How To Tell Stories Through Social Media

It’s been said time and time again. Telling a story through social media is a big driver when it comes to making a piece go viral. That’s because storytelling provides a human element that draws people in, unlike spouting off facts and figures or just talking about a product’s features. These stories can take different forms though, especially on social media where it’s not all about blog posts or even status updates. Through Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and even Pinterest and Instagram, companies can create different kinds of stories to draw potential customers in.

Use Photos and Create Albums

Photos, by far, continue to be some of the most engaging types of content, because the saying “pictures are worth a thousand words” really is true. A single photo can share nearly any story, whether it’s a photo from your company’s archive about how times have changed or a photo of your customers enjoying one of your products. Even better? Facebook’s algorithm still looks upon photos favorably, meaning they have a great reach within your fan base.

While single photos are wonderfully telling, you may also want to consider creating albums of photos. This can be done on most social media sites, including Facebook and Google+. Your photo album can even show the progression of a story. Tell the history of your company through a series of images with the date superimposed. Alternatively, if you’re a travel company, show all the different elements of your packaged trips, including hotel accommodations, tours and the places people will see. If there are people in the photos enjoying what they’re doing, then you’re also building a human connection which is also an important part of storytelling.

These methods all involve building a sense of anticipation, which is an important aspect of storytelling. Building anticipation is easy especially through media like Twitter. Sure, a single tweet can only have 140 characters, but you can also do a series of tweets, which can build anticipation and will get your fans hooked on your every word.

Build a Human Connection

Stories work because they help personalise you and, in turn, your company. You can show these human connections in a number of ways, from videos and podcasts to infographics and GIFs. For example, rather than just posting a photo of your company’s New Holland agricultural equipment, show potential customers how this equipment can solve their problems. Infographics too can explain how a product is used, which is a whole new avenue to explore.

In this vein, reconsider how you use your text updates. While posing questions is a great way to engage your audience, also think of status updates as mini blog posts. These mini posts can share a quick story that features a quote or two, perhaps in telling the tale of how your employees brainstormed and came up with a popular product. Stories can also be told in the caption of your photos.

Showcase Your Fans

Reward your fans’ loyalty by showing them off in your stories. This can take the form of customer testimonials, or simply by thanking a recent customer for their business. Just be sure they’re okay with you using their name. To get these stories from your fans, send out email newsletters asking for stories or testimonials, or perhaps ask them to use a hashtag particular to your company so you can easily search out what they’re saying about your company.

Tell Your History

Your history is basically the story of your brand. By sharing your story, you’ll be personalising your company and making the company more “human.” Use archive photos to show your beginnings, perhaps as a part of the “Throwback Thursday” theme. But also talk about the employees, and how they got their start with your company, including why they’re passionate about the brand. The more emotions you can work into a story, of course, the better. Because if there’s anything someone likes more than a story, it’s experiencing an emotion or visceral reaction to it.

Stories can clearly take many forms, but the result of them all is the same, building a connection to your audience, and making your company more personable.

Courtney Gordner

Courtney Gordner is a passionate blogger with a love for social media and all things internet! Follow her on her blog, talkviral.com and on Twitter!

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