How can you match your social media stories to your brand?

Social media stories are a powerful tool for your brand, as they can help you engage your audience, showcase your personality, and drive action. However, to make the most of your stories, you need to ensure that they match your brand identity, voice, and values. By following the tips above, you can create engaging and consistent stories that reflect your brand's unique style and tone, align with your brand's goals and mission, and create a cohesive and memorable experience for your audience. Matching your stories to your brand is not a one-time task, but an ongoing process that requires planning, creativity, and experimentation • Define your brand guidelines. • Use consistent visuals. • Use consistent voice

If I don't know who my audience is, I may tell a story that is not interesting to them, or that may even be offensive. For example, if I am telling a story to children, I would not want to include any violence or gore. If I am telling a story to adults, I may want to include more complex themes or characters. Understanding your audience: Consider their demographics, such as age, gender, location, and education level. Think about their interests and hobbies. What are their values and beliefs? What are their challenges and pain points? What kind of stories do they enjoy reading or watching? Once you have a good understanding of your audience, you can start to think about how to craft a story that will resonate with them.

When Instagram started, I had the opportunity to create the first brand account on the platform. Our initial step? Attentive observation—for a year. As users navigated the new platform, we absorbed, discerned, and learned. We deeply understood the platform's culture from the community itself, discerning best practices from potential pitfalls. Our brand then carved its authentic niche—which still resonates today. Now you don't need to wait a year, but at a time when analytics often simplifies individuals to mere numbers, it's crucial to remember the human essence behind each statistic. Take the time to really know your brand community, by knowing your audience.

Everyone knows the impact a story will have hinges on having a proper understanding of who you're talking to, their most pressing needs, likes, dislikes, and how best to communicate to them. After acing this, continuously share your authentic personal stories with your audience as you build your brand. This will not only make your brand relatable, you'll gain trust, and build genuine connections.

One thing is to read the metrics and another to understand them, Instagram can tell you that most people are engaging to your content at 6 pm, but then, thats the time you usually post so, is it the logic of the algorythm? or is it your audience...think twice how to read metrics... Also, dont fall into comfort when you get to "know" your audience cause it may take you to being predictive and boring, I rather think that I never fully know them, that way I push my teams to do and show new stories every day, its a never ending good story.

Your brand voice should be authentic. What does that mean? Don't fake it. Don't over-engineer it. You can't create authenticity. It emerges. If you're fake, that's authentic in a bad way...

I like to think of the brand voice like I do singing – stay on key, meaning consider what your brand stands for and ensure your story matches that. This will be much easier if it's coming from a real and organic place.

Alright, let's flip the script on syncing social media stories with your brand essence. First up, nail down your brand voice - is it all about being chill or more on the formal side? Once you've got that vibe, sprinkle it into your social media tales. Imagine your brand voice is a cool outfit; wear it proudly in every post. Pick visuals that match your brand's personality - it's like setting the stage for your story. When it comes to captions, let your uniqueness take the mic; every word should echo your brand's voice. Whether it's a tweet, an Insta moment, or a Facebook update, make sure your social media stories belt out the same brand anthem. That's how you rock the storytelling show and leave your audience wanting an encore!

Brand voice is the tone, style, and personality that a brand uses to communicate with its audience. It is the unique way that a brand expresses itself through its words. Here are a few examples of different brand voices: Apple: Apple's brand voice is sleek, minimalist, and aspirational. The company uses simple language and clean design to communicate its message. Nike: Nike's brand voice is motivational and empowering. The company uses strong language and imagery to inspire its customers to be the best versions of themselves. Disney: Disney's brand voice is whimsical and magical. The company uses storytelling and humor to connect with its customers.

To match your social media stories to your brand, focus on consistency, relevance, and authenticity. Keep your stories aligned with your brand's values, voice, and aesthetics. Use colors, fonts, and logos that are consistent with your brand's visual identity to create a similar image across all platforms.

Story format and platform choice reflect your brand voice. If you sell candles, Facebook Live events where you show the candles being made might be a great way to connect with your audience. But if you're an international auto parts manufacturer, Facebook Live could stick out like a sore thumb in your brand strategy. There is likely a set of guidelines to follow, already made. So find the platform that fits your audience best, and tell the kinds of story that they already share and comment on. Is it still images? Formal interviews? Long written whitepapers? Research first, then post in a way that feels authentic to your company and your customers. Sometimes being less formal can break through the noise. Sometimes it can backfire.

When choosing which story format to use, it is important to consider your target audience and the platform you are using. For example, if you are targeting a younger audience, you may want to use more visual and interactive story formats, such as polls and quizzes. If you are targeting a more professional audience, you may want to use more text-based story formats. You should also experiment with different story formats to see what works best for your brand and your audience. There is no right or wrong answer, so it is important to find what works best for you.

Your story format is how you show your audience what you do and why you do it. It’s your way of creating a memorable and meaningful experience. For example, you can mention how Nike uses photos and videos to tell stories of athletes overcoming adversity, or how Netflix uses polls and quizzes to generate buzz for its shows.

Its not only about a format, its about narrative, you can do Part 1 and 2 from the same format, or take from one format to the other...creativity is the limit here, theres no rule as to a format that will only drive something, a quizz may drive awareness and a live stream can drive convertions(Live sales and such).

Here's a hack: Instead of establishing your product as the hero of the story, present your customer as the hero. This way your customers can easily relate to the story and get hooked. Now, what about your product? Establish it as a guide in the hero's journey. => Your customer had an X problem. => It made his life miserable. => He came across your product. => Happily ever after!

