Share Your Process

A presentation at Product Storytelling in October 2019 in by Mr Murphy

Slide 1

Slide 1

Share Your Process

Customers want to see the magic: Your ‘behind the scenes’ work is as important as your finished product.

Slide 2

Slide 2

Please Note: This is a preview slidedeck that I’m still working on as I build out my component slidedecks. As such, it’s a work in progress, but it still contains information that I hope others will find useful.

Slide 3

Slide 3

Magicians and Muggles

Slide 4

Slide 4

Whatever you do – be it physical or digital – you have a special kind of magic. Sharing your magic with your customers (muggles) is an essential part of your product storytelling. It helps to paint a picture of the product you’re selling.

Slide 5

Slide 5

Let your customers look behind the scenes…

Slide 6

Slide 6

In a world saturated with mass market products, often created in conditions that aren’t ethical, customers are crying out for authentic stories. There is a hunger for brands with stories and a deeply held conviction.

Slide 7

Slide 7

Share your products’ backstory…

  • Customers are hungry for meaning, provenance and backstory.
  • They’re eager to look behind the curtain and see process.
  • They want to see the story behind your products.

Slide 8

Slide 8

The Often-Hidden Details Matter

  • Tell your customers:
    • who made the product;
    • how it’s made;
    • what it’s manufactured from; and
    • why it was made.

Slide 9

Slide 9

In an era of cheaply manufactured goods, customers are eager to know the provenance of your product.

Slide 10

Slide 10

Case Study: Blok Knives

Slide 11

Slide 11

The emergence of businesses like Blok Knives, which are focused on provenance, process and product storytelling, can be seen as a reaction to the commoditised world of the late twentieth century.

—‘Start! Stop Procrastinating and Pursue Your Passion’

Slide 12

Slide 12

Blok Knives share their behind the scenes story, showing how their exquisite knives are made.

Slide 13

Slide 13

Blok Knives share their behind the scenes story, showing how their exquisite knives are made.

Slide 14

Slide 14

Blok Knives share their behind the scenes story, showing how their exquisite knives are made.

Slide 15

Slide 15

Blok Knives share their behind the scenes story, showing how their exquisite knives are made.

Slide 16

Slide 16

Blok Knives share their behind the scenes story, showing how their exquisite knives are made.

Slide 17

Slide 17

Video paints a picture…

This video isn’t solely focused on the knives, it’s focused on the story and the people behind the knives.

Slide 18

Slide 18

I’m currently seeking permission to share this video. Watch this space.

Slide 19

Slide 19

Blok Knives’ Hybrid Woods

Slide 20

Slide 20

Blok Knives encourage customers to look behind the scenes, sharing the process of making their ‘hybrid woods’.

Slide 21

Slide 21

This page shares the secrets of the process by which, “pieces are placed in moulds and surrounded by dyed resins.”

Slide 22

Slide 22

The result: “Half wood, half resin.”

Slide 23

Slide 23

All the wood we use is stabilised. This is a process in which wood is soaked in resin, vacuumed, pressurised then baked. It’s a way of impregnating the wood to thoroughly harden it, meaning it’s much better for kitchen environments.

—Blok Knives

Slide 24

Slide 24

This is the kind of process imagery that most don’t share, thinking it’s ‘messy’ and ‘unnecessary’. (That’s a mistake.)

Slide 25

Slide 25

Investing in professional photography pays off many times over.

Slide 26

Slide 26

The finished knife with a hybrid wood handle.

Slide 27

Slide 27

Social Storytelling

Slide 28

Slide 28

The story continues on Instagram: “We’re a ruddy social bunch.”

Slide 29

Slide 29

Social platforms, like Instagram, offer the opportunity to share work in progress.

Slide 30

Slide 30

Instagram – and other forms of social media – offer an opportunity to share stories around your process.

Slide 31

Slide 31

When you’re selling knives for £370 (an investment), storytelling is critical.

Slide 32

Slide 32

£370

You might think £370 is expensive, but these knives are designed to last a lifetime.

Slide 33

Slide 33

Place an order (and wait four months) or take your chances in the Friday Knife Sale.

Slide 34

Slide 34

The waiting list time for a bespoke knife is 4 months, largely due to captivating product storytelling.

Slide 35

Slide 35

Blok have produced something I’ve wanted for several years… our own British knife, made in Britain, by a British craftsman.

—Sat Bains, Restaurant Sat Bains

Sat Bains has two Michelin Stars. (Testimonials like this are like pure gold.)

Slide 36

Slide 36

The details matter…

  • Forced Patina Finish
  • Mosaic Pins
  • Stabilised Wooden Handle
  • 5” Handle

This language is critical: “A 9.5” D2 tool steel blade; 3.2mm flat ground stock, tapering to the tip.”

Slide 37

Slide 37

Share your behind the scenes…

  • Hybrid Wood
  • Angle Grinders and Sparks
  • Forced Patina Finish

Slide 38

Slide 38

Stories Are Memorable

And it’s the memorable stories that are often the most shared via word of mouth.

Slide 39

Slide 39

The story you tell shapes how your customers perceive your product. Put some thought into it and the return on investment can be considerable.

Slide 40

Slide 40

Other helpful resources…

Slide 41

Slide 41

I co-wrote these two books for Five Simple Steps on the topic of words as a critical design component. You might find them useful.

Slide 42

Slide 43

Slide 43

If you found this deck useful, follow me on Twitter: @fehler. I’m in the process of breaking down 15+ years of workshop content into small, easily consumable components. I’ll be tweeting as I’ve finished and shared these components. Cheers!

Slide 44