Like everything else, social media platforms are changing every day. In a world of competition, they seem to always be bringing out updates and new features. It’s crucial for marketers to be at the forefront of any updates and ensure they are ahead of the game, in all aspects of marketing trends, but especially when it comes to social media.
Why are Stories so important?
As human begins, we are natural storytellers. We enjoy telling them and we enjoy hearing them. With the power of social media story-telling, we can build a narrative and create a deeper connection with friends, customers and people who might have never met us before.
In 2018, almost all social media channels have now included a ‘story’ feature to their site. Snapchat was the original story-telling app, however, Instagram has given it a run for its money in recent years. More often than not, people are now spending more time watching social media stories than they are scrolling through their news feeds.
People and customers like real people and there is nothing more ‘real’ than posting photos and mini video clips in real-time. Your followers can gain a sense of what your business is like and you can build a trustworthy relationship with them by giving them access to ‘behind the scenes’.
Algorithms
Businesses and marketers who use Instagram to promote or sell their products have complained in recent months that the new and ever-changing algorithm prevents their posts from getting the reach they used to get. In a natural response from that, these people have upped their Insta-story game and opted to posts on the daily story feature as more and more people are seeing and interacting with this.
On the flip side, followers across all social media platforms have also changed their scrolling habits. People don’t scroll endlessly the way they used to. They want to see what their favourite social media stars are doing in real time, and as quickly as possible.
What should you be doing?
To reach the maximum number of potential customers on social media, you need to be ahead of the competition and fully aware of all the updates and new features currently on offer.
Posting stories regularly with exciting content from behind the scenes or giving people an idea into the day in the life of your business will interest your followers more than you would think.
Micro-moments’ is the term used to describe how we as people are short on time. Can you imagine someone telling you a really boring, long story in real life? How long would it take for you to zone out and completely ignore what that person was saying? Well, social media is the same, but people have the power to just click a button and you are gone.
You need to create stories that grab people’s attention, informs them and adds more value than your competitors.
Top Tips
- Post often and include it in your content strategy
- Use stickers, polls and filters to grab attention and engage your followers
- If possible, link to previous blog posts or other content to get your followers onto your site
- Showcase your products
- Make sure the lighting is good
