Tips and Tactics for Digital Storytelling
Digital Storytelling is the "it" thing for advocacy but with enthusiasm around digital storytelling and user generated content has come big expectations that it is a panacea for driving traffic and donations. Digital storytelling can be a great option for your assocation, but it will take a while to develop and use the content in away that it will do everything you want or need it to. So here are some of our (hopefully) helpful mediums to engage in digital storytelling in a thoughtful and fulfilling way.
Know your story. Understanding your association's story is the first step to good digital storytelling. If you know what you want to say, you can find the best stories that match your goals. There are a lot of ways to tell a story and promote it. The digital world has given us added flexible ways folks can find your association and ways organizations can deliver a message. Here are some of our favorites:
Short Form Video: A video of less that sixty seconds can create a connection in an emotional way and deliver a message clearly and quickly. Though live video can be compelling, so can explainer and white board videos. Some websites, like Bitable & Videoscirbe, offer unique & simple services to help you create a compelling video.
Long Form Video: Contrary to popular belief, longer for videos do incredibly well and let folks dig into an issue
Memes: The world of the internet meme is alive and well and I love them. Many people downplay their benefit but it is a good way to mix up content. ERMAHGERD!
Storify: Another way to engage with images is Storify. It is great to mix words and visuals together.
Instagram: Images are a great way to tell an emotive story. Instagram has a built in audience that is different than Facebook. With their growing audience that it is a mistake to ignore it. Speaking of Instagram, you should check out The Campaign Workshop's Instagram here.
Ebooks: Ebooks are still a great way to engage folks and get real conversions.
Long-Form Posts: Long form posts are a good way to dig into content but not have to write an ebook.
Short Form Posts: The flexibility of short form posts can still tell a story and be connected to videos or other content
Bonus: Digital storytelling can create backlinks that can bring real authority to your blog. Social sharing can help drive traffic (video will help with that too) but authority is very important for the long term.