Share Your Story.......

I'm sorry to have to do this and rain on a lot of campaigns' parades but.....
"Sharing Your Story" on a company's website does not equal a social media campaign. "Sharing Your Story" is also not a magic bullet to be used from toothpaste to washing machines although it seems that a lot of industries are using it as one.
When entering the social media sphere, a lot of people tell me that they want to start a conversation with their audience. This is a great start. Then, and this is when it gets off course, they point to some company that's asking people for their stories on how their lawn mower saved their life or something to that effect. While we realize that our audiences must be engaged and listened to these days, the answer isn't simply to turn the podium over to them and ask them to "say something."
Have an actual conversation.
This is hard to do because it varies from company to company but there are a few guiding ideas to start with. What does a conversation between your audience and your company sound like?
Does it make sense to ask them their story? If you're a Center for Troubled Teens it might. If you're a paper company it doesn't. A paper company's conversation might involve the paper company giving advice on how to tell which thickness is best for presentations or their audience asking for advice on recycling.
The tone of the conversation should determine the placement.
If you're a music store or a celebrity magazine, having that conversation on Facebook would be fitting while the paper company might want to have their conversation on a social community for young professionals or entrepreneurs.


~ Caitlin