When you read a book, can you “see yourself” in the story?
When you watch a movie, do you feel that you “step into” the character’s story-line?
Happy. Sad. Romantic. Suspenseful. Thrilling. Exciting. Inspiring. Scared. etc.
Emotional Connection: That is what makes good Storytelling
Simply put, storytelling is a gateway to making your audience love your brand through the use of a compelling narrative.
By adding a touch of storytelling to your Social Media content strategy you offer a uniqueness to the reader’s experience.
As stated by Roger C. Schank:
“Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.”
Roger C. Schank, cognitive scientist
and stories, as stated by Peg C. Neuhauser, are the most powerful form of human communication:
“Stories are the most powerful form of human communication.”
Peg C. Neuhauser, author, Corporate Legends and Lore
Which Sangeeth Varghese further complements by stating:
“Explanatory talk and statistics appeal to the intellect, but people aren’t inspired by reason alone. Compelling stories convey loads of information while also appealing to our emotions, ensuring that we not only listen, but get engaged and inspired.”
Sangeeth Varghese, founder of LeadCap, a leadership organization in India, and author of Decide to Lead
Storytelling in your Social Media Marketing strategy allows for you to create content that is relatable, memorable, affects people, is powerful, is helpful, is authentic, builds trust, makes your audience feel understood, and makes them want to know more about you and your brand.
Make your reader the hero of the story by taking them (their interests and needs) into consideration when writing the story.
It helps a Brand:
- Share their message by standing out
- Build trust with their community
- Increase awareness and engagement
and more…
Instagram and Storytelling
Many people are not taking advantage of storytelling when posting on Instagram, but rather choose to add a caption to their post simply with an emoji series and 30 hashtag finale.
I see this happen A LOT.
Hmmm
Not fun, enticing or informative, am I right?
Sure, I see a nice image but why would I engage? Why would I comment? Why would I want to connect with you? What is interesting about YOU to KEEP me interested in you or your brand? What is your purpose?
For example, I am a photography lover and I have to say that unfortunately I see photographers doing this as well.
A lot of beautiful work and opportunity is there… however…
You can easily optimize your posts and maximize engagement in your IG Feed and Stories by showing (not just telling) the story behind that beautiful image, the insight to the gear you used in order to create that amazing capture, Behind The Scenes reels or images of the Photo shoot or Travels, etc…
Back to brands in general…
The beauty of storytelling is that it opens up a door to you and your brand, and the features available in Instagram allow for you to make it as captivating and enticing as possible!
Some ideas are:
- Visual Tutorial (Video and Images)
- Behind the Scenes
- Add your audience to the mix (UGC)
- Guides
- Blog Posts
- Infographics
- Podcast Snippets
and more…
That is why you need to focus on creating a story behind each post.
As stated in my Storytelling and Content Creation – Emotions make a lasting impression post It is important in that small amount of time you have (seconds) to be able to successfully ‘grab your audience’s attention’, to inform them and share value, to establish an emotional connection with them, and affect a response through the impact that your content (a story) makes and the value that it offers.
That is what drives people to:
- TRUST your brand
- SHARE your content (Sharing of your content is very important for Brand Awareness)
- PURCHASE (it affects consumer decision making – buying decisions are based on 80% emotion and 20% logic – Fuel Design).
So, next time you create a post, remember to bring your audience along for the ride through storytelling… 🙂
Would love to hear your thoughts on this topic in the comment section!
Good vibes only and have a great day!
Natasha
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