When we think about the stories we read as children, they have characteristics: a beginning, middle, and end; a climax or conflict; and some moral lesson. Great content on social media can also convey a similarly rich message when done correctly.

A story is not just about words – a great story teaches us something about the world and ourselves. Moreover, great content marketing tells a good story.

Today, we are seeing more innovative uses of storytelling incorporated into brand building as customers demand more from companies. More people want to understand the ethos and mission of a brand to see if it is committed to something meaningful (such as a social issue or cause) rather than just buying something because it is ‘cool.’

So, what is the best way to tell a story on social media? Let us look at 8 great ways to do it!

1. Develop a (Long) Story Arc

A story is a sequence of events with some key elements. With social media, you have plenty of options to tell stories in new ways that cross the boundaries of traditional storytelling and advertising. While you may have some restrictions (for instance, length), you also have several tools.

Before you develop your social content as part of a campaign or advertising strategy, looking ahead at your end goals and working back is important. Ask yourself questions like:

• What does your business goal look like one year or five years from now?
• Where would you like to be in terms of preferred or target audience?
• What is your growth plan demographically and even internationally?
• How are you performing in comparison to your competitors?

Every single clip, blog, video, or image needs to be a mini-story, but what about taking your audience and customers on a journey that lasts longer than that? When you think that each piece of content contributes to your brand and business story, you can ‘hook’ people over the long term.

To this end, you can think of your ‘story arc’ – the beginning, middle, and end for each piece of content and in connection with your long-term goals and unique offering or USP.

Let us look at a great example: the beauty brand Dove. Originally launched as a soap brand, the company has put storytelling at the heart of its marketing campaigns to empower women through a message of self-esteem and self-acceptance.

Dove’s #Detox YourFeed campaign aimed to demonstrate the harm of toxic beauty advice. Its use of social media helped get the message out as people shared using the hashtag.

2. Show, Do not Tell.

When it comes to any advertising, whether it is social media-based or not, it is better if you show your Story rather than tell it. However, what does this mean?

In social media, this might be as simple as creating a compelling video or infographic or using a stunning visual combined with a catchy title to get your message (or the gist of it) across quickly. After all, you only have a few seconds to make your point, so why not make it as clear and visually inviting as possible?

Technology company GoPro is a great example of this ‘show, do not tell’ storytelling. While they have promo videos to show off their newest camera, the majority show how their cameras are used, and the results are pretty spectacular. It is not only the GoPro crew that posts videos but millions of customers who want to share their sporting feats.

Here is a compilation of the ‘Best of 2022’ on YouTube that encapsulates what their cameras can do without mentioning the product but clearly showing it being used!

3. Write Like a Writer

Do you have experience writing copy, fiction or non-fiction? The truth is that while a small quantity of experience helps, you do not need to be an expert in any genre to nail storytelling on social media.

What will grab attention, though, is creativity, boldness, and the type of message that cuts to the chase – or at least gives a hint of the amazing things to come.

Depending on your audience, sometimes this will incorporate more of a story which includes some typical narrative elements. Please think of the hero’s journey, for instance: it typically incorporates an unexpected hero (the protagonist) who finds themselves in a situation where they must do something life-changing (save the world from destruction).

If you can invite your audience in using the same tools that fiction writers do, you will likely get them engaged from the get-go. Remember the importance of SEO writing when it comes to search and social media; the right keywords mean getting to the right people.

Here is an example from the Dollar Shave Club, a brand that exploded onto the men’s personal grooming scene with innovative and funny messaging. This is one of their Facebook ads that uses its trademark humor to promote its razors by tapping into the issue of personal hygiene.

4. Use Influencers & Other Partners

Some of the most innovative social advertising we see today combines two or three elements: a celebrity or influencer, a genuine cause, and a product.

This combination of elements taps into an issue people care about by leveraging the power of a relevant influencer or brand (make sure the influencer or partner is relevant. Otherwise, your ad could fall flat).

A great example is GymShark’s #Gymshark66 campaign, which challenged people to change their lives by forming positive habits. To kick off the campaign, the brand partnered with some fitness influencers and created a video series called “Stories of the 66,” where people talked about their journey. The campaign resulted in over 240 million video views and over 750k posts under the hashtag.

One area where influencers and partnerships can work well is the non-profit sector. By getting backing for a particular social issue or cause, the charity can raise awareness and drive interest, resulting in increased revenue from fundraising or volunteer recruitment.

A perfect example is how Matt Damon’s company water.org partnered with Stella Artois as their spokesperson for the organization’s clean water campaign to connect the brand and the cause memorably. This is a sort of triple-whammy where audiences also get to promote the company’s focus on providing clean drinking water to underprivileged communities.

5. Connect With Your Followers

Social media platforms offer plenty of built-in tools to understand the types of posts that drive the most engagement. This should give you insight into the popularity of your content across channels.

You can look at your social media data to gain insights and see what was most effective. Was that one post, longer blog, or ebook something that resonated in the past? Alternatively, it was a funny video that got many shares. You can use these insights to understand what is hitting your audience and build a new story from there.

Use Facebook Live, tap into TikTok trends, or create clever and funny videos to help explain your mission and message. People who have followed you for a while will likely get bored seeing the same old things in their social feeds, so you must spice it up at every chance.

Please look at the cleaning product company Scrub Daddy’s TikTok page to see how they use humor to engage followers (3.8 million and counting) and promote new products.

6. Make It Meaningful

You may have conducted thorough audience research and gotten to know your current customers well enough.

If you are developing a brand story or campaign, the key element behind reaching people is that you have to find what makes your product meaningful to the audience. What matters to them, not just in the short but also in the long run?

For instance, an airline offering discounts on one-way flights may not want to focus on how it is less expensive but on tailoring the ads towards digital nomads who may be taking advantage of such flights as a part of their ongoing lifestyle choice of staying “on the road.”

Once you figure out what is deeply meaningful to your audience, you can develop a brand storyline and a set of storyline snippets to illustrate a need with an underlying emotional base.

Let us look at the airline JetBlue, which recorded a 48% growth in social media discussion volume in H1 2022, the highest growth rate among the top-mentioned airlines, according to Hospitalitynet. Its social posts look to tap into the needs of different travelers and promote offers to drive clicks. A Facebook post prompts less frequent flyers to learn more about its loyalty program.

7. Use Tools to Get Up Close and Personal

Plenty of social tools can help you convey emotion, authenticity, and immediacy in a short period.

The main social media tools that come to mind are Instagram Stories, Snapchat Stories, and TikTok. You can use each to produce real-time videos that last for a short period.

This type of ephemeral marketing is ever-popular, especially with the millennial and younger demographic, mostly because it is a snippet of real life. People crave authenticity increasingly in the digital world, so offering a real glimpse into someone’s world can sometimes feel like fresh air.

The best part about these tools (as well as Facebook Stories and Live) is that you do not need to create anything special or even use a lot of text or words. Simply letting someone see a real-live person talking or doing something in real-time is more than enough. Moreover, it is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate your product or service in real life.

Take National Geographic’s use of Instagram Stories, for example. By leveraging amazing photographs, the brand uses Stories to educate and inform people about various issues concerning the natural world and science. The simple but eye-catching Story asks people to commit to reducing the use of single-use plastics.

Final Thoughts

Consumers have so many choices regarding purchasing power, which is a good thing for them. However, it is sometimes bad for marketers because of plenty of competition.

The good news is that there are still only a small number of companies that can use social media in such a way that they tell a story that truly connects. Make sure your brand is one of them.

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