The art of visual storytelling on social media
Social media networks are the most used channels in the digital world today.
We’ve been using them for years now to share information, ideas, and even emotions.
They’ve become the primary source of communication for brands around the world, and what’s more important, they give us the chance to share our stories.
Storytelling is part of human nature.
It’s in our bones, and it’s in our blood. Every culture on Earth has its own storytelling tradition, and each one is different and unique.
Sometimes they’re simple and straightforward; other times they are complex and layered with meaning and symbolism.
But no matter what kind of story you tell, or how you tell it, it’s an essential part of who we are as humans.
We’ve always been that way, and we always will be.
Our ability to tell stories is what makes us distinct from animals: no other species has such an advanced communication system allowing them to tell stories back and forth with each other.
Find your brand’s personality
The secret to telling a great visual story on social media is to express it through your brand’s personality.
Everyone wants their brand to be engaging, but what does it mean to have an engaging brand?
It means your audience will feel like they know you; like they can relate to you and your experiences.
It means your audience will trust you and share your content because they feel it’s an extension of themselves.
The first step in finding your brand’s personality is figuring out who you are as a person: what are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
What do people often say about you?
Once we’ve identified these things about ourselves — and done some soul-searching — we can begin looking at our company or organization as an extension of ourselves.
Choose a visual storytelling strategy
Choosing a visual story telling strategy to use on social media can be a daunting task.
There are so many different options.
Luckily, there are some simple rules of thumb you can use to help you make the best choice for your business and its audience.
First, consider who your target audience is. Is it a younger crowd, or an older demographic? Are they more likely to be using Facebook or Instagram?
Do they prefer pictures or videos? Once you’ve got this figured out, you’ll be able to decide what kinds of visual content will resonate with them most effectively.
Next, think about your brand’s voice. Do you want to portray yourself as a playful, fun company?
Or perhaps one that’s more serious and professional? Social media platforms all have their own personality — you may want to focus on one that matches yours best.
Last but not least: think about what kind of content would work best for your industry/business type.
If you sell products online, posting photos of those products might be great — but if you’re selling services or experiences (like vacation packages), maybe a video would be better suited for attracting new consumers.
Create visual consistency
Creating visual consistency on social media is a tricky thing.
In fact, it’s so tricky that people often end up doing the exact opposite: They create a diverse array of visuals that don’t resonate with each other at all.
But if you’ve ever had to deal with coordinating your visual content across several platforms, you know how much time and energy this can take.
And when it comes down to it, there’s no rulebook for creating visual consistency — it’s more of an art than anything else.
First, make sure that every image on your feed is optimized for the platform it’s being published on.
You’ll want to be sure that all the images are sized correctly for each platform and have the right ratio for the social media site you’re posting on.
You can use a website like Socialsizes.io to streamline this process.
Second, make sure that your brand voice is consistent across all platforms.
If one of your brand’s main qualities is humor, then try to keep your posts lighthearted, even if humor isn’t normally associated with your industry or product.
If you’re known for being serious and professional, think about how those qualities could play out in the text of your captions or hashtags.
Creating a consistent visual brand across social media channels is a huge challenge, but it’s one that can pay off in spades.
Here are a few steps you can take to create a consistent visual brand on social media:
1. Start with a theme or color palette.
2. Identify your audience and what they want to see from you (and what they don’t).
3. Set up a schedule for posting content (at least once per day).
4. Make sure all of your graphics match the theme and style of your other posts.
Takeaway
By using the right elements and creating a strong visual narrative, you can improve engagement with your brand on social media.
This way of storytelling is particularly useful to catch users’ attention.
And though social media marketing is one of the most effective forms of advertising, it still has its drawbacks.
It can be challenging to keep your audience’s attention.
After all, people online are always looking at their phones, scrolling through feed after feed.
Visual storytelling on social media may very well prove to be one of the best strategies in small business marketing.
It’s been a fundamental part of our experience as human beings ever since the beginning of time, and it’s a skill that is often overlooked.
You must engage the senses of your audience without holding anything back. In other words, don’t dilute your messages; distill them down to their purest form.
Stay true to your goals to help you decide what you need to say as well as what you should leave out.
Whether it’s Instagram or other social media channels, the art of storytelling is an integral aspect of digital marketing and communication.
With each new platform comes new opportunities and unique challenges for creating engaging visual narratives.
So buckle up, because this is a ride you don’t want to miss!
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