Social Media Storytelling: Takeaways from Hootsuite Webinars

Have you ever wondered what it takes to write strong storytelling for your business to grow? Today, we’re going to share two business storytelling examples provided by hosts from a Hootsuite webinar, including Lynne Grouix and Brianna Foster. Over 2,000 nonprofits say that “generating awareness and action for a specific program, event or campaign is a top 3 priority.” This quote shares the importance of prioritizing social media storytelling for your business.

Lynne Grouix, CEO of Native Women’s Association of Canada, shared her efforts in fostering the social, economic, cultural and political well-being of indigenous women in Canada. She had a reconciliation to see what a $20 bill might look like if it featured an indigenous woman as a hero. This marketing tactic would display positive stories and impactful contributions in support of indigenous women in Canada. In order to share this story for the business to grow, Lynne shared that she created a hashtag, “#ChangeTheBill.” Creating a hashtag helps your business amplify your brand message, engage your audience on social media and attract new customers. Her campaign included many segments to recognize how important Canadian history is and how it is often overlooked. 

Elements

Some of the campaign elements included art exhibitions, a website, a national petition, social media campaigns, print and broadcast media campaigns and stakeholder engagement. Art exhibitions provide a tangible and visually captivating way to showcase the brand’s message and engage the audience on an emotional level. A website provides a platform to showcase visuals, share stories, collect data and provide updates on the campaign’s progress. Also, a national petition can be a powerful storytelling tool as it allows people to show their support for a cause and become part of a larger narrative. Social media, print and broadcast campaigns provide a wide reach and multiple opportunities to engage with a vast audience, including using hashtags and creative headlines. These are all examples of crucial elements that you could include in your next business storytelling campaign. 

Real Results

Efforts in storytelling for your business have great potential to create real results and engagement that resonates with your audience. Lynne’s work with the Native Women’s Association of Canada has brought her company over 144 million users in reach, over 49,000 petition signatures and close to 600 posters sold. Something to note for your business is that actionable posts are very important. Actionable posts can prompt your audience to take specific actions, resulting in engagement, conversions or other desired outcomes. Some examples to incorporate into your social media plans can include polls and surveys, contests and giveaways and user-generated content. 

Brianna Foster, Brand Marketing Manager for creative partnerships at LinkedIn, shared her work’s story with their “#BlackHairIsProfessional” campaign with Dove Beauty. LinkedIn and Dove Beauty partnered together for a more inclusive and equitable space for Black hair in the workplace. The two brands worked together to end hair discrimination in the workplace by reinforcing their goal to pass the CROWN Act for more inclusive and equitable workplaces.

Elements

For the business perspective, the combined campaign highlighted higher brand perception recall along with viral actions on social media. The conversation was ownable to LinkedIn, meaning that the brand kept a recognizable tone that resonates with the target audience and reinforces the brand’s position in the marketplace. Developing a recognizable tone for your business increases brand perception recall because consumers will recognize your brand in the vast marketplace. Some ways you can create a recognizable voice is to research your audience, define your brand persona, ensure consistent messaging, and differentiate your brand by emphasizing unique aspects.  

Real Results

Learning from Brianna and her work with LinkedIn is a great way to implement storytelling strategies into your business. The LinkedIn and Dove campaign has brought over 500,000 signatures and counting, making huge differences to the community. The campaign hashtag, “#BlackHairIsProfessional,” has shown to be a very powerful, actionable element of the campaign, with over 1,000 posts on Instagram. Another actionable tip that Brianna shared with us to help build your brand is to “get creative with how people can get involved in your social cause.” Working with another brand, like LinkedIn worked with Dove, maximizes visibility and brings in combined strengths in union. Getting creative by incorporating personalized hashtags or other social trends is a great way to start your social movement with your brand.