The Power of Stories — Radical United

Stories are the stuff of legend for lots of different reasons: they can make you laugh, cry, get upset, get motivated. What I find in them is a common resonance that makes me feel more connected and less alone, regardless of what the topic is.

One of the greatest catalysts for hearing new stories and creating new ones from pre-2020 was user conferences for marketing technology. I still vividly remember the first time I’d ever traveled out of town for a user conference was the ExactTarget Connections conference in Indianapolis in 2010. I had just started my responsibilities as the Director of Email Marketing Services at Engauge and we had a couple customers who were going to be there at the conference, so I felt like I should be there to build relationships the ExactTarget partner team, learn what was new and upcoming and spend some face-to-face time with my customers to see what was on the horizon for them.

It was a 3 day onslaught of learning sessions, networking and the kind of fun I had never seen before. Memories of a private concert with pre-Grammy Train in Conseco Field House (now, Bankers Life Fieldhouse), the spicy shrimp cocktail appetizer at St. Elmo Steak House and the downtown Steak ‘n Shake packed to the gill at 3 am are still vivid. The trip ended with Jamie Bell (our ET partner rep and Indy native) taking Kevin Moran on a bonus visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum as a stop before our flight back to Atlanta.

Why am I going on about stories?

The stories of work being done by different companies, lessons learned and emerging innovations that were shared at that conference (and so many others like it) paired with the opportunity to meet and get to know peers in the industry were invaluable. At a time like this in 2020, these opportunities to meet in person have all but vaporized. However, it doesn’t mean the story telling has to stop.

If you’ve read what Radical United is about, then you’ll understand that I know for a fact that marketers from all walks (client-side and services-side) have been working towards the better, more highly-evolved, more personalized customer experience for most of the last decade. My bet is that regardless of your discipline focus (email, social media, data/IT, display, e-commerce, analytics), you’ve encountered things that are incredible (for both good or not great).

My invitation to you is to share a story so that our community of marketers can know that they are not alone in their obstacles or their successes. Redact anything that would get you or your company in trouble OR get permission to share. I will reach out to you directly to cover the details and make sure you’re good with what aspects are shared. It would be an honor and privilege to share these stories anonymously on your behalf (via blog and/or podcast) so that we can build a solid foundation of what has worked, what isn’t working, what obstacles remain and most importantly, whether the pursuit of the 360 degree customer view and journey is worth it or not.

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