Exposition: A young woman named Alice is bored one day when she sees a white rabbit run by. She follows the rabbit down a hole and finds herself in a magical world called Wonderland. Rising action: Alice meets all sorts of strange and wonderful creatures in Wonderland. She also meets the Queen of Hearts, who is a very temperamental ruler. Climax: The Queen of Hearts accuses Alice of stealing her tarts and puts her on trial. Alice must defend herself and prove her innocence. Falling action: Alice wins the trial and escapes from Wonderland. Resolution: Alice returns home and tells her sister all about her adventures in Wonderland. You could also have a protagonist who fails to achieve their goal. The possibilities are endless.

A story arc is how you take your audience on a journey with your story. It has five stages: purpose, hook, challenge, solution, and call to action. For example, to sell a new product, you can: -Purpose: Explain why you created the product and what problem it solves. -Hook: Show a surprising or intriguing fact, statistic, or testimonial about the product. -Challenge: Describe the pain points or frustrations that your audience faces without the product. -Solution: Showcase the benefits and features of the product and how it solves the challenge. -Call to action: Tell your audience what to do next, such as buy, sign up, or share.

The people who read fiction or the people who have studied the best storytelling advertisements of giants like Nike know exactly how they need to create a story arc. I believe that more than learning tips from others, deduce your own conclusions from the main source.

Participate in trending challenges or hashtags that align with your brand's values. For instance, if your brand is in the fitness industry, join fitness challenges and encourage your followers to do the same.

Know your audience: Tailor your storytelling techniques to your target audience. What kind of stories do they enjoy? What are their interests? Be consistent: Use your storytelling techniques consistently throughout your story. This will help to create a cohesive and believable narrative. Don't be afraid to experiment: There are no rules when it comes to storytelling. Experiment with different techniques and see what works best for you and your story. The most important thing is to tell a story that you are passionate about and that you believe in. If you are passionate about your story, it will show in your writing. And if you believe in your story, your readers will too.

One thing I have found helpful is to immerse oneself in the brand narrative thoroughly before conceptualizing social media stories. Given that social media stories are short-lived, it grants you the liberty to experiment and have fun. It allows for a space where you can be more spontaneous. Creating a visual vocabulary that aligns with your brand can be a game-changer. This involves being consistent with the colors, fonts, and type of imagery you use. It builds a visual harmony and aids in brand recall. A strategy that can be instrumental is creating stories that are both standalone yet part of a larger narrative. This way, encouraging the viewer to stay tuned for what's coming next, building a sense of anticipation and engagement.

Encourage customers to share their experiences with your brand and use these stories to build authenticity. Share customer testimonials, reviews, or creative ways people are using your products.

I think there are many things for sale these days when it comes to this… so I would say, stay true to you and that’s everlasting. You know your followers are actual humans not phantoms. However follow the trends, try to keep up as much as possible but stay fresh!

Don't lead with facts. The story isn't about you. Start with the problem. Tap into the Senses. Target and discuss the ways the solution is ultimate.

Prioritize testing and refining. Experiment with varied story formats and styles to pinpoint what truly engages. Deeply familiarize yourself with each channel's intricacies and their functional dynamics. Recognize the significance of precise word choice, while acknowledging that audiences can overlook audio imperfections more than visual ones. Combine this foundational knowledge with data analysis to discover patterns and actionable insights. The formula? Experiment. Learn. Optimize. Repeat.

Test different headlines: A headline is the first thing that readers see, so it is important to make sure that it is catchy and attention-grabbing. You can test different headlines to see which ones perform the best. Test different images: Images can be a great way to capture readers' attention and engage them with your story. Test different calls to action: A call to action is what you want readers to do after reading your story. Do you want them to visit your website? Subscribe to your newsletter? Share your story on social media? Test different story formats: There are many different story formats, such as blog posts, articles, infographics, and videos. You can test different story formats to see which ones your audience prefers.

For this, do not shy away from data. It will tell you exactly everything you need to know about what you should be doing. Engaging great storytelling techniques with effective data metrics will put you ahead of others in the game. But, understand both, storytelling as well as data engagement properly. These are not juts fancy phrases for you, but rather your tools of growing your social media presence and engagement.

Nike uses social media stories to share stories about its athletes and customers. Nike uses stories to promote its products and services, but it does so in a way that is consistent with its brand story of inspiring athletes to be their best. Disney uses social media stories to share behind-the-scenes looks at its parks and films. Starbucks uses social media stories to share stories about its coffee farmers and employees. Starbucks uses stories to promote its new products and seasonal drinks. Starbucks' social media stories are always warm and inviting, and they perfectly reflect the brand's commitment to community and connection.

Sometimes creating a channel just for testing can work so that you font have to test and test on your main channels, why? because a low engaged account may be punished by algorithm and hard to get back on its feet.

Create a visual cohesion. Your social media stories should have a visual style that’s instantly recognizable. Think of your social media feed as a curated art gallery. Each post should contribute to the overall theme, using a consistent palette and design elements that mirror your brand’s identity. Use consistent colors, fonts, and imagery that reflect your brand’s aesthetics. Tools like Canva can help maintain this visual harmony.

Stories are where you connect with your brand fans. If they’re watching a story, they already follow you and they want more, so use stories to give them something unique- a view into your world they wouldn’t usually get to see (but maybe aspire to!) or to get to know more about you!

Don’t try to fit a square peg in the round hole. Your story and your brand’s story might not necessarily align. If you force the fit, the adjustments will show (because the audience is smart). A friend told me this: “A personal brand is how you see yourself.” Let’s transfer that to an actual brand now. A brand is what you see it to be. Make the story about that.