When people think about ‘storytelling’ they often imagine a novel— and if you’re looking to write War and Peace about your business, social media probably isn’t the platform for you.

 Storytelling on social media has a very visual emphasis— allowing quick sharing between you and your audience, so you can capture people’s attention and really get them interested in what you have to say.

Storytelling on social media doesn’t mean writing a novel

With that in mind, here are some of the best kinds of stories to tell on social media:

Getting to know you

 A widely acknowledged trend in marketing is the move away from impersonal ‘business-to-business’ and ‘business-to-consumer’ interactions, and the shifting focus to ‘person-to-person’ connections.

Social media is the perfect way to show your customers that there are real people behind your brand: whether that’s by tweeting your staff ‘quotes of the day,’ or by posting candid photos of the day-to-day workings of your business on Facebook.

You can also use social media to show a kind of story-behind-the-story: for example, if your business maintains a very professional image, then humorous behind-the-scenes images can work to show your audience a more personal, relatable side of you.

People like to feel that they know whom they’re interacting with, and social media is the quickest, easiest way to let your personality shine.

A sense of history

 As well as letting your audience get to know you on a personal level, social media is also the ideal showcase for your business’ achievements. Share landmarks in company history

Sharing your company’s landmarks lets followers feel like a part of things— watching your business develop gives them an emotional connection to you and your growth,

There are trends on various social networks that lend themselves to looking back: for example, Throwback Thursday on Facebook and Instagram can be a great way of showing how far your business has come.

Don’t be afraid to dig through your archives for images: old photos are consistently popular on social media. As well as giving your fans a sense of how your business has grown, they create a nice warm nostalgic feeling, which translates directly into goodwill for you and your brand.

Building a community

People love to be a part of things. There’s not much (on social media anyway) that can beat the excitement of a retweet or a mention by someone you’re following— and this is a powerful feeling to tap into when you’re marketing your business.

Social media is a great way of getting people involved in your story. Whether you’re retweeting or sharing fan photos or mentions of your products, incorporating fans into your business’ ‘official’ social media presence— and so into your business’ story— makes them feel like part of a community.

Building an online community of customers who feel appreciated can be a brilliant tool for increasing your business’ visibility: loyal fans are likely to recommend you to their friends, as well as use your services or products themselves.

Using your products

One of the most effective ways of using stories on social media is to suggest how people might use your products in stories of their own. Best of all, you can do it without saying (or writing) a word.

Companies worldwide make use of attractive images to suggest ways that customers might use their products in their day-to-day lives. Tapping into customers’ lifestyles and showing ways that your product might fit into their ‘story’ can be a very powerful marketing tool.

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These are just a few ways you can make use of social media— the list goes on. When sharing content on social media, what tales will you be telling?

By Moya Vaughan Evans