The persuasive power of storytelling in business is nothing new; sales people and public speakers have been using this to engage their audiences for generations!   

When Google first announced in May that it was moving its free product listing service over to a paid model (Google Shopping) as of October 1, I immediately felt sorry for small businesses. Up until this change, almost any search online for handcrafted, homemade or vintage products would lead a user to Etsy and their small business community. All of whom again, up until this change, had been enjoying free listings of their products on a fairly level playing field. Now, with this change, most small business owners will get left behind in the competition for paid advertising space, and will ultimately lose ground against known retailers with deep pockets.

Social media and e-marketing are not passing fads. Increasingly, leaders of businesses large and small across America are realizing that these two powerful phenomena are sustainable trends.

During our vacation on the Cape this summer, my wife recieved an exciting call on her cell phone from a leading nationwide bookstore asking if she would do a book signing for the children's book she wrote earlier this year. The book is a story of a little girl, "Sela" who had to leave her friends behind when her family moved into a new town. The book took my wife almost three years to write and illustrate. Needless to say, we were very excited that her children's book could get into the hands of kids who, like Sela may be experiencing the challenge of having to make friends in a new town.