Do you know how to build a relevant story?

Faced with a difficult economic situation, which was particularly evident in Portugal, the immediate reaction of brands was one of caution. Cost cutting to "survive" the crisis and expectations about the future became the two most important forces guiding the performance of most companies.

This attempt at caution, as natural as it sounds, also meant that communication took a back seat. "First we survive, we talk about it later," was the phrase repeated over and over again.

Getting the message across that caution when investing is not inseparable from communicating effectively and battling for increased notoriety has been the challenge of recent years. Rather than spending money and hoping that this is enough to get noticed, it is necessary to invest in smart communication tools.

Here something becomes essential that many marketers have yet to realize: we can invest in advertising, events, and PR campaigns, but the essential message will only reach the consumer/customer if it is relevant. No matter how important we consider what we have to say, it is the audience that dictates whether the subject is sexy enough to be noticed or relevant enough for the market to assimilate it.

Never as today has the ability to tell a good story played such a defining role, where only the most dynamic organizations are in a favorable position to master their narrative. Often a well-designed narrative can turn threats into opportunities and failure into unexpected success.

When "crisis," "recovery," and "entrepreneurship" are the words most often repeated in the media, the stories of persistence and success take on more expressive contours. You may consider your story banal, but don't underestimate the possibility of turning it into a tale of ingenuity and management skills.

Don't forget that people buy stories and we are all storytellers. You just need to find someone to help you sell your story. The main effort must be made now.

Article originally published by Marta Gonçalves in his monthly opinion column in Buzzmedia.