Every marketer knows you’re supposed to tell a story, but do you know how to tell a story? Do you know why you’re supposed to tell a story? Do you even truly know what a story is? While many marketing presentations emphasize the value of mythic storytelling, the nuts and bolts of actually constructing a story are never explored.

“When a person reads a story, their brain chemistry actually changes. The brain releases oxytocin and reduces cortisol and pain. The physiological and psychological effects of storytelling are undeniable.” – Tom Shapiro, Rethink Lead Generation

The goal of marketing may be to achieve specific KPIs that drive sales, which is very objective, but the top of the marketing funnel requires a softer approach. In our data-driven results-oriented fast-paced world, marketers must quantify results, but those results will never be achieved unless prospects are first approached with humanity.

There is a common misunderstanding that the so-called “soft skills” of marketing such as language and art are unmeasurable and subjective, but while the objective measures of market research are merely 100 years old, the rules of aesthetics have been perfected over the last 2,500 years.

Great story construction is a skill that requires significant knowledge and practice. This presentation will be a review of the ancient art of story construction as it applies today and in the (increasingly) near future of the Metaverse.

In this Masterclass we will discuss:

• Rhetoric – The art of effective communication
• The Socratic Method – You cannot teach, but you can persuade people to learn
• Plato’s Cave – You sell products, but you market ideas
• Aristotle’s Six Dramatic Elements – The secret recipe for marketing stories

Who should attend? This session is for senior marketers who are tasked with creating effective narratives or guiding others in the process. By the end of the session, attendees will have gained the knowledge needed to work storytelling into all phases of the buyer’s journey, and insight into how to measure the effectiveness and results of their campaigns.

You know the basics of email marketing, but you’re struggling to do more than the bare minimum. You have a lot of great ideas, but you’re not really sure where to start. You have a sense of what you should be doing, but you just don’t have the resources to get there. Sound familiar?

In this robust workshop designed for those with a grasp of email marketing fundamentals, Jen Capstraw will reveal her arsenal of strategy secrets, highlighting common email marketer myths and mistakes – and how to correct course. You’ll reconsider what you think you know about email and emerge with a fresh perspective that will accelerate ROI.

Attendees rave about this session’s interactive workbook, which you can use to identify your email program opportunities, uncover gaps in your existing program, and prioritize the campaigns, strategies and tactics that will deliver maximum results.

At the end of this Masterclass, you’ll be able to:

• Evaluate so-called best practices and industry advice through a critical lens
• List the components of a complete email program
• Understand the difference between vanity metrics and meaningful KPIs
• Identify the key campaigns that drive customers toward loyalty
• Know when A/B testing makes sense – and when it doesn’t
• Clear the roadblocks that are hampering the maturity of your email program
• Apply a prioritization methodology to zero in on strategies will move the needle
• Impress the boss with an email program roadmap for 2022 and beyond

Words mean very specific things. Over time we often use words for things that they don’t actually mean. Yes, Inigo, we heard you. And just as Inigo Montoya was right about Vizzini’s use of the word “inconceivable,” we often interchange terms like customer experience and user experience when those are two very different things.

In this masterclass, we will take a quick look back at where marketers have been in our understanding of the customer experience, as technology has changed everything from product and service development, to sales, service, and loyalty. You will learn new tactics for looking at your favorite ways to create customer personas, paths to purchase, content, and more with a customer-centered perspective.

At the end of this Masterclass, you’ll be able to:

• Build and use customer personas for more than new content creation
• Flip the script on the customer journey as we’ve known it to help customers meet their objectives and drive your sales and revenue
• Ask the right questions at the right moments to understand what’s driving the behaviors you’ve tracked in analytics for decades