Social Media Stories for Branding: A How-To Guide

It is not a secret that nowadays everything goes through social media since globally, internet users spend an average of two hours and 23 minutes a day connected to social platforms so it has become a powerful tool for brands to connect with their audience.

Social media platforms offer a lot of tools, but stories is one particularly useful because it allows to engage more with your audience and establish your brand's identity and this is because a video is processed 60000 times faster on our brain than a text.

What Are Social Media Stories?

Social media stories is a kind of content that typically disappears in 24 hours, which makes it easier and faster to consume and interact since people don't want to loose the opportunity. Stories can use different kind of media images, audio, text, and interactive features like surveys and quizzes, but always on video.

Why Use Social Media Stories for Branding?

Stories on social media offer many benefits for branding, but what stands out the most is the ability to offer a more real type of content, such as behind-the-scenes, which can give a sense of proximity and connection to your audience with your brand. It also allows you to add ever more interactive elements such as polls and questionnaires. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, people feel compelled to interact with the material before it disappears due to the transient nature of Stories.

How to Create Engaging Social Media Stories

Creating engaging social media stories involves several steps.

The first thing, and for me perhaps the most important thing, is to plan your content. It’s not just about posting and that’s it, think about what you want to share and how it aligns with your brand. Create high-quality visuals – it’s super easy to make good videos these days with almost any smartphone and some already offer to enhance content with the help of artificial intelligence.

It is not always possible as it depends on what you are publishing, but if you think it is convenient, add interactive elements such as surveys, questionnaires and stickers to encourage participation.

Planning Your Content

As I mentioned planning is really important when it comes to creating social media stories. First, you need to set your goals, which is part of planning your content. Ask yourself these questions: What goals do you hope to achieve? Are you trying to connect with your audience, drive traffic to your website, or increase your brand awareness?

What do I mean by this? For example, if you own a fashion brand, you may provide style advice or behind-the-scenes photos from a photo session. If you own a food brand you might post cooking advice or behind-the-scenes from your kitchen. In addition to being engaging for your audience, content creation should be relevant to your brand.

Creating High-Quality Visuals

High-quality visuals are essential for creating engaging social media stories. Use high-resolution photos and videos that are visually appealing and relevant to your brand.

When you are creating your content you need to always have in mind the style of your brand, use of fonts, colors, and styles that complement the identity of your brand. For example, use clear, basic images with lots of white space if your brand has a minimalist aesthetic. Use striking images if your brand is more colorful and lively.

Adding Interactive Elements

Interactive elements like polls, quizzes, and stickers can make your social media stories more engaging. These features encourage users to interact with your content, which can increase engagement and build a stronger connection with your audience.

For example, you could use a survey to find out what your audience thinks about a new product or stickers to motivate them to tell their friends about your experience. Using interactive elements that are relevant to your content and promote deep engagement is important.

Real-World Examples of Successful Social Media Stories

As everyone knows, a lot of brands have used social media (stories) to interact with their audience and develop and enhance their brand. Nike, for instance, uses Instagram Stories to share athlete behind-the-scenes videos, highlight new products, and provide fitness advice. As you can see, this content satisfies Nike's brand message of empowering and inspiring athletes and is very engaging.

Another example is Starbucks, which uses Instagram Stories to share behind-the-scenes footage of their coffee-making process, showcase new drinks, and offer promotions.

Measuring the Success of Your Social Media Stories

Measuring the success of your stories—actually the metrics—on your social networks is crucial for determining what is and is not effective. The majority of social media platforms provide analytics capabilities that let you monitor how well your stories are performing. Metrics like views, engagement, and click-through rates can be gleaned from these tools.

Use these insights to refine your content strategy. For example, if you notice that stories with behind-the-scenes footage receive higher engagement, you might want to create more of this type of content.

Tips for Maximizing the Impact of Your Social Media Stories

1. Post Consistently: Keep in mind that quality matters just as much as consistency. To keep your audience interested, you should publish stories on a regular basis.
2. Use Hashtags and Location Tags: Hashtags and location tags can increase the visibility of your stories and help you reach a wider audience.
3. Collaborate with Influencers: Collaborating with influencers and people within the same niche can help you reach a larger audience and build credibility for your brand. Think about collaborating with individuals who share the same values and message as your brand.
4. Try Different Content Types: Finding the most effective content requires trying with different types.
5. Engage with Your Audience: Encourage interaction between your stories and your audience by answering questions and leaving comments.

Social media stories are a powerful tool for branding. They offer a way to share authentic, engaging content that can build a strong connection with your audience.