Keep it Short and Nimble
Digital Marketing with Micro Storytelling in 2019
Discovery Communications engages 400 million global social followers as per the study conducted by At A Glance[1].
I follow Discovery on most of its social handles. The aesthetic appeal of its content makes it stand out from other networks. Their Instagram account puts up various captivating images for its 7.8 million followers.
This brings us to the main question - what is it that attracts the 400 million global social followers to make them interact with the brand and sign up for a paid subscription? The secret of captivating people’s attention online lies in exceptional storytelling skills.
Social media is loaded with content. According to BrandWatch, as of March 2019, 74.7 million blog posts are published every month, 3.2 billion images are posted every day and 40,000 search queries are registered every second[2].
With a huge amount of content in circulation every day, it creates a crowded environment online. With more content on the portal, social media has become competitive. It has now become important to encapsulate innovative ways to find a place in this noisy world of the internet.
Storytelling is used by most social handles like Discovery, National Geographic, and Tasty. These platforms don’t just post photos but also encourage interactions. They ask an interesting question or share a little backstory of the image in a riveting manner. All these techniques have made storytelling work to successfully charm the viewers.
Striking Images
Discovery is known best for its cinematography. It posts images that have good colors, high quality, and a mesmerizing theme. This is the most important way to win someone’s attention. While deciding on a color scheme or the subject of the photo, you should put yourself in the user’s shoes. What would attract the visitor’s attention?
The images must have an extra factor. The camera used to take photos can have a great influence on how it turns out. When a photo is captured, it can be edited to improve the brightness or saturation using various applications online.
Discovery posts high-quality images. Most social platforms that get instant likes have an exclusive touch to them.
It is thus, central to make them unique, eye-catching and creative. A photo itself must leave the user wondering about its story.
Unique Opening
The opening lines of the content are the most consequential. They should be fun, engrossing, new and creative. An opening sentence can make the user feel attracted to the content. The trend today is to have a hook or a point that makes the viewers relate to the content. A line grabs an individual’s interest by speaking in a friendly or intellectual tone. Hence, the emotion of the sentences is very important.
Extraordinary Captions
Discovery publishes not only impressive images but accompanies them with awe-inspiring captions.
The caption for photos must be quirky, intelligent and unique.
Unparalleled
Online content must stand out in order to grab people’s attention. No one will click on a blog post that writes on repetitive subjects. Discovery puts out content on YouTube as well. Videos can be used to share adventurous or thrilling experiences.
Videos need not to be very long. It is easy to lose viewers’ attention so it is best to keep it short, informative and engaging.
Exceptional
Content needs to be well-written and adroitly presented. To beat others at getting more clicks on your posts, only exceptional content must be put out.
Sentiments
A theme can set a feel for the posts. Incorporating themes of sympathy, concern, and joy have proven to grab the audience’s focus.
Lack of Advertisements
Posts on social platforms give credit to individual photographers or caption writers. This adds to the exclusivity of the photo. More advertisements on a post make it appear less personal. People often misuse their platform by over advertising, which, is an instant put-off. People then click-off of the content and refrain from returning because of the professional feel they get. The more real a platform is; the more connected people feel.
Subscriptions
Major platforms have introduced subscriptions. They make extra content for visitors who pay for the subscription. The subscription for National Geographic page is something I don’t regret. If a platform has convinced the audience of its content, then the subscription proves beneficial for both the user and the creator.
Marketing Tricks
To make exceptional and unprecedented content, it is important to make use of the following techniques:
· Quirky/sentimental
· Should have a message
· Gripping
· Aesthetically pleasing
· Engaging
Useful Links:
- https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/storytelling
- https://www.i-scoop.eu/using-storytelling-strengthen-brand/
- https://www.tintup.com/blog/brand-storytelling-tips-marketers/
[1] https://corporate.discovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/163002_2016_Q4_AT-A-GLANCE_WEB.pdf
[2] https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/amazing-social-media-statistics-and-facts/
