I can feel the rush of embarrassment as he walks out of the bathroom into a crowded restaurant with an overhead alarm ringing “Didn’t Wash Hands!” I still smirk at that image Gary Larson created for his The Far Side comic series.
Witty humor and emotional illustrations fueled my addiction to Larson’s stories at a young age. But I also think it was simpler – an effective story in a consistent snapshot.
As brand builders, business owners and entrepreneurs, we want to share an effective story and consistent snapshot of our business. Through social media we can do this.
Albeit, this is both the problem and the solution.
We are so intimate with the core of our business that we might not know what the right story to tell is or which social platform to use.
We might think Larson had it easy. Draw one square image once a week for the newspaper and make it humorous.
But I believe Larson didn’t have it easy. It’s not easy to make someone care about your story. It’s not easy to create an addictive following for your people or your purpose.
The Far Side comics reaffirm the fact that we think in images, convey ideas in images and dream in images.
So what is the right story to tell? Which social media platforms are the right ones to use?
Larson would probably tell us the right story is a photo and a caption that makes others care about your people and your business purpose.
He’d likely encourage us to share the photos on Twitter with only 140 characters to make people care, be consistent and create a following.
Larson has shown us how to reinvent a story with images. Share images that make me care about your people and your purpose, and I’ll be a fan for life.
Joe DeNucci is the marketing manager of West Allis-based Advanced Waste Services Inc.
