It is often repeated that social media is all about connecting with your audience on a personal level. Businesses are encouraged to share relatable content that visitors can find value in, but what does that even mean really? What divides content from great content and how does a business get there?
It really comes down to storytelling or rather starting and continuing great conversations with your fans and customers. You don’t need to have majored in fiction writing or journalism either, everyone can become a great storyteller by being honest, forthright, and, sometimes, vulnerable. Let’s take a look at a few ways to incorporate great storytelling into your strategy.
· The News—If there is a current event happening that relates to your business, write about it. Write your story so that this abstract news event now becomes relevant to your audience. A great example would be the recent ruling on gay marriage where companies targeted their stories in support of the LGBT community.
· Mistakes—We all make them and sharing one from your experience makes you and your company relatable and human. You will find that sharing a story about a problem you had means you are suddenly a part of the community and not just advertising to the community.
· Real Life—Talk with your customers and ask if you can highlight their story with your company. Use data to back up their experience. You can also create a story based on previous experiences related to you by customers.
· Images and Video—Don’t think that storytelling is necessarily all text. Consider your audience when developing your story. Think about how they would most like to “read” your story. It might be a short video or a series of beautiful images. Vary how you deliver your message to see the best results.
Remember that good storytelling should change the way people feel because they require an emotional investment. A story should also change the way patterns of thought and hold the interest of the reader. Going forward, your story should help to shape your reader’s behavior and encourage the reader to take action. Always end a great story with a call to action.
After you have begun the storytelling as content marketing process, take a look at your data to see how your visitors are relating to your message. Incorporate that data and tweak your methods to encourage the most interactions.
Are you a great storyteller? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.