Imagine this ( or maybe you don’t have to):

You want your business to start making a big impact. You have worked hard to get here. You write the blog posts, put your services out there and burned the midnight oil developing products you believe in. You have followed the book on this digital entrepreneurship stuff  but something is still missing. People aren’t buying. You aren’t feeling heard.

You go see a movie. It all has the right actors in it. The action is great. But you still leave disappointed. You discuss the movie with your friends, hoping to piece together the experience. Why didn’t this work?

Something was just off.

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. Some insider’s baseball, if you will. If you find that a product isn’t selling or a service isn’t converting, I am about to tell you why.

Disappointment happens when the story (the content, the message) doesn’t match the design ( the way it’s experienced ).

Think about that e-book that you bought but never managed to get all the way through.

Real money-making magic happens when story ( true storytelling that connects to what you really want) and thoughtful design ( the experience of you) intersect at the sweet spot of experience.

When  story and design are in perfect alignment.

This is best shown with examples on how it doesn’t work. I’m sure we can all find ourselves in these at some point:

• A product you really believe in but can’t manage to sell
• A beautiful e-book with content you can’t follow or don’t care to read because the storytelling is weak.
• A great story you heard but don’t remember
• A business that looks great, has everything going for it but you still aren’t buying
• Services that sound great in theory but don’t get carried out in a way that ends up being useful to people.
• Copy that is clearly representing in a product for what it is but not for the new story it will allow you to have after you buy.
• A sandwich  that has too much lettuce and mayo. Something is just off.

We see it ALL the time in movies. Ever watched a blockbuster movie that was all flash but no story? Or maybe a drama that was endless dialog but nothing seemed to happen so you can’t stay engaged?

Are you seeing the story and design connection in your world now? It’s practically everywhere, I bet. A sandwich, an outfit that looks unfinished. It’s probably in your business too. And it might be getting in the way of the lovely profit and magical meaning you always wanted.

Your work is best when the story and design are in perfect harmony. It’s all about making sure your stories have the right vehicle to make an impact and that your experiences are supported with true meaning.

Noticing something is “off” is half the battle of making sure your great work actually gets experienced.

And that’s what I do for my clients. I create experiences that balance story and design and I want to teach you how to do it too.

This is Part 1 in a series of posts that will teach you how to start figuring out where your story/design is off and what to do about it. We’ll start by figuring out the story/design balance of your life and how that will make your business better.

Some questions:

Now that you know about story + design, what are some experiences you have found to be rewarding and in turn, balanced?

When have you felt like something wasn’t right but couldn’t quite pin-point how to make it better?

How do you make sure the experience of your content matches what you create? Do yo think about it?

Let me know what you think and please share this post if it resonated!