Do you keep checking your social media profiles to see if your post has generated comments and get disappointed when it does not? Then, you need to learn the basics of social media storytelling, said social media expert Alexandra MAIA, founder and creative strategist, House of Social.

She was leading a session titled ‘Tools for Creating Content for Social Media’, livestreamed on the ‘Sharjah Reads’ virtual platform as part of the Sharjah International Book Fair 2020.

“You must create engaging stories that can turn people into listeners, who will then become your followers,” she said, while outlining the techniques. “Social media storytelling is the process of using social media platforms to tell stories about your brand, products, or whatever you want to convey, to captivate your audience.”

The key rule is that storytelling on social media is not just another tactic to sell products or services. “It enables you to expose your brand to your audience, tell them what your brand is all about,” she noted. “Like any other form of storytelling, it has to have a beginning, middle, and an end.”

She outlined key steps to creating compelling stories that gain traction on popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, among others.

Know your audience

“Before creating a story, ask yourself, ‘Who are your viewers? Who will engage with your story the most?’ You need to understand your audience to create a compelling story.,” said Alexandra. “What do you want people to feel? Write your story from that point of view.”

The story should align with your brand’s nature. “Do they think quirky, funny, or happy? Your post should reflect that,” noted Alexandra. “Every brand has an energy level, and your content must mirror that.”

Right stories for the right platforms

Create the right stories for the right platform. “Make sure that the stories match the style of content usually supported on the platform,” she said. “Create storyboards so that you know what you have to do every step of the way. Be clear about the visual style to adopt for your story and see that your photography and music mirrors that.”

Alexandra advised creating a weekly planner to chart the content to be shot and uploaded. “Your stories must follow the brand’s schedule, mirroring their activities.”

She recommended free apps like Canva and Creative Market that offers templates to create designs for posts on most social media platforms. Alexandra also offered her audience free access to 12 courses available on her website: alexhouseofsocial.com/freeonlineacademy

In a session held earlier titled ‘A Digital Pandemic’, Alexandra spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of social media during the pandemic, and gave tips on how to adapt and succeed in these difficult times – by listening with humility to customers, remaining agile and cultivating positivity and optimism.

Organised by Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), SIBF 2020 concludes on November 14. Being held under the theme, ‘The World Reads from Sharjah’, the 39^th edition has adopted a fully digital format to host its cultural and social media programme of 64 unique events, which are being streamed on SBA’s virtual platform over the 11 days of the fair. Register for upcoming discussions at sharjahreads.com.