Your product is top notch. But so are your competitors’. So, why should your customers choose you? Sure quality and service matters but it is not the only thing that will keep the customers coming.
And this is where most brands lag behind – on their story. And if you’re not telling it on social media, your competitors are telling theirs, and winning customers who could’ve been yours.
At Four Pillars Marketing Agency, we have seen the results of brand storytelling on social media in many of our projects. Therefore, we are sharing this blog with tips on how you can create and benefit from storytelling marketing.
What is Brand Storytelling on Social Media?
It’s simple, it’s about putting out your brand’s story for the world to see. The values, purpose, and identity on social media. Why do this? To build an emotional connection with your target audience, to make them feel invested in your brand’s journey and keep them coming back to your brand.
Social media storytelling allows you to engage with your audience and also get user-generated content. This increases your brand credibility.
Importance of Brand Storytelling for Social Media Engagement
Posting random, trendy reels, just showing your product features won’t help you build a loyal customer base. However, thoughtful, inspiring or embarrassing stories definitely will. Let’s look at some more reasons why you should create a storytelling marketing strategy.
1. Emotional connection with your audience
As human we crave social connections, look for the story behind everything
Humans are social beings. We like to be connected to a community for support (and share gossip). Your target audience is no different.
When you share your brand’s vision and values, you build trust, a community with your audience as well as gain their loyalty. They also feel emotionally connected when you share your or your customers’ stories related to your business.
2. Unique competitive edge
Products and ideas can be copied but personal stories and voice, not so much. Your social media storytelling is uniquely yours when they include raw emotions and stories that can set you apart from others.
Whether you’re sharing your origin story or the impact your business has on society, it all has a positive impact on your branding.
3. Build trust and credibility
77% customers buy from brands they follow on social media (source). People get attracted to stories, individual or otherwise. But when those stories hit home or get verified by others, you get an audience who trusts you.
Who believes in you and your brand, which in turn gets you credibility.
4. Improve brand awareness
Storytelling marketing strategy also focuses on encouraging the audience to share their stories. Therefore, you can improve your brand awareness by creating shareable content or asking customers to share theirs.
Okay, so you know why you should use a storytelling marketing strategy, but how do you create one? We have broken the process into some simple steps. Let’s look at them.
How to Build a Brand Storytelling Strategy?
The following steps will help you create and promote brand storytelling for social media engagement.
1. Write down your brand story
No need to do mental gymnastics to create a brand story. First, sit down and think of why you started this business and what values it holds. Write it all down to evaluate later. This lays the foundation of your story. Therefore, stay focused and consider all the elements that represent your brand:
- Your inspiration to start your business
- Challenges that you face
- Milestones that you’ve achieved
- The human values of your brand
- The core people behind your brand
2. Target audience research
Storytelling marketing revolves around your target audience. Therefore, thoroughly research your target audience, and understand their values, emotional responsiveness, needs, and identify the top social media platform they use.
Understanding of these factors will help you create an effective strategy for brand storytelling on social media. Research your existing customers’ and competitors’ social media to know your target audience and develop a storytelling strategy.
3. Create brand message
Brand message is the highlight of your story, something that your target audience resonates with and remembers. It should be authentic and consistent throughout your marketing campaigns.
4. Choose the most effective social media platform
Choosing the social media platform is the most critical step of storytelling marketing. Your choice depends on the type of content you want to share and the preferences of your target audience.
Instagram is perfect for short-form videos and images, while X or LinkedIn is preferable for textual content. If you want to focus solely on videos, YouTube and TikTok are ideal options for you.
5. Incorporate the message in social media content
You don’t have to share your story in one go. Customers have short attention spans; therefore, break down your stories into engaging, concise, and shareable content based on your social media platform.
Diversify your content while maintaining consistent brand messaging. You can also create stories and posts to encourage them to share their stories. Share your candid stories, behind-the-scenes, and customer stories to gain their trust.
6. Create a community for connection
A part of the brand storytelling strategy is to encourage conversations. Engage your target audience by listening to their concerns and providing them with a platform to connect with others. You can create hashtags and social media groups to gather user-generated content and encourage your audience to interact with one another.
Creating an engaging narrative for a brand story is a critical process. That’s where Four Pillars Media Agency can help you! Our experts will develop a compelling brand storytelling strategy for customer engagement and strengthen your online brand presence. Contact us to learn how we can help you tell your brand’s story on social media.
Conclusion
Brand storytelling on social media can help you get a competitive edge and emotionally connect with the audience. Your brand story revolves around why your brand matters and what your brand values are. Engage your audience by sharing their stories to gain their trust and build a reliable community. Therefore, when creating a brand storytelling strategy, focus on target audience research and choose the most relevant social media platform. Four Pillars Media Agency can help you with a tailored brand storytelling marketing strategy. Contact us to know more.
FAQs
1. What is a storytelling strategy?
A storytelling strategy involves strategically communicating your brand’s value, vision, mission, and stories. A brand storytelling strategy is essential to emotionally connect with your target audience.
2. Can small businesses benefit from brand storytelling?
Absolutely! Storytelling helps you share your authentic stories that customers can resonate with. When they relate to your stories and values, they will be loyal to your brand. It helps you get a competitive edge irrespective of your business’s size.
3. How to implement a storytelling marketing strategy?
The first step of storytelling marketing strategy is to create an engaging brand narrative. Focus on why you started the business and how you are operating now. It helps in creating a relatable story that resonates with the audience. Align your values with and target the audience’s values for better results. Four Pillars Media Agency can help you create and implement an effective brand storytelling strategy.
Contact us to know more.
4. What should be included in storytelling marketing content?
Your storytelling marketing content can include:
- Story of how your brand was established
- Brand values, vision, and mission
- Experiences of your customers
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Shareable content for your target audience