Social Media Storytelling: Methods and Strategies
As digital marketers, storytelling is an integral skill that we sometimes forget is as important as it is. Being able to tell the story of a brand on many different platforms is a skill that must be sharpened consistently. Social media stories should send a message when done correctly. It should teach your audience something about your brand/product and its overall place in the world. Customers want to understand your brand’s mission and values. These play a large role in determining whether a potential customer will choose your brand over another one that offers a similar product. There are many great ways to tell a story online. The team at Lyv Marketing is here to guide you through each of these methods and point you to the one that will work best for you and your goals.
Story Arcs and Why They Matter
As most of us know, a story is composed of events that happen leading up to an outcome that portrays a theme or message during the journey. When you bring this type of medium to social media, you are able to use it to your advantage as a way to illustrate your brand and what your business does/provides for its customers. The first step in deciding how to tell this story is by outlining your goals and deciding what it is you want your audience to know. Once you’ve figured this out, you can begin to build out your “arc.” The arc refers to the beginning, middle, and end of a story. The “story” in your case may also be referred to as a campaign. We see this most often with brands that consistently publish new campaigns that expand on the one that came previously. This sets the brand up perfectly to tell a continuous and consistent story.
Analyze Writes and Write Like Them
If you have any experience in writing, or even an interest in it, this can be a great way to improve your storytelling. Having experience in copywriting or fiction writing, you may already know how to hook a reader and keep them interested. If you don’t have any experience in writing, it is a great idea to start writing stories and learning how the author achieves the theme they set out to convey in their work.
The next step here is to recognize who your audience is and to address them directly. This is where the type of writing diverges from what we mentioned above. Usually for brand owners, the audience is easier to define and will serve you in the future. Catering what you write to this audience is a great way to keep your audience interested, reading, and coming back for more.
Influencer, Partnerships, Collabs, and How to Craft a Story With Them
Some of the most effective advertising we see on social media in the 2020s is from influencers, affiliates, and sponsorships. The relevancy of the influencer mixed with their (usually) loyal audience is a perfect situation for brands to expand their audience. This medium is a great place for storytelling. This can be done across collaborations with many influencers or a long-term campaign with one influencer. There are countless options here for how the story can be told. Because it is relatively new, there are a lot of facets of influencer marketing that are unexplored. With the right team and creativity, you can create a campaign with a lasting impact.
Personality and Meaning Come in Handy
After you’ve decided what your campaign will be aiming to do and you have a rough idea of how you’re going to achieve it, it’s time to make it meaningful to your audience. It is important that you can define what matters to them, as they are the ones that are supporting your business. Depending on your business model, this could be any number of things. Is your product intended for outdoor or indoor use, it is better suited for younger people or adults? Once you decide what is meaningful to your specific group of people, it is time to illustrate a need for your product with emotion baked into it. This is your chance to add a human touch to your marketing that will appeal to your customers.
Takeaway: Storytelling Grows Your Brand
There are so many options out there today for customers to choose from. It is not easy to make your brand stand out from the competition. When it comes to marketing, one of the best ways to achieve this is to get people invested in your brand and story. This is where social media also comes in to help you. Social media platforms are a great place to tell your story to a large audience. If you’re looking for a team to handle your socials and tell your story, Lyv Marketing is here to help. Contact us today by visiting our website at www.lyvmarketing.com and filling out the contact form!
