January 26th, 2022 | 4 min
It’s no secret that storytelling and content marketing go hand in hand. Whether it’s lead generation campaigns or brand promotion, it is important to reach out to customers through telling stories and connecting with them. Due to their growing popularity, social media stories have become one of the most trending storytelling forms out there. We all consume a variety of content each day and for most people, stories have become an integral part of their lives and brands now have a huge opportunity to utilise that.
Today, audience interactions go beyond the newsfeed. So much so that Facebook revealed that more than one billion people use Stories every day across their products, including Instagram and Facebook. Just for reference, that is just shy of the entire population of the United States and Europe together using one type of social media content.
Stories first became prominent with Snapchat. Launched as short videos, pictures, and the ability to interact with AR technology quickly made stories popular with Gen Y and Gen Z users. Over the years, their monetary value has exploded. Once Instagram added stories as the main feature on its platform, shortly followed by Facebook, it became all-pervasive. Stories have become a popular way for people to communicate and share personal content.
If you’re ready to make Stories an integral part of your social media and content marketing strategy, this is what you need to know.
Businesses that are doing really well on social media have also adopted stories to let their customers know about their brand and their products. These time-sensitive features are an amazing way of letting your followers know about all your day-to-day activities, build engagement and gain feedback. Moreover, the best part is that it disappears after 24 hours. This drives people to want to share and watch what others have posted as their stories on social media platforms.
So how can your brand incorporate this cool feature by social media portals into your marketing strategy? There are a few industry tricks that work wonders…
Want to get more traction on your regular social media posts and web content? Share those to your stories so they’re essentially located in two places at once, maximizing reach. Whenever you post any social media post, that can also be put up on the story for your followers to check out your new posts on that particular social media channel. Whether you’ve posted about a promotion on your Instagram or you’ve written a knowledgeable blog on your website, Stories are a perfect place to share and promote this content. Simply post the link inviting the customers to read your blogs or announce a new blog post.
This way even if your customers don’t follow you can still get the information about the new post when they look at your story. All you need to do is make your story as interesting as possible and with a clear CTA. Customers may not be able to visit your website or see every post of yours as soon as you post it so this additional exposure makes sure no one misses out on your content.
The rise of social media has started the rise of influencer marketing to help promote brands and products. Not only is influencer marketing and collaborations great to show that your brand keeps up with trendy names, but it also enhances your reach. When brands mention other accounts or influencers, it offers a chance to shout out to individual audience members for using your brand, participating in a contest or simply thanking them for being a loyal fan. The mention will create a pop-up notification, showing the mentions to your followers. The person you’ve mentioned, in turn, will receive a notification.
Brands create a relationship with the influencers that are right for their brand to build trust with their audience and make the most out of their large reach. When you post stories using your brand influencers your customers are going to notice your brand and follow for more information.
Customers are always excited to know more about their brands and the people who run them. Social media stories are the perfect place for sharing the less curated and styled parts of your business’s products and services.
Present some behind-the-scenes videos to give people a glimpse into your brand and services and show the more “human” side of your business. Be very transparent with your customers and offer content that they would enjoy. Think about what your business can do to share behind-the-scenes photos or videos. This might be showcasing employees or sharing the packaging process of your products. Share the values you have and that customers and employees matter to you the most. This not only attracts people with similar values and they start building trust with your brand but it gives you the chance to show your fun side too. Humour always makes a brand more relatable and when it’s relatable, it’s bound to shine.
Live stories enable users to see, like, and comment in real-time while seeing the raw and unedited side of your brand. Live stories can be used to promote the use of campaigns to build real-time marketing that focuses on the latest, appropriate content and immediate reviews of consumers. When your customers hear the story of your brand from you or a team member directly, your story will create a sense of authenticity and convenience. This, in turn, creates a sense of community and belonging. The live video format increases the authenticity of your messages and will bring the audience engagement to the next level. Keep in mind that live Instagram Stories is a very interactive format and demands your active participation in comments and communication with your audience.
The use of stories is not a short-term trend; businesses need to be aware of the power of stories and how to leverage them. Businesses must continue to keep experimenting with social media stories marketing and work with professionals who can help you utilise this feature to the fullest. Social media marketing seems to get more complex by the day as platforms add more features and more ways for businesses to reach their audience. But by creating engaging and beautiful stories that impress your customers right away, you have the unique ability to tell your “stories” to your customers.
Our Content Marketing team has a vast understanding of stories and the algorithms that control the platforms. The Brave team can work with you to create, expand and enhance your social media experience and produce engaging content for your followers. Contact us today for more information.
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