3 Ways to Use Social Media for Storytelling

When we think about the stories we read as children, they had characteristics: a beginning, middle, and end, a conflict perhaps, or some sort of lesson. Great content on social media can also convey a similarly rich message when it’s done correctly.

To tell a story is not just about words. A great story can teach us something about the world or even about ourselves. So great content marketing can also tell a good story.  Most people want to understand the ethos and mission of a brand to see if it is committed to something meaningful (such as a social issue or cause), rather than just buying something because it’s ‘cool’.Below we choose 3 of the 8 most important ways you can tell a story on social media, from an article that we found at the Digital Marketing Institute.

We choose the 3 below ways as we believe they are the most important to us.

The first way is to Develop a (Long) Story Arc

A story is essentially a sequence of events with some key elements. With social media, you have plenty of options to tell stories in new ways that cross the boundaries of traditional storytelling and also advertising.

Through social media, however, we may have some restrictions for example the length of your story, but you can split it into different parts and there are plenty of tools that you can use to help you. So, before you develop your social content as part of a campaign or advertising strategy, it’s important to look ahead at your end goals and work back.

You should ask yourself the below questions:

• What does your business goal look like one year or five years from now?
• Where would you like to be in terms of preferred or target audience?
• What is your growth plan demographically and even internationally?
• How are you performing in comparison to your competitors?

Every single clip, blog, video, or image needs to be a mini-story in itself, thus if you want to take your audience and customers on a journey you need to make it last longer. When you think about the fact that each piece of content contributes to your brand and business story, you have the potential to ‘hook’ people over the long term. For example, you can think of your ‘story arc’ – the beginning, middle, and end. Not only for each piece of content but also in connection with your long-term goals and unique offering or USP. 

Take for example the below campaign by the beauty brand Dove. Dove was originally launched as a soap brand, but the brand itself has put storytelling in its marketing campaigns which focuses on women’s empowerment through a message about body image, self-esteem, and self-acceptance.

The Dove’s #Detox YourFeed campaign aimed to demonstrate the harm of toxic beauty advice. Its use of social media helped get the message out as people shared using the hashtag. #DetoxYourFeed Dove campaign. You can create an amazing campaign for any product, you just need to find a way to convey your product to tell an important story to the world.

The second important way is to Write Like a Writer

Of course, it is necessary to have a little experience with writing, thus you don’t need to be an expert in order to write and nail storytelling on social media.

You need to use your creativity, boldness, and the right message that could cut the chase or at least something that could give a hint of your product.

That really depends on your audience and sometimes, this can incorporate more of a story that includes some typical narrative elements. Think for example, the hero’s journey, for instance: it typically incorporates an unexpected hero (the protagonist) who finds themselves in a situation where they must do something life-changing (save the world from destruction).

If you are able to invite your audience in using the same tools that fiction writers do, you probably will get them engaged from the get-go. Also, it is important to remember the SEO writing when it comes to search and social media, the right keywords mean getting to the right people.

An example here, is the Dollar Shave Club, a brand that exploded onto the men’s personal grooming scene with messaging that was innovative but also funny. One of their Facebook ads used its trademark humor to promote its razors by tapping into the issue of personal hygiene. 

And the 3rd way is to Make It Meaningful

Is important to make the story meaningful for your audience not only in the short run but also in the long run too!

For example, an airline offering discounts on one-way flights may not want to just focus on how it’s less expensive, but on tailoring the ads towards digital nomads who may be taking advantage of such flights as a part of their ongoing lifestyle choice. Once you figure out what is deeply meaningful to your audience, you can then develop a strong storyline to illustrate a need with an underlying emotional base. Take for example, the JetBlue airline which recorded a 48% growth in social media discussion volume in H1 2022, with the highest growth rate among the top-mentioned airlines according to Hospitalitynet. JetBlue Airlines made a post on social media that taps into the needs of different travelers and promotes offers in order to drive clicks.

Here’s a Facebook post from JetBlue airline prompting less frequent flyers to find out more about its loyalty program. What a clever idea!

To sum up there are still only a small number of companies that are able to use social media in such a great way to tell a story that will truly connect. You can use the above ways to make your brand or client’s brand thrive with great storytelling!

You can learn more ways to use social media for storytelling here

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

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