What if you could not only communicate your brand’s story, but also build on it? Marcio Delgado, a top influencer marketing campaign manager and journalist, let us in on the secrets to storytelling in the marketing space.
Influencer collaborations are more important than ever in the new normal, but knowing how to match the right influencer with your brand’s values to create a story is tricky business. With his lengthy experience in the influencer world, Marcio reveals how digital storytelling is the way forward, and what’s needed to set up your brand for success.
Creating a message that your brand will be remembered for is no easy feat. Your audience connects with the personality of your brand through social media, so if your brand is not able to connect authentically with that consumer, the potential is lost. Storytelling helps your brand to authentically and accurately communicate your brand’s personality.
What does this mean for your social media strategy? It means creating content that is tailored to your audience, and is unique to your brand. That’s what storytelling is afterall. As Marcio puts it,
The benefit of influencer marketing is that it can help your audience to see your brand’s values in action. Brand awareness is key. Choosing an influencer that embodies your brand message means that your audience can connect with a real person, while associating that with your brand. This is the main reason why an influencer marketing strategy is so successful in brand world building on social media. The influencer becomes the living embodiment of your brand.
If step one is choosing the right influencer, step two is finding your tribe. Having an authentic influencer in your next campaign helps your brand to find your ideal audience in the social media realm. “People need human interaction…so brands are realizing in the current situation that live streams and small events are becoming the new normal,” Marcio explains. These kinds of authentic events lead to more brand trust and awareness in your niche market. Mass appeal is out, direct personal messages are in. A human connection communicates your brand story to the right audience.
One common pitfall that brands are falling into in these times is seeing social movements as trends. Even when involving well-meaning influencers, it’s easy to fall into the trap of “monetizing” justice. Marcio notes that brands can be more purposeful in their content if they have the right approach, “If you don’t have anything to say then there’s no point. Combine your brand’s voice with the human voice so people can relate to it.”
To avoid making movements into trends, weave your brand’s unique point-of-view into a meaningful story. This means making actual change within the company itself, supporting influencers that have a voice, and including more diversity into your social media strategy year round. Social justice topics like Black Lives Matter and sustainability aren’t a season, they’re a story in themselves.
The new normal is slowly shaping up to be the game changer consumers and brands secretly wanted. It’s a world of more intimate conversations between brand and customer, more authenticity and a greater sense of brand identity. Although it may be difficult at first to wrap your head around, in the long run being able to blend influencers into your content strategy will mean more loyal customers and a greater impact.
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