Storytelling is part of every culture. Everyone wants to hear a good story. So, what makes a good story? A good story is one that resonates with people because the story is emotional, relatable and compelling.
Brand storytelling is no different. Most of it will depend on your target audience, that will shape the outline and message of your story. Storytelling comes with the ability to connect your brand more closely to your customers and communicate to them in a way that doesn’t solely focus on the product or service, but rather evokes emotion.
Why is social media storytelling important?
Brands are filled with stories that have the power to grab an audience’s attention. There is no better platform to do so than social media. With billions of active users across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube there is no better medium to reach a large audience.
Social media also presents a brilliant opportunity for start-ups and brands to create or add to their personality online. An active presence, paired with excellent content and a captivated audience can increase brand awareness and potentially, attract new customers.
Social media has allowed brands to create an instant connection with their audience no matter which part of the world they operate in. This new technology has democratised storytelling, giving brands new pathways to express their stories on a global scale.
Furthermore, this platform gives brands the ability to participate in two-way conversations, hence allowing for discussions and interaction with their audience.
Example of social media brand storytelling
A successful social media story is one that connects a brand closer to its target audience and speaks to them in a way which isn’t just about the product itself, but rather highlights a social issue to portray the brand’s values. When done right it offers customers an experience surrounding those values.
Gillette – Boys will be boys
Earlier this year, Gillette released its new commercial in which the #MeToo movement was addressed. The ad focuses on the phrase “boys will be boys” is no longer an acceptable reply. As a result of this, their 30-year slogan “the best a man can get” receives a twist to focus on “the best men can be.”
By showing glimpses of bullying, harassment and negative actions from both boys and men the commercial portrays toxic masculinity as an on-going issue. These actions have caused the current issues that both women and men face on a daily basis. With men acting the “right way” Gillette doesn’t solely want people to stop and note but instead wants them to put an end to these sexist and inappropriate learned actions.
With more than four million views on YouTube, Gillette’s video message is clearly being heard, and the brand received much praise across various social media platforms for highlighting this global issue.
“It’s only by challenging ourselves to do more than we can get closer to our best,” the commercial reads as it comes to a close and its message seems to be spot on.
