9 WAYS TO UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR STORY TELLING!
With so much noise of
social media, you must find ways to reach new audiences and capture their
attention long enough to share your story. Having a consistent story is vital
but equally as important is sharing your story in multiple different formats,
on different social networks ideally targeted towards new and unique audiences.
Storytelling humanizes the message, is memorable and inspires action!
Article from: Technology Voice Magazine
Here are 9 ways to share
your story on social media:
BLOGGING – Blogging
for many including myself can be an overwhelming task as we associate blogging
with being an author or professional writer requiring perfect grammar and 900
in writing on SAT’s. If the idea of blogging wasn’t overwhelming enough
creating a website or finding a place to share your blog where it will be
actually viewed is no easy task. Thankfully for as many people who seek perfect
content that is data backed and filled with mind blowing facts, there are
equally as many people that want to hear compelling, authentic real stories
that allow them to connect with writer. Thanks to tools like Medium, Blogger,
WordPress and linkedin Publisher you can write your story, your
way and get vies with little knowledge of SEO, websites or blog promotion.
CONTENT CURATION –
As much as blogging can be overwhelming the idea of content curation sounds
easy as you’re taking great content that someone else wrote and adding your
opinion. Great content creation is very time consuming as you must find and
read lots of content selection the content that you can add value to while also
being content that your community cares about. Thanks to tolls like Scoop.it,
Meddle and Filpboard you can create a curation hoe filled with
content that you’ve curated, not only showing that you’re connected and
consuming great content but also the content as whole shows your philosophy and
helps tells your story.
OWN A HASHTAG –
Hashtags or Philosophies are like nicknames in high school. For them to stick
and make sense you not only have to embrace it but others have to buy into it
as well. For this to happen you not only have to live that hashtag but it has
to be something you’re committed too. Some great examples are Ted Rubin
with Return on Relationships #RonR or Jay Bear #YouTility or Chris
Brogan #proudfreak.
SOCIAL ACTIONS WITH
STRATEGY – The content you share tells your community as much about your
philosophy as the content you create from scratch. “Every Social Action you
take is a brick in your digital foolprint platform”. Therefore the content you
like on Linkedin, Pin to Pinterest or RT on Twitter becomes an element of your
social story. There for like pin and RT people and content you agree or align
with, therefore telling story with your social actions.
PERSONAL BRAND
FOOTPRINT – Bi natter if it’s your username, your social network profile,
your website or your blog description it’s important to not only be consistent
so that you’re easy to be found but also so that the more interactions someone
has with you across multiple networks the more they’ll remember and relate to
your story.
VIDEO BLOG – Video
content is only growing and thanks to apps like Instagram and Vine you no
longer have to be a professional or have that best equipment to utilize the
power of video. It’s not about becoming the next YouTube star or creating a
viral Vimeo video rather it’s another format that your audience consumes where
they can relate to your story. So maybe it’s broadcasting a company training
event with Ustream or creating a personal video blog where you talk into the
camera either way you are connection and sharing your story and passion with a
new audience or enhancing that message to your current audience!
PODCAST – If blogging
or being on video isn’t your thing but you love to talk, the idea of having
your own radio show or podcast is something anyone can do. Thanks to tools like
BlogTalkRadio, SoundCloud and Podcast trainers like John
Lee Dumas Creating an audio outlet to share your story can be as easy as having
a microphone and smartphone.
CREATE VISUAL CONTENT
– Creating great content that tells your story requires a lot of work so it’s important
to find new ways to share this content or what I call “UpCycle” this content
into new consumable pieces of media. Take quotes from your most popular blog
post to create a slideshare or maybe creating a meme or infographic using tools
like Canva and sharing them on Pinterest allowing for your story to be told in
unique formats hopefully attracting new audiences.
COMMUNITY DIGITAL
EVENTS – “Social is the great Collaborator” but you must take the action
and engage to truly find value on social media. This can be as simple as
joining twitter chat or posting with a popular hashtag, or as exciting as
creating your own G+ Hangout or starting your own group on facebook. The more
ways you engage and collaborate with others on social the more opportunities
you’ll have to share your story.
These 9 methods can seem
overwhelming at first but you don’t have to do all 9 at once, ideally one of
these methods jumped out at you as something you already love to do but never
thought of it as a way of telling your story. Embrace your story and test out
new methods and ways to connect your story with your community. Storytelling is
a powerful weapon but YOU must be the one that owns that story and embraces
these new methods being the producer, marketer and director that makes you memorable
to your community!
I’M
NOT SAYING SOCIAL MEDIA WILL CURE DEPRESSION,
BUT I
AM SAYING IT CAN MAKE THE JOURNEY EASIER.
IT
HAS HELPED TO MAKE ME STRONGER.
WHEN
I THINK OF PEOPLE SITTING IN FRONT OF THEIR COMPUTERS,
FELLING
BAD ABOUT THEMSELVES BECAUSE THEY AREN’T LIVING UP TO AN INVISIBLE STANDARD,
I
WANT TO TAKE THEIR HANDS AND LEAD THEM TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING GOOD WORK IN
SOCIAL MEDIA.
