Remember the first time you saw your brand’s Facebook ad or promoted Tweet? You probably thought to yourself, “This is the future of advertising.” But the digital world moves faster than the speed of the Internet, so there’s already a 2.0 version of social media marketing.
Say hello to social media storytelling. Not simply content sharing, social media storytelling builds a cohesive narration around your brand to give it a real, live personality and make your audience feel something—amused, hopeful, envious, powerful, or some other tangible emotion.
Facts, Not Fiction
There are 2.3 billion active social media users worldwide (and counting!). Every day, 8 billion videos are viewed on Facebook and 6 billion are watched on Instagram. This is where your audience lives and—if you want to reach them—social media storytelling is the most effective method because it’s not an interruptive ad. It’s a story they’ll want to hear, react to and—best of all—share with all their friends and followers for an exponentially extended reach.
More Than a Moment in the Sun(dance)
If you’re ready to write social media storytelling off as a passing fad, you should know the subject was showcased earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival’s first annual Digital Storytelling event. More than 150 marketers attended, along with a star-studded cast of social media personalities, to learn how to capture their audience’s attention—and emotions—with brand-boosting, stirring stories.
A Tale Of Two Biggies
You can always count on the mega brands to become early adopters of any innovation—and to do it in a big way. In the realm of social media storytelling, let’s take a page from two renowned brands—Apple and Marriott. To engage customers, one took an inspirational approach and the other went the purely entertaining route:
Epilogue
There’s no doubt social media storytelling is the next generation of digital marketing. To leverage it successfully for your brand, your content needs to hit these five criteria:
- Resonate with your target audience
- Shine through the social media clutter
- Not be a hard sell in disguise
- Always, always bolster your brand
- Promote sharing to gain greater reach
Plagued by writer’s block? The Dana team can ghostwrite your bestselling brand story. To get started, contact Lynn Kaniper today at lkaniper@danacommunications.com or 609.466.9187 ext. 117.
