Jordan Kretchmer, founder and CEO, Livefyre – a social engagement platform used by media companies and brands to integrate real-time social content and conversations into their websites, mobile apps, and advertisements.
One of the strongest themes to come out of this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, was that of brand storytelling. In particular, how marketers are adapting to brand storytelling in a digital world. With the digital revolution, new platforms have become available, which means that rich content is delivered in an innovative fashion. This means that an entirely new challenge has arisen for marketers as they look to maintaining a steady brand voice across these new channels.
In today’s digital world, customers are bombarded with content, be it from brands, publishers or friends, therefore only the most innovative and relevant content is going to break through the noise and connect with audiences. This explosion of new information has also meant that more than ever, customers expect a consistent experience with their favourite brands regardless of where, when or how they are engaging. It is vital to building trust and forming authentic relationships with your audience. Here are four basic steps, inspired by a recent report from Tracey Stokes at Forrester Research, to ensure your brand story is effective and cohesive across every channel.
1. Determine a unifying brand platform.
Forrester defines a unifying brand platform as “the fundamental marketing idea that allows a relationship to form between the brand and its customers through the coordination of brand experiences.” In short, it’s the overarching benefit they help customers achieve — think of it like your value proposition at the highest level. For a major sports apparel brand, that platform might be strength, whereas a technology company might choose simplicity or an auto manufacturer might use reliability.
This unifying platform should become the overarching theme throughout your campaigns. Whether it’s a product video or a customer testimonial, tie the content you create back to that unifying platform. For instance, instead of producing a product video that focuses on new features and updates to your app, tie it all back to the app’s most basic value – how these updates help customers save money, be healthier, feel closer to their loved ones or whatever key benefit you chose.
2. Tell related stories across channels.
Each channel is an opportunity to tell different, but related, parts of your story. Each one works independently and lends itself to certain types of content, but together they can make a wider impact. Instagram, Flickr and Tumblr are great for using images, whereas Pinterest is perfect for how-to articles, YouTube works for more in-depth video production and longform content is best for thought leadership. Each channel should tell its own small story that ties back to the unifying platform, whether directly (think Nike’s video profiles of athletes) or more generally (The Girl Scouts’ #BanBossy campaign). This way, when you piece them all together, they paint a larger picture of your brand’s message.
3. Invite your audience to participate.
Studies show that customers who engage with brands on social media are more likely to buy from and recommend those brands. This means that the more you engage your customers, the more loyal they become. So encourage them to talk about your brand. Ask them questions, provide hashtags, run contests and campaigns, offer incentives and be sure to frame these conversations around your unifying brand platform.
Not only does this forge a deeper connection with your audience, but it arms you with the final medium for telling your brand story: user generated content (UGC). While UGC lives on the same channels as much of the content your brand puts out itself, it often provides a more relatable, authentic perspective on your brand story. Incorporating UGC into your brand story adds a layer of credibility. Because you’re also providing content directly from other consumers your audience no longer has to take your word for it.
4. Build a mosaic on your owned properties.
Now that you have relevant streams of content across channels, the final step is to bring those stories together on your own website where they can illustrate your overarching message. The best way to accomplish this is to weave social content throughout your site, from real-time customer reviews to media walls streaming live Twitter and Instagram content about your brand. By allowing your audience to engage with social content from across platforms on your website, you’re able to tie your earned media through to the point of conversion, regardless of where and how consumers choose to interact with your brand.
Today’s digital landscape is constantly evolving, this continual change can seem overwhelming to marketers, but the key to success comes down to keeping focused on your key messages. New platforms will forever bring new ways to share brand stories, but it’s vital to view each channel as simply a piece of the larger puzzle. Use each one to tell a relevant part of your story—as opposed to the entire story and you can create meaningful, purposeful and effective content across every channel.
By Jordan Kretchmer
Founder and CEO
Livefyre
http://web.livefyre.com/