing to tie their reputation to yours by recommending you.

In It’s A Wonderful Life, these testimonials come in the form of prayers. All around Bedford Falls, people put aside their own needs and wants because George Bailey is in trouble.

Instead of using their prayers for themselves, they pray that George will get the help he needs.

Clarence answers these prayers in his own unique way. And George comes to realise that there were plenty of reasons to stay in Bedford Falls after all.

(Though I do think it’s a scandal the poor fellow never gets to even go on holiday!)

Heaven might have still intervened without the prayers. But it’s made clear in the film that the testimonials prove George’s worth in the eyes of the town.

You need to prove your worth to your buyers. Often, an easy way to improve your content is to look to the testimonials of your customers.

If you’re a startup, look at the feedback from your beta testers.

What questions do people ask? Or what do they always mention?

Create content to answer those questions. Or highlight the features your customers praise most often.

But most of all, use those testimonials. People respond to language they recognise. What better than the language of their peers? Include snippets from reviews or feedback in your content and use it verbatim.

Let your prospects know that you didn’t write it. An actual person, just like them, wrote those words of praise. They might not trust you – but they’ll trust a fellow customer.

People don’t always respond to data. They’re not always necessarily swayed by features and facts.

But they do respond to stories. It’s how humans have always communicated, from cave paintings to Star Wars.

So if you want to improve your content, start thinking sideways. Ask yourself what stories appeal to people. How can you use similar stories in your own content?

How can you be Clarence to your George Bailey customers?

If you’d like help to improve your content by applying these storytelling principles, drop me an email. Let’s make your content wonderful!

Storytelling has become a huge part of content marketing within the last year or so.

If you run a heritage site, you’re more than aware of the importance of story.

But is the visitor experience more important than the story you want to tell?

Visitors like to experience your story in a dynamic way, rather than simply reading or hearing it. — Something to consider.

The importance of experience

According to CNBC.com, millennials would rather spend money on attending music festivals, travelling the world, or trying new activities like skydiving and yoga.

A study by Harris Group discovered that “More than 3 in 4 millennials (78%) would choose to spend money on a desirable experience or event over buying something desirable”.

In short, millennials would rather spend money on experiences than things.

If you run a heritage site, then you instantly have an advantage over a bricks-and-mortar store.

Your site IS the experience.

But you also have a story – or several stories – to tell. Which one is more important – the experience or the story?

Many heritage sites offer three main entry points into their stories.

The guidebook
On-site information boards
Audio guides

All of them are fantastic ways to communicate information. The guidebook also allows the visitor to take the story away with them to share with others. Moreover, the audio guides allow the visitor to experience the sounds of the site, and the narrative nature of the audio guide allows a commentator to quite literally tell the stories of the specific locations.

But all of these stories are one-way monologues.

I can’t ask questions of a guidebook.

I can’t engage with the content of an information board once I’ve read it.

But I can ask questions of someone playing a role.

English Heritage used the medieval re-enactment group Dawn of Chivalry at their Bank Holiday medieval event. The group portray a tournament from 1250AD, showcasing combat styles and archery, among other things.

Not only could visitors have a go at longbow archery, they could also ask questions in the medieval camp.

One fellow demonstrated the construction of maille in the camp behind the castle. As a representative of the Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John, he explained the founding of the Order, as well as its role in medieval life.

Another chap explained the evolution of medical equipment from the 12th Century until the present day.

Visitors like asking questions.

Lots of visitors, including myself, could ask these re-enactors specific questions. As fonts of information, they were well-placed to tell a story. But they could also tailor the experience of that story to suit the visitors.

The visitor became a part of the story, or even an extra in the wider narrative. The members of the camp talked to the visitors, rather than at them.

How does this apply to your own site?

You’re probably wondering how any of this applies to you. How can you turn your existing narrative into a dynamic, immersive storytelling experience?

Don’t get me wrong, your guidebooks, audio guides and information boards are still a key part of your story.

But visitors will often remember what they’ve heard and experienced more than something they’ve read. These three strategies can work alongside your existing copy.

Host special events!

You could host special events throughout the year, allowing visitors to experience the site in a different way. After all, you want visitors to have a reason to keep coming back.

Belsay Hall often host ghost story evenings, performances, or tours when parts of the hall not usually open to visitors are available to be explored.

The medieval event was perfectly suited to the castle portion of the site, and helped bringing the ruin to life through the sights, smells and sounds of a 12th century camp.

Get into character!

Hosting events can be costly and you might prefer to extend the visitor experience all year round. Consider hiring one or two special guides to man your site. Get them into period-specific costume, and create characters for them.

Beamish Museum do this particularly well, with visitors able to question dentists, schoolteachers, pharmacists and bank clerks from 1913.

Involve visitors in the story.

If it’s possible, give visitors things to try. Can they have a go at a craft, and make something to take home? Remember, while some people learn by reading about a topic, others learn by doing.

By appealing to different learning styles, you can capture different visitor preferences within the same experience.

Remember the old axiom. If I tell you a fact, you’ll forget it. If I tell you a story, you’ll pass it on.

Over to you! Do you prefer static information boards, or informative actors who can answer your questions?

How to improve your content using It’s A Wonderful Life