Social media storytelling, or simply storytelling, is the newest craze in social media marketing that seems to be all the rage these days. If you have no idea what it is, don’t worry—you aren’t alone! Read on to learn everything you need to know about social media storytelling and how to do it right. From boosting engagement and increasing follower counts to standing out among the competition, this comprehensive guide on social media storytelling will give you all the tips and tricks, you need to create an engaging story on social media that you can use as an integral part of your overall marketing strategy.
1) Grab Attention
Successful social media storytelling is all about creating content that grabs people’s attention. However, engagement isn’t just about getting people to like your post or comment on it; it’s also about building a strong relationship with your audience by consistently offering them valuable content. If you fail to do either of these things, your social media storytelling efforts will never be successful.
2) Keep Them Engaged
While social media storytelling will never take over 100% of your overall content plan, it is a valuable tool to use at least once a week. If you can keep your audience engaged with short, compelling stories they’ll continue coming back to your page – and they’ll remember you when they do.
If you want your audience to continue engaging with your brand, make sure your social media storytelling is relevant and true to who you are. Your fans will feel more connected to you when they know that behind every post is a real person with a unique perspective. If you choose only one tip from our list, make it
3) Tell a Story
You can’t get social media engagement with a boring story. Tell a story that people will like, enjoy, and feel an attachment to by talking about human experiences. A place to start is by sharing your experience with others; what worked? What didn’t? How did you learn from these experiences and apply them to future projects? Other ways you can use storytelling in social media include funny stories, sad stories, and nostalgic stories—anything but boring!
4) Involve the Audience
Here’s a quick tip: If you really want to engage your audience, ask them questions and let them respond. We’re not just talking about polls or quizzes either. You can take advantage of social media features like replies, mentions, hashtags, and live-streaming to have real conversations with your fans. Getting people involved shows them that you care about their opinions and lets them feel included in your brand or company. Engagement may be as simple as answering a question or two in a way that doesn’t seem like an advertisement—customers are more likely to share something they feel was created specifically for them instead of generic content directed at everyone.
5) Keep It Short and Sweet
You have a limited number of characters when you’re posting on social media. When sharing content, ensure that you keep things short and sweet—make it easy to read. Long text blocks can be difficult to follow and may lose your audience or confuse them. Be sure to include a good image with each post. It will help catch people’s eyes and make your message more memorable, particularly if it’s catchy or thought-provoking.
6) Experiment With The Medium
There’s a reason why we get bored with certain people so quickly and connect with others over and over again. We feel a connection to people who use social media in an organic way; they experiment with different types of content, keep things fresh, respond when we reach out, but most importantly they share a side of themselves that’s relatable. Like many great things in life, it’s not what you say that matters most; it’s how you say it.
How do you go about doing that? Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Follow your target audience on social media, pay attention to what they post and when, look at what topics seem to grab their attention, and then try it out for yourself. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new content formats or discover how different variations of a particular idea impact engagement.
7) Use Humor Appropriately
Humor is a powerful tool, but it’s one that must be used appropriately. Social media users have been known to frown upon inappropriate humor and most people don’t want to be associated with brands that cross over into non-PG territory. While you certainly can use humor to connect with your followers and drive engagement, always do so thoughtfully, tastefully, and in good taste. Use common sense when it comes to jokes or memes and make sure they align with your brand values before posting them on social media. If they don’t fit, don’t post them.
8) Leave Clues About Yourself
Your followers probably want to know a little about you, so don’t be afraid to drop hints. This is a great way to drive engagement with your audience because it allows them to connect on a personal level. The more involved they feel in your social media story, the more likely they are to come back again and again—and share your content with their friends and followers!
9) Have Fun!
Social media storytelling isn’t just about generating likes and shares. Although there’s nothing wrong with that, it doesn’t mean you should completely ignore your followers, either. Instead, find a healthy balance between following your social-media strategy and interacting with others. If you aren’t having fun doing something, then maybe it isn’t worth it or not worth doing. You don’t want to be known as that brand that only tweets once a month. And don't forget to find different avenues of social media engagement—you can post stories on Instagram while creating content on Facebook! Not every platform is created equal; pick what works best for you.