Marketing has become a more personalised experience than ever before. Consumer tastes have changed. Everyone is online, and they’re all far too smart for old tricks and pandering advertising. They want an experience, built right into their social media. Businesses trying to make a meaningful connection with their clientele have had to adapt their thinking in terms of advertising. One tool being used by exceptional brands to stand out from the crowd is storytelling.
Building social media campaigns around one or another form of storytelling is an authentic and fun way to create something different from the classic ad campaign. It creates an image of your business being different to others: more thoughtful, and with insights the competition probably doesn’t have.
Here are five points to keep in mind when developing storytelling as a part of your social media marketing campaign.
1. Use sequenced ads to tell a story
A simple tip, but one that might not be immediately obvious before you start: the best way to utilise storytelling is to write a story. Use your ads to do that. Combine sequenced Facebook ads, let’s say, with quality storytelling and strong calls to action, and you’re already creating something unique.
2. Listen to your audience
Social media is more than just a handy tool for friends and family to keep in touch. It has transformed the way we interact with brands. The concept of a listening brand has emerged from this. Companies are provided with opportunities to communicate with their clients. Take advantage of this. Discover the voice of your buyer: the way they talk, and the things they want out of your product. In terms of market research, it’s easy and is a great first step to creating your story.
3. Learn how to tell a story
An important element in any storytelling exercise is knowing how to create a proper story. No matter how strange and unique your idea might be, every functional story has to follow a structure. Freytag’s pyramid is one of the first stops along this road. This structure holds that every good story follows this format:
- Exposition
- Rising Action
- Climax
- Falling Action
- Resolution
Ad campaigns that move their story through these five phases are the easiest for clients to become personally involved with. Begin with your company’s backstory, then build a story, post by post, towards a climax, when something is revealed or changed. During your falling action phase, make new offers to benefit your clients based on the “change” in the climax. Finally, at the resolution, find a final way for your client to “win”.
4. Create experiences, not pitches
This might sound overly artistic, but don’t create mediocre advertising in the vague shape of a story and think it will serve its purpose. Your audience is smarter than that. They have needs. They want a story with real insight into their struggle. The Dove beauty campaign comes to mind. To create an unforgettable campaign, you need to identify your audience’s experience and write about that. If it’s good, the marketing will follow.
5. Create an impression of your personality
One way in which storytelling is like traditional marketing is that it lets you express a “voice” for your business. Be sure to decide on an appropriate tone and message, as these are the values that people will come to associate with you and your operation.