Through Social Media

While social media platforms have afforded us convenience in the line of communication, storytelling remains one of the most powerful tools to engage your customers to know your brand.

Advertising innovator and iconoclast Howard Gossage said that people do not actually read ads, but rather what would pique their interests. This is very much true today. With the advent of the Digital Age— and the rise of popular sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter — it was only a matter of how you would be able to capture the interest of your prospective customers. And visual storytelling is one way to do it.

Proof? Visual storytelling has become a successful marketing trend being used by big businesses such as Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. In a recent advertisement released by Starbucks, it revealed why its baristas intentionally made an error in spelling the name of its customers. This stratagem of Starbucks was to prompt its customers to share their experiences on social media, and in effect giving a boost on the promotion of the brand name. It was effective; baristas kept getting your name wrong, and you still kept posting it online.

Ed Woodcock, director of narrative at Aesop Agency, said that the Digital Age ushered in a year in which “brand storytelling joined the mainstream.”

The infographic above shows the consumption levels among users on a daily basis. This very well shows that social media platforms have indeed become viable media in which to promote your products.

So here are 8 different ways to deliver an effective storytelling that would boost your brand:

1. Personalize your stories

Often you are told in story telling that you must deliver it as truthfully and honestly as possible, without beating around the bush. You want to get to the heart of the matter. William Bernbach said it best when he said that the most powerful element in advertising is the truth.

The same is true for visual storytelling. People want to listen to stories that they could relate to, shared experiences that would tug the heartstrings of the customers. McDonalds, for example, is very successful in telling short but sweet stories that every time would catch the attention of the viewers.

Moreover, Apple has been commended many times over for its sensitivity towards its customers. One of its most-watched videos was an LGBT pride march where the company handed out shirts with a different-colored Apple logo on them. It had become part of its thrust and social responsibility to reach out to its customer of all political stripes and colors, and different orientations.

2. Set your stories apart from others

To help your brand stand out and reach its shore to different people, you must offer engaging stories that would make them feel at ease and your brand accessible to them. Of course, you want the stories you tell to stand out from others. You must challenge conventional thinking. One way to do this is to know how your brand would pique the interests of your customers, and address their concerns, if there are any.

If need be, you could cater to a particular niche whose interests fit your brand’s traditional values. Or, in a larger scale, you must step outside of the box to capture a wider audience; if you are brave enough, go against the grain. This is why giant brands such as Apple are successful in what they do because they always push the envelope, and always remembers to include what had always been ignored. One of its taglines, “Inclusion Inspires Innovation,” worked effective on many levels.

3. Do it subtly, but effectively

The interface of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter allows many posts to flood its news feed, creating clutter on your screen. It is hard to weed out from the stories uploaded every minute to find out those which were worth seeing, and those better left in the trash bin.

David Oglivy said that a good advertisement is one which sells the products without drawing attention to itself. You do not want to slap your products on the faces of your customers. This is what you would call a hard sell. And besides, people might not be interested in what you have to offer. So present your products in subtle way that it would not come off a nuisance to your customers. Your story must speak for itself. If it is done wonderfully, it would work its way to the screen of your target market.

4. Be a friend to your customers

One way to connect with your customers is to create a lasting relationship with them. This means accommodating their needs, without compromising your products’ quality. Possibly, the reason why many restaurants closed shop was because they had not been consistent with the quality of their food and their service, and thus driving their customers away. You are their friend; you must invite your customers to your home with warm milk and some cookies. If they have any comments and suggestions on your products, let their voices be heard. If they have scathing remarks on a post you made online, accept their feedback with an open mind. This way, they will be more forgiving to you.

5. Be consistent, but learn to push the envelope

The reason your customers are patronizing your products is primarily because of the quality of your products. Should the quality waver, your customers might opt to look elsewhere. But also, you must keep in mind that in the fast-paced, ever-changing Digital World we live in, cutthroat companies are everywhere with a breakthrough innovation. You must learn to keep up with the changes, and at the same time, not compromise the quality of your services.

Source: adweek

About LaraNet: We are a web design firm focused to help you to grow your business and communicate with your customers and prospects using two simple but powerful tools: 1) Interactive Website and 2) Internet Marketing Strategy on social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc …
Whether you want to work with just a web page, or launch or improve your presence on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn or communicate with your customers through newsletters, or improve the location of your business in the search engines through Search Engine Optimization, or start marketing your products or services online, in LaraNet we can help you.

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