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Finding fresh ways to engage with your online audience is an essential part of managing a successful brand in the 2020s. But when it comes to building human connection, there is one method whose effectiveness has been undefeated for thousands of years: the timeless art of storytelling.
Storytelling has been a part of human culture for as long as we can remember, and it continues to be an effective way of conveying information, emotions, and values. With the advent of social media, storytelling has taken on a new form, and it has become an important way for businesses, organizations, and individuals to connect with their audiences.
At its core, “social media storytelling” happens when you combine the emotion-stirring effects of sharing stories with the wide-reaching marketability and reach of various social media channels.
Consumers are hungrier than ever for authentic, relatable content from the brands they follow, which is why now is the perfect time to start a social media storytelling campaign for your business.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the importance of storytelling and why you should share employee stories on social media.
Why Is Storytelling On Social Media Important?
No matter the size of your business, compelling storytelling on social media can benefit you. It can help you to establish a solid emotional connection with your audience. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter provide an opportunity for organizations to share stories and experiences in a way that is both personal and relatable. By sharing stories that resonate with your audience, you can build trust, create empathy, and foster a sense of community. These all feed into a powerful sense of brand love.
In a crowded digital marketplace, it is essential to differentiate yourself from the competition; storytelling is a powerful way to do so. Think of it as a tool to share your unique brand identity, highlighting your values, mission, and personality.
There are various types of storytelling you can tap into. Employee advocacy is a great way to drive genuine reach and engagement. By featuring employees on social media, you encourage consumers to connect with your employees and brand on a more human level. You can convey stories of real experiences and personal testimonials from your strongest advocates.
By injecting some humanity into your social media strategy, your brand will have a much better chance of connecting with its audience, growing its reach, and generating profit. It may sound too good to be true, but there’s a reason social media strategies are top of the list for most businesses.
Without storytelling, your brand’s social media presence is at risk of being interpreted as bland or empty – hardly the stuff that inspires growth, loyalty, or even general interest from consumers.
How Can Storytelling Be Used As A Marketing Tool?
When it comes to marketing, storytelling can be a remarkably effective tool with numerous business benefits. By harnessing the power of authentic brand narratives and the people behind them, brands can gain a competitive edge over their peers. Storytelling has the potential to create emotional connections with customers, build brand loyalty, and enhance brand reputation. Here are just a few of the ways that storytelling can help elevate your brand’s marketing efforts.
1. Allows you to connect with your audience on an emotional level
In order for consumers to want to engage with your brand, you need to create an emotional connection.
If you don’t, they’ll find another brand that does.
Emotionally connecting with consumers means higher conversion rates, repeat sales, and more online traffic to your website.
Engaging with customers on the level we do today is an extreme privilege and a powerful tool. If you nurture a positive sentiment with the online public, you will have a much stronger chance at building credibility and expanding your audience reach. It can set you up for massive success in the long run.
2. Increases brand loyalty and trust
By revealing the human side of your brand, you encourage consumers to trust you. Trust is extremely important for building long-lasting relationships with the public, which then leads to brand loyalty.
When customers can identify with your brand and what it represents, they will be much more likely to share, support, and generally engage with your brand’s products and services as a whole.
3. Makes your brand stand out
There are millions of brands, all competing for the attention of the masses. Unless your brand takes full advantage of its position and available resources, it may become drowned out by others. Make your brand stand out from the crowd by tapping into something truly authentic and human.
When it comes to brand storytelling, people aren’t interested in corporate jargon. They are far more responsive to content that highlights human struggle, social awareness, and employee transparency. Authenticity, realism, and empathy are essential.
4. Aligns and communicates your values
More than 72% of consumers state that brand values are one of their major deciding factors in making purchase decisions. Your brand’s values should synchronize and reflect that of your target audience, thus signaling to consumers that you share important common ground.
When you use stories to illustrate the background and aspirations of your brand, you can clearly communicate your values and attract those with similar ones.
5. It gives your brand more agency
If you aren’t telling your story, somebody else might. And the last thing any brand needs is to have its reputation in the hands of someone else – you need agency.
You can’t control every aspect of how consumers interpret your brand. But you can handle some of them. It is much better to develop your brand’s story by design (through your own words) than by default (through whatever the internet comes up with).
Stay ahead of the game by choosing to tell your stories straight from the source.
Our Favorite Example of Using Employee Stories On Social Media
When it comes to social media storytelling and campaigning, employees are often a wasted potential. Firstly, they have a unique, insider perspective on your brand. They can provide customers with real-life testimonials and employee stories about their experiences, influencing consumers directly.
One of the best examples of new employee social media is the US beauty brand Sephora. This global-reaching makeup brand has utilized employee-led marketing campaigns to better connect with audiences and establish itself as one of the most competitive brands in its field.
