As a social media manager, storytelling is one of your most powerful and most important tools.
Stories share important information about our past, bring us together, and appeal to our deepest humanity. They humanize you and create a sense of authenticity in your brand. Without a good story, your audience has little to latch onto.
So, here’s how to use the power of storytelling to your advantage and captivate your audience.
Tell Them Your Origin Story
Origin stories are the most interesting stories a brand can tell. They speak to our greater humanity and remind us where we come from. Everyone loves to see your growth and where you came from. It makes you more relatable and real.
“An origin story is a story about how your company came to be. It includes details like why it was started, when it was started, how it was started, who started it etc. … [it’s] a brand’s most precious story, the one upon which all future stories and events are based.” – Marketing Solutions Blog
Inspire your audience with your storytelling and get them invested in your brand by reminding them that you’re more than just a product.
Find The Micro Tales Within The Macro Vision
Every company has a compelling origin story no matter what, but they also have many smaller stories within the larger picture that are just waiting to be told. Once you have your origin story mapped out, find stories that give you the chance to go into more detail and tell them. Vague stories can only go so far. The details are what people really care about. Details are what make you more real. Details are what increase client loyalty.
A throwback picture of a staff member, a day in the life vlog, an Instagram takeover, or a feature of a long-time customer are all examples of finding micro-stories within the larger saga of how your company came to be.
Social media has always been a place where bite-sized content thrives, so embrace it!
Format Your Story To The Platform & Audience
The most obvious way to tell your story is in a blog post or with static text on your site. But it’s important to understand that not everyone consumes media the same way. Find different ways to communicate your stories! It’s especially important to tell stories visually on social media. The only place that plain text can sometimes solely be enough is on Twitter.
For example, you can:
- Challenge yourself to tell a story using just emojis!
- Record your story as a sound clip or podcast
- Tell your story in a video, vlog, reel, TikTok, etc
- Share stories through Instagram stories
- Turn your story into an infographic
Tailoring your story to your audience has never been easier through the use of technology and social media. So once you have a good story, tell it in every possible way–with words, with noise, with visuals, with anything!
Use Stories To Humanize Your Brand
Stories humanize your brand, and humans are wired to connect with compelling stories. Storytelling is an essential part of being human, so it’s no wonder that we’re drawn to them!
“You can pitch a product until you’re blue in the face, but people won’t care unless you give them a reason to do so. Place your product at the center of a story, and show them how it can benefit their lives. That extra layer of emotion makes you stand out more on social media than an ad ever could.” – Everything To Know About Marketing
No matter what your industry, in order to know where you are going, you have to know where you came from. A good story will anchor you and your audience to something real and make your brand impossible to ignore! So, brush off your storytelling skills and get to work sharing your stories with your audience!
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This blog post was originally published in July 2019 and has been edited to improve accuracy and readability.
