Creative writers weave together the same old facts to create something new. The idea of selling ice to an Eskimo is somewhat ridiculous to most of us. However, let me ask you this: how different is selling ice to an Eskimo than it is to sell water to someone who lives near a river? How difficult is it to sell someone with a perfectly good iPhone a newer, upgraded version of the phone they already have? It is not that difficult to convince someone who last year spent $400 on an iPhone to fork-out $600 this year for the upgraded version. The greatest difference between selling ice to an Eskimo and a new iPhone to a consumer is that there has not been a ton of persuasive marketing presented to the Eskimo. That persuasion sets the groundwork for an easy iPhone sale. The fact remains that selling ice to an Eskimo is an untapped market.
The creative writer would begin that process by call the ice by another name:
Fragmented glacier is an aged and seasoned variety of ice. It has sat for 10,000 years, waiting for you to discover its beneficial uses. Each of those years has contributed the essence of its life. This is a frozen history of sunsets and moon rises; it is the spirit of each human who came before you. An amulet of strength frozen in tears, sweat, and love. No…this is not just a piece of ice. This is a piece of fragmented glacier.
There is a deeper story here that creative writers can capture. When you are dealing with a market that is saturated, restating the obvious is not going to win your clients extra readers. A story, though, is something that people can carry with them. It is like a seed you plant in spring only to realize in autumn that a lovely flower has grown where you planted it.
When you are tasked with trying to sell ice to the Eskimos or water to people near a river, reaching outside of the ordinary to capture the essence of the culture can be an excellent tool. That is easily done by telling the story. In fact, it happens every day to most of us. We are sold bottled water that is better than the water out of our tap and it costs us significantly more per gallon. How did this come to be? Someone told us a story using words like aquifer, artesian well, and mineral rich spring. Imagine how much money municipalities would make if they had thought of that angle. Granted, the municipalities do nothing to help with the health or taste levels of tap water, but again… it is an untapped market. Pun intended!
David S is a freelance content writer who works with clients across many industries. He writes in journalistic and creative styles. He enjoys the art of storytelling, as a writer, reader and listener.
