Implementing digital storytelling strategies is a sustainable marketing and communications path.
There are many important stories to tell within in the rhythms of ‘good works’ efforts and community building. For every nonprofit organisation it is necessary to consider what story you are inviting the world into. Your story is your footprint in the sands of change. It should be compelling, intentionally developed and impactful.
5 tips to keep in mind when developing your story:
Personalise your communication according to your audience and your channel
Use captivating visual content
Clearly define your goals
Put a structure and strategy in place
Spend time intentionally developing the language for your story
1. A copy and paste formula will be convenient, but it will not reach your desired audience in an impactful way. You need a personalised formula for each audience, each relationship and channel. This way you are connecting with those you wish to invite to partner with you and keep your already established community in the loop. A few audiences to consider are your funders, your collaborating organisations, the communities you are working in and recipients (beneficiaries).
Your story should also be available in various formats and appear custom to the channel. Instagram and Tiktok are more visual based so images and videos will be more suitable. Where LinkedIn favours articles, newsletters and organisational milestones (candid images, documents, certificates etc). Twitter is for relevant topics and news based conversations. So it is important to know how you want to attract which target audience.
Be more intentional when creating suitable content as the success of your storytelling is determined by an accepted invitation.
Always prep multiple content options for your various audiences and channels
Personalise communication to your funders (Check out https://peerfectsolutions.com for tips on communicating with your funders)
2. Using visual content allows you to offer evidence for the work you are doing and where you are working. People like to see what people are doing to help others. Visual aids help better tell our stories. Think about video material and on-site images to bring your mission to life.
I recommend collecting images and videos to archive for future use. It could be tricky and delay preparing content if you don't have a gallery at hand.
Your visual content should also 'talk' about your brand – try and lookout for your brand colours in your community and if you are taking formal photos have your team wear your brand colours.
3. Before we can start producing something of value we have to clearly define our goals.
Consider these questions:
How should your storytelling serve you?
Who are you telling your story about?
Who do you want to reach?
Who needs to know about your story?
Where will you be sharing your story?
What channels do you have access to?
What is your budget for storytelling?
Goals are helpful for direction and quantifying tasks for every step of your story development.
Once you have answered these questions you need to plan where you will develop your story (Google Suite or Microsoft Suite) where you will plan content (Trello, Asana etc), where you will create your visual content (Canva, Adobe, Videoleap etc) and where you will schedule your content (Meta Business Suite, Buffer etc). You will also need to decide which channels to use (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube or TikTok etc).
Make sure your team has access to all your content, planning and scheduling tools, and accounts
You should also keep a drive to store content
Make a list of milestones
Celebrate your progress, even slow progress
4. Once you have identified your goals, develop your communications strategy and plan. Your communications strategy encompasses internal and external plans from which content is derived from and used to plan monthly content.
I use the following line-items with my clients (depending on their needs):
Brand Positioning: An internal document that will include details of your organisation's position in it's community, how you are making a difference and why your story is important – your value proposition
Language Guide: A glossary of words specific to your organisation and story
Website Audit: To align your website copy and visual content with your Brand positioning and SEO
Social Media Audit: To align profiles with your Brand Positioning and to observe our current content is received (engagement, audience and content quality etc)
Content Strategy: Detailing the types of content you want to produce based on content pillars, how frequent content should be produced and posted/published and and which channels should be prioritised
5. The language of your story is very important. You are bringing your brand to life with the words you choose and it will be the choice of words that is used repeatedly throughout your content, to communicate to your partners and to paint a vivid picture of your contributions to society. You will need to change the way your story appears so understanding the language and meaning goes hand-in-hand. Your brand language helps define your brand and make your brand uniquely recognisable – read more here
Read about the editing and scheduling tools I use here
Follow me for more tips on creative direction and redemptive storytelling here
Happy story developing!
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