Pankaj Narang — January 17, 2017 At the end of the day, social media is all about storytelling.
If you are using social media only to advertise and boost your sales, then you just can’t sustain in the long run. Every successful marketer knows that social media is more about creating brand awareness and communicating with your audience than simply putting the word out there.
It is more about conveying the story behind your brand and making it interesting for others. If you do it the right way, then not only can you grow your audience on social media, but can also attain better leads.
Fortunately, there are plenty of storytelling tools out there that can make your job a whole lot easier. Each tool has its own peculiar usage and will add something valuable to your next campaign. Here’s a thoughtfully curated list of some of the best storytelling tools that every social media marketer should use this year.
- Storify
As the name suggests, Storify will let you create engaging and personalized stories in no time. From live blogging to hashtag campaigns, there are different kinds of stories that can be readily created using the tool.
You can connect it to your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram profiles and bring different types of content in one place. Furthermore, it allows the provision to readjust the elements and insert texts as well, so that you can give your readers a unique experience. Storify is one of the best tools when comes to narrating a story and sharing it on an online platform seamlessly.
Go ahead and give it a try! For starters, you can just assemble what other users have posted on your timeline and create a unique testimonial. Livefyre has recently come up with Storify 2 as well with advanced features like real-time integration, customized look and feel, monetization, etc.
- LookBookHQ
These days, a lot of brands are creating their eBooks to attract leads and keep their customers informed. If you have the same thought in mind, then you should definitely give LookBookHQ a try. The content marketing automation platform will let you present your content in an appealing way to your audience.
From providing the length of the eBook to customizing each and every part of it, the platform will let you create a personalized storytelling tool that will definitely elevate the power of your content.
The tool also provides an in-depth analytics, giving you every kind of data you need for your research. It is already used by brands like Vodafone, Ikea, Adobe, McAfee, HP, and a lot more.
- Paper.li
Become a social media rockstar with this futuristic storytelling tool that every marketer should use to bring an edge to their game. In a nutshell, Paper.li is a newspaper of tweets (or any other kind of content) where you can combine user-generated content from various sources and present it to your audience in an aesthetically pleasing way.
It has an extremely easy to use interface, which can allow you to filter tweets on the basis of usernames, hashtags, keywords, etc. Furthermore, you can handpick content from other sources (like Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) and bring everything together under one roof. Not just as a web newspaper, you can also create email newspapers with it or simply share your freshly generated content on social media.
Paper.li is already used by leading publishing firms like Bloomberg, Techcrunch, Wired, Mashable, Life hacker, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and more. The tool can also be integrated with popular platforms like MailChimp or Google Analytics.
- ThingLink
If you are finding it hard to use your content for lead generation, then ThingLink is just the right tool for you. With it, you can link absolutely anything and redirect your audience to a landing page or any other kind of marketing funnel. Empower your content and annotate your images or videos with this powerful tool.
Currently, the tool supports 70 different types of CTA (Call to Action) and can layer your content into images, maps, audio, videos, text, etc. A completely customizable tool, it can also be integrated with different platforms. With it, you can do countless of things with a single image or video.
Additionally, it supports 360-degree images and videos as well, so that you can interact with your audience in a better way. From product marketing to creating smart infographics, the sky is the limit with Thinglink. You can try it for free initially and later get a Basic ($ 20/mo) or Premium ($ 125/mo) plan.
- Storyboard That
With Storyboard That, you can create powerful visual messages and add something unique and interesting to your timeline. You can also include your storyboard in your blogs or any other social media platform.
With this tool, you can create engaging stories and express them in a thoughtful way to your audience. The tool has a lot of readily available graphics, illustrations, and animations that you can pick and create a compelling story.
Not just marketers, teachers and filmmakers can also use this amazing tool. It has a flexible layout and an extensive library that is sure to impress your audience. The tool has a free trial and offers a wide range of customizable packages.
- Apester
If you are getting tired of using the same-old storytelling techniques, then you should definitely give Apester a try. The platform calls itself “the next generation of storytelling” and certainly lives up to its names. From creating appealing native advertisements to interactive websites, it can do it all.
With Apester, you can definitely level-up your storytelling skills. It allows a seamless way to embed interactive units within images and videos. As a marketer, you can easily use it to create engaging surveys, polls, quizzes, personality tests, etc. You can make it a part of your articles as well and engage more people with your content.
It is already used by giant publishing platforms like AOL, The Huffington Post, Fox Sports, The Telegraph, etc. Give Apester a free trial and you are sure to use it over and over again.
- Storyform
Storyform will definitely let you experience the new-age of storytelling. With it, you can create beautiful and responsive stories in no time. The platform can help you create not just responsive stories, but blog posts, white papers, and reports as well.
It provides cross-platform and device integration and with its full-screen layout, you can definitely get your audience’s attention for sure. Storyform is a complete platform that has an intuitive interface and will let you create responsive stories that can be shared on social media or a website.
You can initially go for the free trial and later upgrade your plan to create more compelling stories. There are different premium plans that can cost from $ 8-99 a month.
- Timeline
If you like to create a compelling story in a chronological order, then you can’t find a better tool. It is extremely easy to use and can process dates and events without any trouble. Start from the scratch and narrate the story of your idol or the timeline of a crucial event using this remarkable tool.
You can customize your timeline by editing pictures, texts, and different kinds of content to make it more appealing. Later, these timelines can be shared on blog posts or websites. It supports different sources like YouTube, Maps, SoundCloud, Wikipedia, Twitter, Flickr, and a lot more.
The tool is already used by publishers like Time, Mashable, Le Monde, CNN, The Denver Post, etc. If your aim is to provide factual information to your audience in a productive way, then you certainly can’t ask for a better storytelling tool than this.
- Shorthand
What makes Shorthand different from any other tool of the same league is its simplicity. In a few minutes, you can create a stunning visual story using this powerful tool and share it on any social media platform. It can collect data from the web, directly from its user, or a social media platform as well.
Furthermore, Shorthand provides an exceptional way to help marketers use these stories for lead generation with a distinctive landing page and CTA integration. Without any coding, you can create fully responsive and visually appealing designs using this remarkable tool.
Initially, you can try the platform for free and later create a tailor-made plan for yourself. It is already used by some of the biggest publishers in the world like Time, Business Insider, BBC, The Guardian, The Telegraph, LinkedIn, and more.
Final Words
From creating a timeline to a visual tutorial and a storyboard to a digital newspaper, there are almost endless of things you can do with these remarkable tools. I have handpicked unique and distinctive tools in this post, so that you can expand your horizon and come up with new ideas for your next big campaign.
Give these powerful storytelling platforms a try and change the way you interact with your audience right away. What is your favorite digital storytelling tool? Let us know in the comments below.
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