How to Use Storytelling in Your Social Media Content

Storytelling is a GREAT way to get your social media following more invested in your brand and more likely to purchase. When you tell a story, you share powerful emotions with your community.

That connection is what we’re after. When you tell a story on social media, you’re not just promoting your brand – you’re inviting people to become part of the story. The best part? You can do this with just a single Instagram post. Here are some cool ideas to get you started…

All Stories Have Conflict

Stories need struggle! People love rooting for someone who overcomes a challenge.

Think about it: “Jane bought milk” is boring.

But what if we said: “Jane wanted healthy milk, but disliked factory farms. So, she found hormone-free milk, feeling good about her choice and her family’s health.”

Now it’s a story! Jane faces a conflict (values vs. industry practices), overcomes it (finds the right milk), and becomes a hero (makes a healthy choice).

See the difference? Simple stories with struggle are way more engaging!

So now that you understand what a story should be, which should you choose for your brand? Here are three key options.

1. How You’re Different

Stories about how your brand differs from your competitors encourage your customers to choose you. For example, Dove tells stories about real women who are improved by their products. Their stories say that they, as a brand, are different because they aren’t trying to make women feel bad about themselves to motivate purchasing. They connect this to their social impact too, which is further motivating.

2. Your Social Impact

Your social impact can be highly motivating for prospects, especially if it is a key part of what differentiates you. While it makes the most sense for charities and other organizations to talk about their social impact, really, every brand can use a social impact story.

For example, a coffee chain might explore stories about the farmers who grow their beans. The message in the story is that they are more ethical than the competition. The genius of this story is that the prospect can see the real impact that buying from this brand has, which makes them want to purchase to participate in the story.

3. Customer Success

Your customers all have stories where your brand has supported them through a struggle or conflict. It doesn’t have to be high stakes to be motivating. A company selling custom cookie cutters can talk about how their customers used their products to better connect over the holidays and ignore the distractions to spend time baking cookies together. It’s a simple story that shows how the customer found success, and it encourages others to find that success too.

Looking for content ideas? Get them straight to your inbox with the Impact Content Calendar!

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