Fleeting stories on social media

The concept behind Snapchat is no longer new; Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp have now also adopted the ‘Stories’ feature. Quick photos and videos with filters, emojis and text; the stories disappear after 24 hours. How can we utilise this in the world of online marketing? After all, wasn’t it always the case that we had to regularly share content that offers added value to the reader?

The camera as the new keyboard

For years, we scrolled through the stories on our timeline, organised by date and time. Later, Facebook introduced a new algorithm: a timeline
based on interests and relationships. The algorithm has had an enormous impact on the internet ever since. The chronological timeline has become a thing of the past since the arrival of Stories on Snapchat; the camera is becoming the new starting point for mobile use. If we are to believe trend watchers, Stories will be the content of the future. Stories are taking the place of the familiar chronological timelines.

The success of stories

The success of stories lies in the way they are created and consumed. With a single press of a button, we move on to the next story, and in just a few taps, the moment of the day is captured. This rapid method of creation allows moments to be captured quickly. An additional advantage of Stories is the effect they have on the reader’s attention. Whereas we used to scroll vertically through our timeline, Stories are full-screen.
As a result, we hold our attention for longer, whilst still remaining in control. And because of the fleeting nature of Stories,
they also become highly exclusive: ‘I have to watch them now, because in 24 hours they’ll be gone for good’.

Quick and efficient information processing

But why should a company start using stories? Quite simply because millennials prefer short, quick-to-process information and are visually oriented. Millennials have grown up with a wealth of visual stimuli and want to absorb as much knowledge as possible in the shortest possible time. And that is exactly what the ‘stories’ phenomenon delivers. Nowadays, the older generation is also getting to grips with Stories on social media, meaning this target group can also be drawn into the fleeting narratives of social media.

Making successful use of stories

Generally speaking, Stories are used for branding, as they’re an easy way to raise awareness of your brand. But these days, Stories are also used to generate leads, drive traffic and boost sales. Thanks to the exclusive nature of Stories, they can, for example, be used effectively to give a sneak peek into your company. Would you like your company to make successful use of Stories in your social media strategy and do you need help with this? We’d be happy to help!