Creating a visual image through words while connecting with your audience on a real and personal level is what storytelling is all about.

And storytelling is not only possible in business … it’s desirable.

Using interesting and honest details to provide the who, what, when, where, why and how of your company, product or service will make your story worth listening to.

Stuck telling your story? Start by telling it to a friend, colleague or coworker. Pretend you’re trying to entertain someone at a party. Say what you really want to say rather than what you think you should say (or what your legal department or boss would like you to say).

Record your story and then transcribe it to use as your first draft.

Remember, it doesn’t matter how you get to the story – only THAT you get to it.

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Since hubby turned 50, we’ve become members of AARP; which means we receive (and enjoy) their excellent publications.

In the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of the AARP Bulletin, there’s a short article about a British survey commissioned by financial company AXA, and the subsequent renaming contest surrounding the word “pension.”

Turns out that nearly a fifth of 18- to 24-year-old Brits think the word pension is stodgy. (No duh.)

The winning replacement, submitted by 29-year-old Donna Wood of Hampshire, England is:

Save Now. Play Later.

Genius.

But what this really brings to mind is how we get stuck using words and phrases that have lost their relevancy. With business writing and marketing/communications, it’s far too easy to lapse into same-old, same-old boilerplate language.

No word or phrase should be sacred. Everything should be, at least periodically, rethought. Step back now and then and ask this question: “What does this word or phrase really mean to my reader?”

P.S. Hey, State Farm Insurance, are you listening? With the transient culture we live in, I’m pretty sure “Like a good neighbor” doesn’t resonate like it used to.

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I think my letter carrier takes the holidays off. I literally got no mail from Dec. 27 through Jan. 2 but, boy oh boy, did the flood hit yesterday. Amidst some bills and checks (thanks, clients), I got an astounding number of direct mail pieces.

Direct mail?

Yeah, those over the age of 40 remember it. It’s the information that comes in the mailbox from companies who do all kinds of clever things to entice you to open it.

Much of what I got was very nicely done: Solid offers. Pleasing visuals. Conversational content. Well branded.

So it didn’t surprise me when I read that the Direct Marketing Association is estimating direct mail marketing to increase by more than $1 billion this year. That’s a RISE of $1 billion, putting the annual total spent on direct mail campaigns at about $45.5 billion in 2010.

Even more impressive is this result from the DMA’s annual study: Non-catalog direct mail returned $15.22 for every dollar spent in 2009. Wowza.

Are you making direct mail part of your 2010 marketing plan? It’s certainly worth considering in light of those astounding numbers don’t you think?

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While doing a little research on where to find Faygo Rock & Rye for a visiting relative, I went to Faygo.com to see if they had a store locator.

Of course, they have a store locator. But imagine my surprise when Faygo wanted everything but my firstborn before they’d tell me where to find their soda. Name, email, address and favorite flavor as REQUIRED fields?

Whoa, Faygo! Too much, too soon.

We’re like old friends who haven’t seen each other in decades. I’m not ready to divulge anything. I thought it would just be nice to get reacquainted.

Too bad it’s not going to happen now.

Lesson learned: Go slow. Build a relationship. And don’t be afraid to tell people how to find you without asking for anything in exchange.

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