Part 2
Go Back to Part 1 We’ve all been there. Listening to a friend’s story. We’ve all been captivated. We’ve all been hanging on every word – waiting for more. Why?Because we love stories!
Stories connect us. We relate to them. They make us remember what it is to be human. We have a vast array of emotions – laughter, joy, fear, sorrow, regret, greed, jealousy, reverence and more.
So if you could use storytelling to your advantage, why wouldn’t you?
Consumers are becoming more and more skeptical of brands. Storytelling is what makes your brand human!
Here are 5 ways to use storytelling in social media.
1) Think like an author and work narrative into your posts.
It doesn’t hurt to tell an actual story of what happened to you on the way to work. OR in the office. Or what you eat to stay healthy. Just remember, social media is not your diary. You don’t need too many details. Just a captivating story!
Example. Author Anne Lamott writes the most interesting stories on her page. They are fun to read and easy to relate to. Does it make you want to read one of her books? I do!
Anne’s post reminds us that we should document, not create. If you adopt that philosophy, it will allow you to overcome your fears of putting yourself out there. Just tell the world what’s going on. Describe your journey, outline your vision, and describe your thoughts, ideas, actions, wins, losses, anxieties and ambitions online.
2) Share consecutive posts to tell a broader story.
This is a fun way to gain interest from fans. You engage the audience through sequence-storytelling.
- With the first messages, you trigger the interest of your audience.
- Then, you boost the awareness for the product and the brand.
- You awaken the desire of the audience to be part of that experience.
- Finally, you call them to action. Hint – this is usually when your product or service saves the day!
3) Show your human side.
Nobody does this better than TOMS shoes. When you think of Tom’s shoes, you don’t think of JUST shoes. You think of giving back to people. Founder, Tom was the first person to brand the one-for-one sales technique. You purchase a pair of shoes and one gets donated to someone in need. What is more human than that?
Recently, TOMS has been working on a campaign to end gun violence. Check out this post (HINT…it’s not about shoes)
4) Share your brand story
Use a few posts that give people the history of your brand and share details about people who work there.
In this Facebook post, IBM shared the story of an important IBM computer scientist who coined the term, “byte”. This is something that not just affects IBM, but the entire digital computing world. It shows their brand in a positive light and the brand’s part in the history of computing. Excellent post.
5) Use relatable characters, including employees, owners, customers, and mascots.
One of the oldest brand mascots is Mickey Mouse. Before he was a cartoon character, he was just a cute little mouse that represented Walt Disney. And almost 100 years later, he still warms our hearts, representing the comfort of friendly shows and family togetherness.
A more recent mascot is this little green guy by Geico. Playing on the company name, they use a gecko to represent the company and explain why having insurance is important. Hearing boring information is always better from the mouth of an adorable, and hilarious creature.
In the end, there is no downside to good storytelling. I say “good storytelling” because you need excellent content to clearly communicate your idea. And always tell the truth! The consumer and spot fake news a mile away. Stay honest, bring joy (and laughter), then try spreading your message across multiple channels, with video and imagery.
At River Avenue Digital, we are pros at storytelling. We can help you fine-tune language, suggest technology that will help you connect with your customers, or take on the whole project and do all the copywriting for your campaigns. Call us anytime!