Social Storytelling: Putting the social back in social
What does it mean to put the social back in social media? It means bringing a higher level of storytelling to your feeds so you can truly connect and engage with the people that matter to you.
What is storytelling?
Storytelling is a word that gets thrown around a lot as some hot new marketing concept, but the truth is that it’s elemental to being human. We’ve told stories around fires since the beginning of time. It’s how we learn about the world around us.
A story doesn’t need to have a lot of drama to be interesting. We are often just looking for a way to relate to another person. A shared experience is all it takes to connect.
Here are some ways you can tell better stories in your social media posts—the algorithm and artificial intelligence have no place here.
Show that your brand is human.
From employees to vendors to collaborators to customers—businesses are made of people. Bring their stories and personalities to the forefront.
Start a conversation.
You’d never meet someone at a party and just tell them your life story, then walk away. Always be curious about your audience—there is a real person on the other side of your post—and be sure to ask interesting questions or spark a discussion with a unique thought.
Build a story arc across posts.
If you have a cool series of images or want to share your creative process, don’t drop them all into one carousel post. Use the chance to build a longer narrative and get into the deeper details of your process or product. People are more likely to follow along to hear the rest of the story.
Tell your story in photos and words.
An image may be worth a thousand words, but try pairing your image with an interesting narrative—a bit of history, a personal anecdote, or even something a bit poetic.
Create suspense and intrigue.
The best way to build suspense is leave them wanting more with the tried-and-true trick of a cliffhanger. Whether you are about to announce a new launch or reveal a new team member, release the information slowly and keep them guessing.
Lean into our human competitive spirit.
Hold contests and ask for best guesses. People can’t resist adding their two cents or trying for a chance to win. Just make sure that everyone joins and leaves with their team spirit intact.
Let your audience in.
Share behind the scenes glimpses at your team in action. Let your viewers in on the joy of a success or even the disappointment of a mistake or a fail. Sometimes just taking a moment to speak honestly is the best way to connect.
Have humans write it.
I’m a real human over here typing words out of my brain. While I see the value of AI, it doesn’t have any place in my content. And if you want to connect with real humans, it probably shouldn’t in yours either. Fine, use it to outline and research, but when you sit down to post, use your own human brain to craft the message.
Make it funny.
If we take ourselves too seriously or can’t laugh at ourselves, we are missing one of the essential connectors of life. Be willing to share the out-takes and bloopers.
Build on collective memory.
Humans are sentimental and nostalgic. Include callbacks, funny connections with pop culture, images of your ancestors, stories about your family. All of these pieces of our collective memory album help us realize that we are much more similar than different.
Don’t forget to bring the joy.
With all of the ups and downs of daily life, the best thing we can do in this world is share a story and a moment of laughter.
TELL BETTER STORIES
