I need to develop a character Id that would appeal to businesses. The character is an interent marketer who needs to be either edgey or funny and I am looking for ideas along those lines. Normal service providers in my field would describe the services they offer and back it up with with case studies, nice graphics etc. That is ok, but i want to add something extra to the personality that would be more memorable. The field is internet marketing I am 55 years old. Targets are business owners with a few employees i.e. not one-man businesses. Any ideas how I could develop this? thanks George
George, we are writers, our creative minds don't necessarily take into account business development realities (although some might, and I hope they give you better feedback ). Wouldn't it be better if you found others who did what you aspire to do and then analyse their strategies and presentation, and see if you can get some hints from that?
You might be searching for your character in the wrong place. Business types start with the target audience and work backwards towards a product that fits the market. Writers write and try to find their audience afterwards. That means writers don't develop characters to appeal to a certain audience, they write characters that are pertinent to the story. If I'm reading your description right, I'm assuming this internet marketer is you or, at least, a version of you. The best character you can develop is you. Stick with your story and cultivate your own voice. Read copyblogger to figure out how to do that. Business relationships depend on trust. If you're lying about who is behind the curtain, you business is doomed to fail.
George, In one of my recent stories I followed some advice I'd received, and wrote down key facts about my Main Character...such as date of birth, parents and siblings (age, background, etc.), education, interests (sports and hobbies), important friends, important events. From this, you (the author) know how he would react in a given situation. The more that you know about your MC, the better you understand his drivers and his behaviour. Incidentally, does the fact that you log in as Andrew Taylor and sign yourself George imply that you are already re-inventing your Id?
Not sure what your goal is but if you wanted a humorous twist you might have your character plug a full size keyboard into their 3" smart phone. Or a mouse roller ball with a little hamster spinning inside it. Maybe a personalized mouse-pad with a picture of his kid holding a grandchild on it.
