Featured image via Social Media Today
When LinkedIn launched their own version of “Stories” there was a collective groan amongst many of the platform’s users.
But when a social media platform drops a new feature–that’s the EXACT time you should be hopping on.
Why? Because early adopters get more exposure. These platforms have the audience to consume it but they don’t have enough creators—yet.
So the earlier you hop on the train, the greater chance you’ll have at additional eyeballs from your audience compared to a traditional post in the news feed.
What’s the history here?
A “story” is a short video clip that can only be visible for 24 hours and was made famous by Snapchat. Facebook famously tried to buy Snapchat but when they refused, Facebook decided to steal what made their platform great–and add it to their own Instagram.
Instagram Stories have been a savior for the platform. Organic posts that appear in the feed have dropped as far as consumer interest is concerned (that’s why you only see a few dozen likes for an account that has well over 100k followers) but adding Stories has given them a much-needed boost to capturing and keeping users on the platform. Well, at least until TikTok arrived.
Why do social media platforms steal from each other?
We live in an attention-driven economy and if one platform does something unique, a larger platform will try to either A) buy out the competition for attention or B) Try to make a cheaper version of the same feature (looking at you, Instagram Reels).
It’s all in a bid to keep their platforms growing and attention spans locked down so they can keep serving you ads.
Is now a good time to mention Netflix’s The Social Dilemma documentary? I feel like it is.
How can I use LinkedIn’s new stories to my advantage?
As with most of these platforms, you have to create for the audience the platform has. Try not to regurgitate your Instagram Stories or TikToks to LinkedIn Stories because these are all different audiences. Ask yourself, how can I tell a story about my company, brand, or service in a short video format?
Another tip is to tackle one small question or piece of insight and go into detail about that one topic over 3-5 videos. Don’t be one of those people who post so many stories it looks like ellipses at the top of your profile. If you get to the point and get to it quickly, that is a sure-fire way to not only be on top of mind but STAY on top of mind.
Other ideas you can post to LinkedIn Stories about:
- Answer a customer’s question
- BTS of your product or service
- Video case study
- Meet the Team
- Updates about a business event
Remember with any of these additions to any social media platform: Create with passion, purpose, and good intentions.
[worth] scouting report
- Facebook didn’t like Netflix’s Social Dillimea documentary. So they posted a statement about it–and Twitter did its thing tearing by tearing the statement apart. Rightfully so, imo.
- Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong came out, well, strong, against office politics. In a statement, he said the company is focused on a common goal and (paraphrasing here) but believes inviting politics into the workplace (aka Slack Channel) is a distraction. Based on the reaction, I’d say more companies are likely to follow suit.
- Infographic with more than two dozen ways retailers “trick” you into making a purchasing decision. My favorite was the trick of removing the comma from the price to make it not appear that expensive.
- The 4th Quarter is upon us which means the busy season. We all know 2020 is going down in the record books but how should you manage your team during the busy shopping season when life-itself is so stressful? The Drift team has some tips.
- If you haven’t been paying attention to the online payments company, Fast, you’re missing out on some really great marketing. Having recently launched their platform, they built anticipation through social media with—get this—organic posts. Nothing scheduled. All organic. And their marketing manager believes transparency is the next big thing in marketing.
