Image Source: Pixabay

Story mapping is integral to creating an unforgettable social media experience for your audience. Experts say that “In user story mapping, teams create a dynamic outline of a representative user’s interactions with the product, evaluate which steps have the most benefit for the user, and prioritize what should be built next.”

In our case, story mapping tells the story of how a specific user persona would interact with your social media content from introduction to taking your desired action and beyond. As a result, story mapping is hugely successful because it shows you how you want an ideal customer to interact with your social media content and gives you insight into improving your social media strategy to get that ideal interaction. 

But how can you truly put story mapping to good use? Let’s dive into three ways to incorporate story mapping into your social media strategy to improve your audience experiences.

 

Use data to map out an accurate story 

Using a story map in your social media strategy starts with knowing as many details about your target audience as possible. Without accurate data about what individuals in your audience do daily, how they learn, how they purchase, the content they resonate most with, and so forth, you’ll be unable to use story mapping to your advantage. 

An accurate story map can help you visualize how someone would interact with your social media content from introduction to hopefully a purchase on your website. So, to create accurate story maps for different users interacting with your social media content, learn the following about your audience: 

• Which social media platforms they use the most.

• What features they use most on those platforms.

• What types of social media content resonate most.

• What topics they’re enjoying most.

• How they’re engaging with posts (comments, likes, shares).

• How often they’re visiting your website because of a social media interaction.

• If they’re clicking the link in your bio.

In addition, collecting the amount of data you need is almost impossible manually. So, enlist the help of artificial intelligence to collect and filter data for your story maps. Artificial intelligence is defined as “The theory and development of computer programs that are able to do tasks and solve problems that usually require human intelligence.” 

In other words, there are certain human behaviors like translation or collecting data that machines can now do. It’s proven that these machines can do these tasks faster and with better accuracy, but analytics still requires a human touch. So, after collecting and processing data, you must interpret and leverage it to make decisions on your social media strategies and other business decisions. 

In learning about your target audience through data, specifically, what platforms they’re most engaged on, you can also map out how users would be driven to visit your website and other online spaces from your social media content.

 

Map out cross-promotion opportunities 

You should connect your social media campaigns to the business’ website and other online spaces for increased brand visibility and organic traffic. Story mapping can help you visualize how someone would interact with a piece of social media content and how that user ends up on your website because of that social media interaction. 

Once an individual gets to the end of a post, and the call-to-action is a link to a page on your website, what makes them click the link? And after they click the link, what do they do on your website? Does the post lead to them making a purchase? These questions could and should be answered in a user story map to get a picture of a user’s full circle interaction with your brand rather than just the social media content. 

Additionally, cross-promotion means various users with different abilities and varying lifestyles. So, you want to ensure your social media strategy is as inclusive as possible. And that brings us to our last way to incorporate story mapping into your social media strategy. 

 

Ensure your social media strategy is inclusive 

Unfortunately, many businesses rarely think about accessibility when it comes to their website, let alone their social media content. But story mapping can help you stand out from your competition with an inclusive social media strategy. 

Your social media content and any other content you put out should be accessible to all users. You can use story mapping to visualize how users living with disabilities would interact with your social media content and user experiences. Then, you can design content, features, and functions to accommodate their needs and make the overall experience pleasurable. 

So, first, take a look at how the disability community is currently engaging with your social media content. Then, identify how you can improve your content and overall approach to social media to be more inclusive. For example, when you post images, use your captions to describe them in detail and the message you want viewers to get from these images. Likewise, ensure the videos you post are captioned. And although bold color schemes, unique fonts, and out-of-the-box visuals are typical on social media, you should lean more towards minimalist content that is still reflective of your brand. 

All in all, use story mapping to ensure your social media strategy is inclusive of persons in the disability community. 

 

Conclusion 

Ultimately, using story mapping in your social media strategy can significantly improve your audience experiences. Use data to get the map started, incorporate cross-promotional interactions into it, and ensure your strategy is inclusive with the help of successful story mapping.  

 

Author: Adrian Johansen

Adrian Johansen is a writer and marketer in the Pacfic Northwest. She sees life as an opportunity for learning, and loves to share knowledge with others. You can find more of her work here.