Lawrence Medina

Social media is a wonder wasteland of information and digital friendship. There are a number of things you can do—most of them involving conversation and the like, but when it comes to marketing… Well, your audience isn’t even the limit.

As there is always the wild element of going viral. However, from this point, I will digress, as the main topic I wish to bring to your attention is creating a story through social media platforms. I would like to go through each platform (that I’m comfortable with) and breakdown potential storytelling avenue you can go down.

The first thing to discuss, before we move onto platforms, it how might you begin to tell your story through social media? After all, I said it right from the start. “Social Media is a Wonderful Wasteland” (more on this in a moment.) A story is… in general a journey, as I’m sure we’ve all seen. However social media has opened a new veil of telling tales.

An endless series of stories. They can simply be categorized as updates, but when placed into a marketing sense or even as a brand voice, it becomes a new chapter, footnote, or extra detail. Every post builds weaves a greater tapestry of your company’s mythos, which ultimately leads to a greater connection between you and your audience. However, as a simple word to the wise… Don’t forsake your audience.

Now as for the wasteland bit… I’m sure you must be wondering, why in the world would you want to share our story in a wasteland? I would answer the question with a question, Why wouldn’t you? A simple answer is there is always an audience to find on social media.

Each account is a nomad either in search of an answer or looking for the next piece of information. Social media is something to be scoured, people are essentially looking for a story… For someone interesting or of interest. Why can’t that be you and your company?

Shall we begin?

Twitter— “The Airstrip”

There are two ways you can go with Twitter, either you soar across the digital landscape bringing in a multitude under your fold… Or you skip along the vast sea catching a few waves that bring you up—only momentarily.

When I say Social Media is a wasteland, Twitter is essentially the horseman of famine. You will be strapped to find large morsels here, yet… When you do, it is quite rewarding. As for the storytelling you can do here on this vast wasteland, it is quite simple.

Each tweet is a piece of your voice, be sure you have an idea of how you want to be interpreted. The story you tell through Twitter will be chopped into pieces, whether you want to relay information or build your narrative, the most important element behind twitter… Is hashtags and timing.

When crafting your story on Twitter be sure to gravitate towards communities with the appropriate hashtags—meaning do your research behind the hashtag. Things are not always as they seem, especially on social media.

Then, of course, there is timing, be aware of when your audience is most active. Some communities are roaming these wastelands late at night, while others stroll only in the morning. Understanding when best to post ensures eyes on your story.

Your story on twitter is all about how you interact. Perhaps you’re snarky or extremely helpful. In the end, you’ll want to post things along those veins. On top of the posts have content that backs up your story, whether it be through your website or other followers.

LinkedIn— “The Boardroom”

LinkedIn may not seem like the place for stories, that’s because it’s not. It is a place for presentations. Think of Mad Men and how Don Draper executes his presentations. On LinkedIn, you’ll want to focus on high-quality posts that convey more than a story, but the meaning behind it all.

Essentially LinkedIn is a boardroom and you should always be prepared for the meeting that takes place there. It never hurts to be underprepared when it comes to creating your story there.

Instagram— “Billboard”

Instagram is quite unique in the way you can tell your story. Since pictures are the main method of posts there, you’ll want to create images that suit your aesthetic. Beyond that, you can think of Instagram as a billboard.

When people find you, it will usually be through one post, that one post will then turn into a click on your profile. What will they see there? Every post you’ve made.

Perhaps you are meticulous and want your Instagram page to look like one massive art collage that people can gawk at. Maybe you are more for interesting single posts that illustrate a self-contained story.

There is a wider context when it comes to creating your story on Instagram, the best thing to do is focus on how you want people to interpret your style.

Bringing your Brand Voice to Life

Social media is the place where you brand voice lives. Here is where it can evolve and you can work it out and fix its tweaks. While your website, content, and products all show a piece of our brand voice, it remains relatively static. That is why social media is important when it comes to creating your brand voice.

It is alive, fluid, and it never rests. In the end, your brand voice is your story and you must take hold of it. If you let other people define it… Then, you’re not really the one speaking or sharing your story, are you?