When it comes to brand storytelling in the tourism industry one of the most effective ways to get your story to market in an effective way, at speed, is to create a digital storytelling plan.
But what do you need to get started?
Here are 5 things you need to consider:
- Get the basics sorted
Before you can engage in any kind of digital storytelling it is vital you have to identify what your narrative is.
Ultimately, it’s the story of who you are and why you do what you do – and why it improves the lives of your customers or anyone else. It’s a mission statement that is drilled home and weaved into all of your materials.
Without a vision and clear narrative structure, a digital storyteller won’t get far.
- Consider what your rich content will be
Rich content refers to any multimedia content that helps communicate your digital story. Words on a website may not be enough to truly convey the narrative you want to build. Pictures and videos literally illustrate your story through digital channels.
Put time and resources into the production value of your content. But also make sure it’s true to your narrative and engaging to your audience. Remember, a visual story is far more likely to resonate with your customers than anything else you tell them. It’s a cliché, but a picture tells a thousand words.
- Audit and optimise your social media channels
The ultimate marketing and storytelling tool, social media ensures your audience is continuously kept up to date with every story beat you share. They get to live the story with you and engage with it from start to finish. It’s also a reliable way to share your rich content with your customers.
Before you consider putting your content on social media make sure you have audited all your channels and are happy that each channel has all the relevant information your customers are going to need. Check and double check all those “About” sections and make sure all your contact details are up to date.
To use social media effectively as a digital storytelling device, plan out your content. Don’t just post haphazardly and sporadically. Ask yourself what the story is today and how it’s part of a longer digital storyline, one that has your brand at the centre.
For example, has your company taken a stand on a particular issue? What’s going on in the world today that relates to that issue, and what’s your take on it?
It could be something as simple as a new product/service launch. What’s unique and special about this new endeavour? How does it connect to your wider story and drive your narrative forward? Make sure it somehow reflects the fact that you are keeping your promises, sticking to your values, and fulfilling your vision. There is no better digital tool for this task than social media.
- Interactive storytelling
Rich content and social media can be part of this, but interactive digital storytelling is anything that allows your audience to get involved and become characters themselves.
A podcast is an excellent example of this. Customers can download your weekly podcast to learn what’s going on in your brand’s universe.
Not only that, but you can host sections when customers can phone in and feature on your podcast to discuss the issues of the day.
Certain industries lend themselves to podcasting better than others, but it’s just an example of a digital tool you can use to encourage interactive storytelling. But in truth, this can be anything that allows you and your audience to interact.
- Advertising
With Facebook and Google Ads being two of the most prolific ways to advertise online it’s essential that you consider whether or not you are going to invest in this.
If you do, be sure to learn and understand exactly how these platforms work and how best to optimise them. If you don’t you could lose a lot of money just simply “testing”. In some cases it might be better to consider investing in a professional to help you set your platforms up and show you how to monitor and tweak.
When creating your advertising try not to just be “sell sell sell”, think about how you can weave your brand story into the advertising so that it fits well with your brand and still pushes the potential visitor towards taking an action that ends with a sale.
By Tina Calder, Excalibur Press
Tina Calder is a journalist and publicist of 25 years and the founder of Excalibur Press, a publicity management, content creation and copywriting agency in Belfast specialising in brand storytelling throughout all aspects of marketing and communications.