American poet Muriel Rukeyser once presumed that “The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” While science may suggest otherwise, Rukeyser may be on to something, especially when it comes to the social media world.
The human species love a good story, especially the ones that are grand and extraordinary (unlike the atom that is small and ordinary)! It’s the way we bond, learn, empathize and make critical decisions. It’s also the soul of a successful content and marketing strategy.
Stories, which draw more than 500 million actives daily, have transformed Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. Instead of posting and scrolling through single images and text, users view Stories as an effective way to communicate with family and friends authentically. This feature allows for various creative expressions through videos, graphics, photos, text, sound, and more.
Feed to Stories’ transition presents a plethora of opportunities for brands to connect with their consumers on a deeper level. According to a recent Facebook survey, 62% of respondents shared that they became more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in Stories. Since the pandemic has eliminated human contact, brands can create interactive experiences for their consumers through polls and Q&As, and generate emotional ties with uplifting music paired with stunning visuals.
Brands can also use Stories to increase traffic to their landing pages by adding links to their websites and other social media platforms. This feature will enable brands to expand their reach and lead consumers to their products, therefore driving sales.
Brands can also get consumers involved as ambassadors with the use of a geofilter, an overlay image. For example, when Snapchat added the feature to its platform, McDonald’s created a graphic filter of burgers and fries that users could apply to their pictures when they were near a McDonald’s restaurant. Fans of the popular chain had fun with the filter by taking selfies of themselves appearing to take a bite out of the food.
Seeing McDonald’s success, major U.S. cities jumped on the geofilter bandwagon allowing tourists to enhance their sightseeing pics with colorful graphics representing their location. Snapchat is the only social media application with this feature in its Stories; however, the social media platform is not the most effective from a business perspective.
Business owners are better off on TikTok and Instagram, where there are more eyes and engagement. Both social media platforms are innovative, constantly creating new features and functions. On Instagram, brands can run promotions, tag their products and create a weekly series with the live video in Stories. With TikTok, it’s simply a matter of keeping up with the latest trends and challenges and creating content that draws inspiration from them.
Social media is as vast as the universe, which means there’s more than enough room for growth. Ultimately, a brand’s success on any platform depends on its level of creativity and strategy, both of which are perfect ingredients for great Stories.
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