By inviting employees to host makeup tutorials, reviews, and trend coverage on YouTube, Sephora has developed a cult following of consumers who view employees as influential brand extensions. Those employees serve as friendly, relatable, and even aspirational faces of the brand they work for. Featuring employees on social media can significantly impact your brand perception.
The Groundwork Your Brand Needs to Do to Share Employee Stories On Social Media
To successfully feature employees on social media and build a stronger online presence, start by showcasing the people behind your brand. Even if you’re in a different industry than Sephora, you can adopt their employee-led approach. Highlighting employee stories can deliver a sustainable approach to authentic content creation. Here are some content types to get you started:
1. Ensure positive company culture
Your employees won’t want to promote your brand unless they feel genuinely happy in their job. Investing in employee engagement and promoting positive company culture lays the foundation for employee advocacy on social media.
2. Share employee appreciation
Sharing employee appreciation on your social media posts allows your audience to see the type of business you are. Valuing your employees and encouraging a culture of high-fives go a long way with consumer sentiment. It highlights how much you genuinely care about your staff, making both employees and customers feel the love. It’s a great way to motivate your team, giving your employees a reason to engage with your employee advocacy strategy.
3. Ask for feedback
When in doubt, ask. Your employees, especially the ones who relate to your target audience, will be able to provide helpful insights and ideas about how to best connect with your company’s customers. Take the time to engage with them, conducting surveys or focus groups to uncover insights.
4. Incentivize with rewards
Employees are much more likely to participate in a social media campaign if a reward is up for grabs. You could offer payment, prizes, or opportunities as rewards for promoting your brand online. Better yet, weave this into your employee appreciation social media posts giving them some serious recognition.
5. Provide training
To protect your brand’s reputation, the employees you choose to participate in any social media campaign should be trained and screened beforehand. This will ensure only the most appropriate candidates are given an online pedestal.
Implementing a social media campaign that features real employee stories has loads of benefits. Not only does it promote brand awareness and customer engagement, but it also drives up job satisfaction, employee retention, and recruitment.
How Do You Create An Effective Social Media Strategy Using Employee Stories?
Now that you understand the importance and relevance of storytelling on social media let’s dig into some actionable tips for how you can bring your brand’s strategy to life.
1. Research your target audience
Before you can formulate a solid social media storytelling strategy, you need to understand who you will be marketing it to. Different audiences, generations, and cultures prioritize different types of content – so find out what yours like best and factor it into your social media storytelling strategy.
Another factor to consider is platform and content type choice. Does the bulk of your target audience spend more time on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube? Does video, image, or text-based content appeal to them the most? Perform in-depth research and use what you find to shape your initiatives. Once you’re ready, you want to post at the right time to reach your target audience.
Top tip: Don’t try to be something for everyone. It helps to have some level of tunnel vision when you’re putting together your social media strategy. Be clear on your audience and your objectives, making strategic choices that will drive the biggest impact. If your audience isn’t operating on Twitter, don’t spend months finessing a Twitter strategy for employees. Play to your strengths from the get-go.
2. Utilize employee advocacy on social media
Employees are in the perfect position to champion your brand. They know everything about it and can provide real, authentic stories about their experiences within your organization.
Now, the way that you incorporate employees into your social media storytelling strategy depends on your business objectives and goals. There are a variety of different options, including testimonials, behind-the-scenes stories, reviews, and tutorials. Choose an approach that makes sense for your brand.
3. Identify and share milestone moments
Every business has its ups and downs, but that’s what makes it real. Openly discussing and sharing major triumphs and milestones over the years will give your brand depth, opening up the floor for customers to connect with it on a deeper level.
Today’s consumer is hungry for authenticity. Polished, perfect content isn’t yielding the same results, so don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. It’s all about framing and positioning, turning your “negatives” into interesting content opportunities that spark conversation and engagement.
4. Invest in social media automation tools
Navigating employee advocacy and social media can be a complex and time-consuming process. But when you enlist the help and support of AI, that process can become a lot easier.
Telling your story will only be effective if your audience sees it. That’s where tools like Clearview Social come in.
Clearview Social provides businesses like yours with simple, actionable, and well-studied methods for increasing visibility and revenue by connecting with audiences through making social posting as easy and effective as possible – with measurable results. There’s no denying that employee content on social media adds value, but knowing where to start can be intimidating. We can help. Request a free demo today!
Build Your Brand From The Inside With Social Media Storytelling
Storytelling is one of those primordial activities which has truly withstood the test of time. Although instead of sitting and talking around a fire, we share stories via one of the most powerful tools ever created – the internet.
Social media storytelling has the same emotive effect as traditional storytelling, except it has the power to enhance consumer-to-brand relationships and boost revenue. By incorporating employee advocacy and employee stories into your strategy, you’re bound to achieve the engagement and conversion goals you’re after.
Contact Clearview Social today if you’re ready to tell your employee’s stories and boost your marketing potential.