The social media landscape is in dire straits: Our feeds have gone from looking like boutique fairs to looking like crowded neighborhood malls, and influencers are more like coupon books than creatives. As New York Times tech writer Tiffany Hsu puts it, we're in the midst of a “junk-ad epidemic,” because online, “ads are sometimes most successful when they're eye-catchingly terrible.”
As a corporate content creator and social media consultant, I see the decline of these two camps every day. In addition to having over 140,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram, I also run a company called Myriad Media, where I consult with clients on how to improve their social media strategies. My day job is to help brands navigate this slippery slope of embarrassment, but it's never easy.
Focus on ROI
I believe the problem is the over-commercialization of social media driven by companies overly focused on measuring return on investment (ROI). This is evident in advertising, which is often flashy, salesy and bombastic, with a knock-on effect on influencer collaborations. As a result of pressure from clients, many content creators have started relying on clickbait to drive quick sales, rather than selling with compelling stories that will attract advertisers.
The underlying problem lies in the way social media marketing teams work: They are increasingly pressured by their companies to report ever-increasing sales and profits. As a result, they're missing the bigger picture: that storytelling and brand building are the keys to successful long-term marketing campaigns.
Think back to the days when advertising was primarily on billboards, TV, and radio. There was no way to track how many people who saw an ad on the train or during a break in their favorite sitcom became buyers or customers. As a result, creative agencies had to make their ads compelling so that as many viewers as possible would become customers.
Today, things have changed. With the advent of social media analytics, businesses mistakenly believe they have a shortcut to accessible (and cost-effective) advertising at the palm of their hand. Glamorous ads are being replaced by marketing techniques that drive the most click-through conversions on posts. These techniques (heavy discounts, eye-catching promotions, hard sales) will diminish your brand image without storytelling and compelling narrative-based advertising.
After all, in the words of marketing strategist Seth Godin, people don't buy products or services – they buy relationships, stories, and magic.
Quick Profits
The problem isn't that click-throughs are an ineffective indicator of success, but that they have less of an effect on a brand's longevity and image than many people think. Several Sales increased. But how did it affect the brand's image? What stories did your audience remember about the company? Do they know anything about the brand's values, history, where it has come from, where it all began?
Through storytelling style advertising, you have much more opportunity to let your clients know who your brand really is. These ads do not force sales. Sales will come anyway, just on a different timeline. When you create storytelling content for yourself or with content creators, you slowly, step by step, build a persona for your company. Ultimately, you reach people who share your company's values and, most importantly, need the products or services you sell, increasing the chances of them becoming loyal customers.
For example, some of the most effective campaigns I've run as an influencer have come from videos that were so authentic that they were almost hard to tell they were ads. One of them was a multi-video campaign on both my profile and a client's account that doubled the company's monthly sales within a few months.
The Art of the “Sandwich”
While it's not the same as the campaign mentioned above, this TikTok ad I created for Starbucks was very well received because it combined storytelling with humor and featured a strong character (an Italian abroad).
This is where the technique of “sandwiching” comes into play: layering your product, service or promotion between a compelling story that will draw in your audience and ultimately convert them into customers. The immediate increase in sales may be lower than with a simple promotional video, but if executed correctly, by layering videos, photos and pictures, this method can significantly increase brand awareness and, inevitably, sales.
Without this style of marketing, marketers will struggle to survive in a noisy and ever-changing social media environment, constantly rushing to build quick promotions and sales to get the word out online, only to end up repeating the same thing when the last one loses relevance.
I wanted to promote the new experiences and perks available at this restaurant, and I did that here by casually showcasing it in a vlog.
Rethinking meaning
Social media has undergone dramatic change over the past few years. Apps like TikTok and features like Instagram Reels and Shorts have gone from nonexistent to massive amounts of online attention. Yet despite these and countless other changes, marketing teams' KPIs have strangely stayed the same.
The biggest mindset shift required for marketers is to fundamentally get rid of the notion that social media marketing literally means advertising online (in the traditional sense). There are now many ways to increase a brand's status and awareness without relying on commercials.
Incorporating product or business references into your storytelling is one way, but there are countless others. Marketing expert Coco Mocoe, host of the “Ahead Of The Curve With Coco Mocoe” podcast, explains that some of the most innovative advertising campaigns are those that indirectly make consumers feel like your brand is the best, without them having to explicitly tell them.
“If I was trying to promote a cosmetics line, I would pay an influencer to use an inferior brand,” she explains. “I would have them say, 'I couldn't get this brand, so now I'm using a knockoff of that brand, and I'm going to go see if it's the same thing.'”
“This immediately elevates your brand,” she continues. “If they perceive something as lower quality than what you're offering, it validates that your brand is better than them,” a fellow marketer on her podcast echoed.
Influencing influencers
Today, tech giants continue to gatekeeper organic reach in the hopes that brands will spend their precious ad dollars on them. Brands, save your money. Content creators like me have a better chance of garnering valuable paid reach because consumers value interpersonal social authenticity.
But just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean businesses should work with creators. Brand messaging is a key consideration when partnering with influencers. Businesses should identify influencers who align with their company's values and content, and who can naturally incorporate their services or products into their content lineup.
An example of great influencer marketing from Malaysian content creator Jenn Chia. Her campaigns often start with a story that draws the audience in before showcasing the product she's promoting.
Still, if your goal is to hit sales KPIs quickly (which is perfectly valid in the overall scheme of your marketing efforts), working with dedicated online retailers is an avenue you can consider. But companies that value sophistication and storytelling should always invest in working with influencers who rely on narrative content over hard selling. Influencers firmly believe that the creators they work with directly reflect and represent their brand.
Do you consider yourself a strong, sophisticated brand? If so, you need to allocate some budget to work with creators who have loyal fans and well-crafted stories. If all you're doing is creating coupon code ads that users skip over with a snap of their fingers, ask yourself: is this all your brand is worth?
This article was originally published on peak.
