People love stories. Right from childhood, we seek to hear stories from our parents and grandparents, we love to make our own little stories, and we feel excited to discover new stories in not only the human world but also the wild. This tendency of ours may seem to disappear as we grow up. But it doesn’t.
Our mind continues to search for intriguing stories through various forms of entertainment such as novels, movies, songs, or documentaries. Our fondness for stories never dies. The same applies to social media, especially Facebook. That’s why, when you scroll Facebook, your eyes instantly stick to those colorful photos and videos that tell stories.
This means visual storytelling is a powerful tool that brands and businesses can use to get close to their audiences’ hearts. So, today, we are going to guide you on creating your own stories that will put you on the track of success and far-and-wide reach.
“Visual Storyteller” is a Group Badge on Facebook awarded to the ones who post quality visual content, such as photos, images, or videos in a group. It’s a great way to give a push to the idea of storytelling and create excitement among Facebook users and group connections.
Facebook says “An important part of building a community is getting to know other group members”.
So, it introduced a range of Group Badges, including Administrator, Moderator, Rising Star, New Member, Conversation Starter, Link Curator, and Visual Storyteller for Facebook communities. These badges allow a Facebook group to acknowledge group members based on their roles and contributions.
Don’t make the mistake of considering these badges just for aesthetic purposes. Even though Facebook Group Badges don’t offer any real-life incentives, they are important tools to drive engagement, encourage group members to interact frequently and manage the groups more efficiently and productively. They help create positive competition and a sense of belonging among group members.
As a result, group members will feel the urge to stay more active in the group and contribute to it, which is the ultimate goal of any group.
But, what does Visual Storytelling exactly mean?
Facebook visual storytelling is a method that allows you to tell stories with the use of graphics, pictures, images, and videos to engage your Facebook community, inspire particular emotions and feelings, and encourage them to take some action.
When telling a story on Facebook about your brand, it is more effective to, first, tell the end of the experience and then work your way back. It’s because nobody wants to hear how much you are toiling to gain something that they don’t know about.
On the contrary, if you tell them that you gained 1 million followers within a surprisingly short time or how you build a profitable business with minimum or zero investment, a lot of people would want to hear how you did that. So, give them some hook right in the beginning to which they can cling on to hear the story behind an achievement, idea, or moment.
How Do You Get a Visual Storyteller Badge?
You don’t have to be a connoisseur of words or photography to earn the badge of a visual storyteller.
If you are a member of a Group (no matter if it is a Business Group, Professional Group, or Informal Group) and you frequently post quality visual content that depicts a story through images, pictures, and videos, then you might earn the badge of Visual Storyteller.
6 Ways to Use Visual Storytelling on Facebook
While there are countless ways to tell a visual story, the most common and effective ways are:
Running a visual campaign
Building a community
Sharing a collection of photos
Sharing fan-generated content
Adding stellar captions to images
Let your fans see what’s behind the curtain
Let’s take a look at these ways of visual storytelling in detail.
1. Running a visual campaign
Use your brand logo or create a mascot to tell the storyline that surrounds your chosen subject. Post photos and videos featuring the logo/mascot while subtly incorporating your products or services to show how your offerings make a difference in the real life of people. Your followers and customers will eventually associate your brand with the subject and get attached to the storyline.
2. Building a community
Nothing is precious than having a loyal and active community. Make a point to show your gratitude and share visual content with your Facebook community so that they can feel connected to you. Tell them if you are doing charities, taking actions to make the environment better, making efforts to reduce the wastage of resources, and so on. Whatever it is, if it is something that creates a positive image of your brand in the mind of your Facebook followers, it is worth sharing the story.
3. Sharing a collection of photos
A collection of photos can itself be a storyteller sometimes. If you have photos of your employees and staff having fun on the last trip, why not show their happy faces to the world? Had you recently completed a big project despite several challenges? Gather some photos and create a video telling how everyone came together and contribute to making things possible. Even random clicks sometimes make a great collection to spread smiles and happiness in your community.
4. Sharing fan-generated content
What is the most valuable content in today’s digital world? Content that is generated by fans! It oozes the authenticity and popularity of your brand while expressing your ability to make your customers happy. It’s free, more believable in the eyes of potential customers, and brings more engagement.
5. Adding stellar captions to images
Whenever you post a photo or an image, don’t simply leave it alone. Reinforce the message by adding an appealing caption. For instance, if you took a picture of a rainy day last night and now want to post it, also share how this moment influenced you, what made this moment special, what elements made that picture more lively and vibrant, the secret behind taking that perfect picture, or if a rainy day reminds you of something, someone, or someplace that touched the strings of your heart.
6. Let your fans see what’s behind the curtain
Everyone has some level of curiosity to know what’s behind the curtain. So, don’t hide. Let your fans see the face behind your brand, interact with you, and create a more humane connection with your brand. This way, you will be able to instill trust and confidence among people towards your brand. Upload photos of your business and employees showing what they care for and are passionate about. Tell stories that demonstrate the growth of your business and employees.
Still thinking, how to tell a visual story?
When it comes to visual storytelling on Facebook, you can share the following ideas on your business page, group, or community:
How your brand came into existence
What motivated your business founders
How you ensure a cultural and productive environment in your workplace
How you overcome some crisis or challenges
What special you do at festivals or events
How your top employees achieved milestones
The stories behind your projects
How your business is influencing the life of your customers or the ones you are helping
Let’s dig a bit deeper to understand it better with an example.
Suppose you are a small business that sells fabric. To engage and interact with your existing and potential followers, you can share the stories behind the making of those fabrics, particularly the ones that are handwoven, hand blocked, hand painted, or handcrafted.
You can share the stories of people who are the true creators of those fabrics, how your business is helping those people attain stability in their livelihood, and how you are determined to spread awareness about their skills, hardships, and art across the world.
In essence, visual storytelling is all about opening your heart through photos, images, and videos and let the communication flow between you and your fans and followers. Say NO to creating mystery around your brand or posting things that lack emotion and feelings. Be a visual thought creator among your people, your customers, and your followers.
Vijaya Raj Laxmi Tyagi has been an avid content writer for over five years with a keen interest in writing SEO articles and blogs. She also finds great enthusiasm in writing about a vast variety of topics, including gardening, interior designing, health & wellness, and tourism. Her educational background in Computer Science and Engineering has given her an edge to write about technologies that tend to mark a great impression on daily lifestyle and behaviour, while her intrigue towards Mother Nature drives her to discuss green topics.
