Why social media is moving from storytelling to storyliving

For many years, the traditional art of storytelling was seen as being of high importance to the delivery of content – and you can see why: the best storytelling has creativity at its heart. It’s almost as if the teller takes his audience and puts them in the story.

But what if you could actually, really do that? Wouldn’t “old school” storytelling lose a little bit of its bite if there was an alternative that placed the audience directly into the thick of the action?

That’s exactly what’s playing out on social media, as storytelling makes way for storyliving.

Storytelling, for all its attractions, is largely a planned, static, deliberate and one-sided undertaking. In social media it typically appears in newsfeeds, with a blanket appearance to all users.

But storyliving – denoted by the “stories” offered up at the top of our Facebook and Instagram feeds and through Snapchat – offers a fresh take. The audience gets to take in the actual moment content is created in a far more engaging, vibrant and lively way.

Pit a Facebook media newsfeed – increasingly cluttered, contrived and seen by just 6 per cent of followers – against a “stories” feed and it’s really no contest.

These new types of “stories” might not be as polished as their predecessors but that’s actually part of their charm. They feel more real, have stronger appeal to the individual and fit with the move towards emotional engagement as a major measure of social media success.

The challenge is for businesses to harness the power of stories. It’s also an incredible opportunity to generate and benefit from employee advocacy, after all, who better to tell your “story” more credibly and honestly to an intimate and engaged audience than the staff who live it every day?

Key takeaways for B2B and B2C

1. Understand how the change in social media use impacts how you tell your story
2. Break the rules of reach by sharing content to a smaller, but more intimate audience
3. Leverage the power of employee advocacy and engaging emotional engagement

Also in this series:

• The age of the individual
• Why a social media symphony can make sweet music for your business
• Why emotional intelligence is the smart play on social media

Glenn Langridge is an expert in digital campaigning and marketing across multiple platforms, including social media. Contact Glenn.

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