How to Use Social Media Storytelling to Double Engagement

Do you write great (in your opinion) social media posts but do not achieve the desired results?

Probably, you need to tweak your posts a bit and make them look more like short stories.

Today, we will talk about the power of social media storytelling and how it can boost your marketing efforts.

We’ll share tips on how to create remarkable narratives and increase the engagement of your posts.

Let’s get started!

What is social media storytelling?

Social media storytelling is the process of using social media networks to share brand-related stories with a wide audience. The stories themselves are designed not to market a specific product, but to get people emotionally attached to the brand.

Why it’s a good idea to use social media storytelling to boost engagement?

When a message is presented in the form of a story, the human brain processes this piece of information differently. As researchers say, “a story is the only way to activate parts in the brain so that listeners turn the story into their own idea and experience”.

It means that if you start using social media storytelling, you will change your target audience’s attitudes toward your brand. You will build a strong emotional connection with your current and prospective customers and ensure the long-term success of your business.

What are the key elements of a good story?

If you have never written stories before, you may be wondering where you should start from? Here are three basic steps you should take:

• Choose a hero of your story. Who can be a hero? You, your brand, your employee, customer, or whoever relates to your brand.
• Describe a specific problem or challenge. For instance, a challenge that has motivated you to create a new product.
• Provide a solution. Write a happy ending to your story.

5 types of stories you can share on social media to boost engagement

Now let’s discuss five types of stories you can write and share on social media.

1: Your brand story

The first story should be dedicated to your brand.

You can write about an important event in the history of your company or about the challenges your company faced on the way to success.

Every brand, just like every person, has a great story to tell.

Every organization, including small startups and companies with more than 100 years of history, has at least one story that is worth sharing with the world.

2: Your product story

Each of your products has a unique story. So why don’t you use these stories to boost engagement on social media?

You can write about how you come up with a product idea, how you made the first sale, and how your product has been serving your business for years.

As an example, take a look at the following Facebook post:

Delta Air Lines has leveraged storytelling to announce to its customers that it has bid farewell to its two old aircraft. The message of this post is a sentimental one, and it resonates with the target audience, their customers. It’s one of those social media posts that encourage customers to feel emotionally attached to the brand.

3: Stories about your employees

Your company is worth nothing without your employees. Everyone who contributed to your business is important. And as an employer, you should understand that and value each of your employees.

You can use social media storytelling to share stories of your team members with your followers. By doing that, you will kill two birds with one stone: make your employees feel valued and engage your audience.

4: Stories of your customers

Do you share customer reviews on Instagram and Facebook?

What if you transform these standard short reviews in fascinating short stories?

This simple trick will help you to double engagement and improve brand exposure.

Let’s say you sell cars. You’ve got a positive review:

“Car sales company X helped me to get a car of my dreams. Thanks!” You can reach out to your happy customer, ask him a few questions, and ask permission to share his review on social media.

After that, you can rewrite his review this way:

“When Alex was a child, he was dreaming about driving a sports car. On his 8th birthday, his grandpa gifted him a piggy bank, and he started saving money to accomplish his dream.
This week, Alex gave us a visit, and we assisted him in buying a car of his dreams. It was a great joy for us to see our dearest customer happy.”

5: Stories of influencers

Are you going to collaborate with micro-influencers or macro-influencers?

Ask influencers to use storytelling to present your brand. Encourage them to share their personal stories – that will add a human touch to your marketing efforts.

Take a glimpse at the following Instagram post published by Nike. The story of Dalia, a football player from Mexico, is just an ideal example of social media storytelling.

Tips on how to create a perfect story and boost engagement

If you want to get the most from social media storytelling, follow these pieces of advice:

• Be open and honest with your followers. Don’t try to impress them with fictional stories. Be your authentic self, and the customers will fall in love with your brand.
• Set the right tone of voice. Make sure that the way you present your story appeals to the target audience.
• Get professional assistance (in case if you feel like you need it). Do you lack creativity skills to create a captivating narrative? Hire professional storyteller via Upwork, or use writing services like ClassyEssay and Top Essay Writing.
• Create diverse content. ‘To craft a story’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘to write a post’. You can tell your stories using not only words, but also videos, images, and other visuals.

Take advantage of social media storytelling today

Social media storytelling is exactly what you need to build an emotional connection with your customers and boost engagement.

Before you start working on your next post, think about how you can turn your post idea into the narrative. Become a storyteller and take your business to a brand new level.

Kristin Savage is a freelance writer and marketer with a keen interest in social media marketing and storytelling. She contributes her writing to Subjecto, and other reputable sites in the niche. She is a true book addict and a nature lover.