14 Aug Everything You Need to Know About Social Media Marketing You Learned In Kindergarten
My sister is a Kindergarten teacher and probably one of the best storytellers I have ever encountered. From a young age I can remember being riveted to the edge of my seat by stories of things that I had little or no real interest in. THAT, my friends is solid storytelling. So why does this matter to you? It matters because everything you need to know about being a great social media marketer you learned in kindergarten. Allow me to explain.
Know the Story Like the Back of Your Hand
Once you’ve read Humpty Dumpty a few hundred times, I’m guessing the words on the page aren’t really a necessity anymore. Knowing what story you want to tell is key. Start by telling yourself the story over and over and over. No two stories will be EXACTLY the same, but the key points will always rise to the surface. Pay attention to those and emphasize them. This will allow you to reinforce your key message while not boring your audience.
Coke does a great job of storytelling. Their images make the story of refreshment the centerpiece of whatever trend or theme they’ve chosen for their post.
Understand the Attention Span of Your Audience
In terms of attention span, Kindergartners and the Internet users are not so different. They are distracted by shiny things, there are always multiple other conversations going on, and they are quick to dump you for something more exciting. So how do you keep them focused on an ill-fated egg and all the king’s men? It’s all about presentation.
You can almost immediately understand the story that’s being told here. The new Mega Stuf Oreo is going to be the biggest ever. It is simple to understand and can be quickly and easily consumed.
Remember That Deep Down You’re An Entertainer
To say that my sister was born to be a star is an overwhelming understatement. She sang, she danced, and she enlisted me as backup. It was all very terrifying, but it taught me a great lesson about storytelling. Once you’ve mastered your story, you need to spice it up a bit to keep your audience engaged. Give it a little pizazz if you will. Think of your fan base as a class of Kindergartners.
Varying the delivery of your story can help reinforce your message for users that learn differently. That is a key method in storytelling. Think of a teacher telling a story and making sound effects and pointing out pictures and using intense adjectives. Captivate all of your audience’s senses if possible.
Nike does this with visual and video content very well. This image is inherently entertaining, but also still tells Nike’s story very clearly. In this instance, Nike is as much a media brand as it is a sports and performance brand.
Don’t Worry About Looking “Silly”
I’ve watched my sister Adrienne tell a story the way she would to her class and there isn’t an ounce of shame in her over the top gestures and the pantomime that goes along with it. You shouldn’t be worried about looking silly either. Sometimes it’s to your benefit. Most audiences understand the difference between humor and ignorance so don’t worry about your alliteration, pun, or attempt to express a noise in words not going over well. With some thought you can create an awesome piece of content that will really stick.
Old Spice is a brand that is clearly not afraid of looking silly in their pursuit of awesome content. This post may not make a ton of sense out of context, but try forgetting a bottle of body wash pouring steak sauce on a beefsteak tomato.
This is really about keeping it simple and conveying clear messages to your audience. You’ve likely already told the story thousands of times, but chances are you haven’t been telling it in the simplest form. Think of your key messages in the terms that a Kindergartner would use and you just might become the coolest kid on the Internet playground.
