Stories Still Matter

At Shop.Org's Annual Summit, Wharton Business School Professor, Jonah Berger, delivered a simple message in his keynote address to retailers:  stories still matter.

The quality of social media content has continued to improve, but, Berger states, "creating captivating content is no longer enough".  His argument is based on the premise that stories, the age-old communication device, are still the most effective way of taping into our intrinsic social behaviors while emphasizing memorable brand messages.

So how can we use these insights to improve social media communication?  It boils down to three key takeaways:

1.  SOCIAL CURRENCY:  Create associations; leverage individual's desire to define themselves by the choices they make to speak about and promote your brand.

2.  TRIGGERS:  Find a way to tie your product to a top-of-mind trigger.  Think outside the box here, use compliments to  your brand or product to trigger association.  In Berger's words, "find your peanut butter", meaning that peanut butter is naturally a great advertisement for jelly.

3.  TROJAN HORSES:  Create a narrative that people will remember and talk about.  Weave that narrative throughout your social media to create an integrated story.