30 September 2019

Storytelling: The Art of Successful Social Media Marketing

Stories have been told throughout history… They are key to our understanding of the world, and what came before us. However, stories are much more than simple tales or accounts of events past. They are also powerful Social Media Marketing tools. Why? Because people buy into them, they invite reaction and discussion or – as we call it in the Social Media Marketing world, active engagement.

Think about it… In England alone there are several sites claiming to be the final resting place of King Arthur – a man who quite probably never even existed. Why then – if he didn’t exist – are we still talking about him and building businesses around him? The answer is simple. It’s all due to The Legend of King Arthur – or, put in simpler terms, the story that comes with him.

Remember that most (if not all) of those sites have gift shops too. Meaning that King Arthur is still shifting merch centuries after his death. Proof positive then that a good story can be better for business than the efforts of even the most professional marketing company. Now, we’re not suggesting that you need an epic tale featuring dragon slaying, nobles and furniture without corners… However, having a story to tell about your business or your products will help your Facebook Marketing, Instagram marketing – in fact Social Media Marketing on any platform.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Whatever your story might be though, you need to tell it in the right way. Focusing on the product might seem like the right thing to do to boost your Facebook marketing and Instagram marketing. We’ll even concede that it would be in more traditional marketing arenas. However, a digital marketing company like Seek Social knows the following truth: In the Social Media Marketing world, focusing on the customer will yield better results. Staying customer-centric won’t harm your sales at all, while earning a lot more active engagement opportunities at the same time.

Identifying, creating and personalising your story…

An important concept to establish early on is that of the ‘core story’. This will be the main narrative that you intend to carry throughout your Social Media Marketing story posts. You should also be tailoring each story post to the platform it is to go out on (or having your marketing company do it) in order to gain maximum active engagement. This adaptation across platforms is why the core story is important. It is the backbone of your storytelling efforts. It’s what stops your audience – who may be reading your story across multiple platforms – from losing the thread as they switch between your Facebook marketing and Instagram marketing posts, for example.

When it’s time to put pen to paper…

At some point you’re probably going to reach a time where you have a head full of great ideas and…. Well, that’s it, just the great ideas. When that point arrives, have courage and start writing. Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter… they were all nothing more than ideas at one point. What people sometimes forget is that when it comes to telling a great story, the ideas are what’s important. That holds true whether a story is destined for Facebook marketing, Instagram marketing, some other means of Social Media Marketing, or even a book. Good writing can certainly help to elevate those ideas so you might still want to turn to a marketing company like Seek Social, who should have specialist content writers on staff. However, even the best writer can’t make a bad idea entertaining. That entertainment factor is what will drive everything, especially active engagement.

(Billion) Dollar Shave Club…

Unlike last week’s post on Facebook marketing, this time around Bury’s best digital marketing company actually have cold, hard data to back up our Social Media Marketing claims. Our ‘Exhibit A’? American men’s grooming company ‘Dollar Shave Club’, who successfully used the storytelling approach in their Social Media Marketing to attract backing from a former MySpace CEO. They grew the business from there, before eventually selling to Unilever for $1 billion in 2016. DSC’s founder Michael Dubin wasn’t a business mogul, he didn’t run a marketing company or anything like that… He was an improv comedian – but that meant that the one thing he could do was tell a great story. Michael Dubin told a tale that 6 years later, saw him laughing all the way to the bank… And there’s no reason why you can’t do the same.

However, if you’d like some expert help, call Bury’s leading digital marketing company – Seek Social. We can advise on all aspects of Facebook marketing, Instagram marketing, Social Media Marketing in general or active engagement strategies. Get in touch using these contact details, visit us at our office on Broad Street, or reach out via our friends at Best of Bury!