Telling good stories on your website, in your e-newsletters, your blog, on Twitter and on your social media network is fundamental to a successful online business growth strategy, according to Flow Communication CEO, Tara Turkington. She says: “At the bottom of everything you do online you have to have good stories, otherwise people will go elsewhere. Storytelling online can help to grow your business. Follow a journalistic formula. Keep repeating the process. And remember, good storytelling is a conversation: what happened, how do you feel, etc.” She offers the following advice: What makes a good story?
• Timeliness: the present being the most powerful time, followed by the future, while the past fades quickly into oblivion.
• Proximity: the closer to home the bigger its impact.
• Prominence:  mentioning celebrities always elicits interest.
• Impact: how many people are impacted
• Novelty: something unusual
• Money, especially public money
• Sex and scandal How do you tell the world about it?
• Website and blog: This is your primary investment in time.
• E-newsletters: send them to your clients, to visitors, to the trade and to the media to entice people to visit your website and your blog
• Flickr: Download your pictures
• Facebook: A great place for competitions but read the conditions. Good for events as well but be careful that you’re not spamming people.
• Twitter: It’s like a big billboard. Use it to alert people to content on your website or blog.
• YouTube: Download your videos. Turkington says all of these are interlinked and work together to ensure you have a prominent spot on Google Search. Be sure to cross link them and talk about your other links on your website or blog.