Why Storytelling is Important

Storytelling is important to creating digital content. Despite the fact that we are interacting with technology, we are human beings, and we still want to interact with other human beings. With so much information being available at our fingertips, the writers need to show that they are genuine, and that they are offering  information that can’t just be written by a robot. The writers need to get over their fears and get passed the idea of portraying a perfect image of themselves online and portray themselves (or their business) in a way that allows the audience to connect with them.

Currently, my job involves posting job postings on our social media channels, so that we can highlight the jobs available in the hopes of finding candidates to fill them, or to find new clients that could benefit from our services. Our services are free, so we are not trying to get people to spend money – just to reach out to use our services and hopefully find a match with the jobs available, so that we can fill an employer’s need. I think our engagement could be higher, and the number of clients that reach out to use our services could be higher.

I think I need to turn these job postings into stories to get the engagement that I’m looking for. Instead of just providing details of job postings, I’m going to turn it into storytelling. I could look at a particular field and describe what it is like to do that job. It would be nice to speak to an employer or a person working in the field to get their insights. Then I could list the jobs that we have available in that field and provide links to our Job Board, which lists the job details. The only issue I see is finding the time to write the story and potentially talking to others that can add to the story. Hopefully, I can plot out some time in my work schedule to do this, so that we can use social media to its fullest and get the clients that we need.

Do People Know Your Story?

What about my childhood shaped me for this moment?

When I was growing up, I had difficulty speaking up. My early years were spent listening to people argue all around me – whether it was my parents arguing with each other, my mother and step brother arguing while my step father walked away from the fights, or my grandparents arguing with anyone in their vicinity – including me. With my grandparents, when I tried to express my opinion or ask questions, I was verbally silenced. I remember one time telling my grandfather that you should only eat three eggs per week (as per the book I was reading by Tina Yothers from Family Ties). I was immediately told that the bacon and eggs that he made for me every morning were perfectly healthy, and I should appreciate the food.

Over time, I got used to my voice not being heard, and I think I stopped putting in the effort. By grade 8, I was barely talking to anyone, and my best friend gave up and stopped being friends with me. Filled with loneliness and depression, I turned inward and started writing. I became the smart, shy high school student. Although I made other friends and became a little more social, I remained “the quiet one” in my circle. My childhood dream of becoming a teacher took a backseat to my low self-esteem. How could I possibly stand up in front of a classroom and talk, even to a bunch of kids? I changed my career focus to writing and went to college.

I got a good job at a corporation writing and creating their Intranet, but I still hadn’t found my voice. I was encouraged by supervisors to “speak up”. I couldn’t even fight a battle that I should have fought regarding my job duties and work performance. Instead, I walked away from my job and the corporate world.

My first time doing yoga was in college when someone offered it at the college to help us through the stress of exams. It took me another 10 years to have a more consistent practice and to consider taking a yoga teacher training course. Part of me only took the course to develop my yoga practice further. There was no pressure to teach afterwards.

After finishing the 8-month course, I volunteered to teach the outdoor community yoga class. There were about 50 people doing yoga under my instruction. They were listening to me. Following me. It was remarkable! When I started teaching regular classes, I would get compliments about my voice. “Your voice is so soothing.” I had finally found my voice and found the right environment to use it in where I was comfortable and felt appreciated.

COVID pushed me further out of my comfort zone when I chose to teach online. I’m more comfortable in front of the camera now, hearing my own voice, and I am making plans for next year that will involve launching yoga videos. I don’t think that child in grade 8 could have ever imagined that this is where she would end up. (I even reconnected with my best friend from grade 8!)

What has happened in your life that has caused it to take on its current shape? Share it in the comments.

My Personal Brand

In my yoga business, I focus on clients that may not walk into a regular yoga studio. I have had a passion for teaching those with disabilities, physical limitations, and people over the age of 45 who are not physically active. I have taken training and completed independent study to have a better understanding of how to help these types of people in their yoga practice, so that they can receive the benefits of yoga without feeling intimidated, or feeling like they can’t do what the instructor is demonstrating. I think this knowledge and understanding makes me stand out, and I think my empathy and compassion shows when I am instructing and giving options to people. Other instructors who don’t have the knowledge of how to provide the appropriate options to this clientele may choose to ignore them and only teach to their own skill level.

What I am most proud of is my ability to be flexible in my teaching, so that I can teach according to who is in the room and what they are currently dealing with. Or if I can’t implement what they need within the class, I speak to them afterwards and demonstrate appropriate poses, or I complete further research and send them information.

I once witnessed a client going into a yoga class for the first time using a walker. Her mother spoke to the instructor and asked if she would be able to participate in the class. The instructor was teaching at a facility whose mandate was to service people of any abilities, and to make the facility and classes accessible to anyone. The instructor told the mother that she planned on teaching Sun Salutations that night, and asked how the client would feel about that. The client clearly was not able to do regular Sun Salutations, which involve flowing in and out of poses, both standing and laying on your stomach. After the client and mother decided that the class would not be appropriate, I invited the client to attend my Gentle Yoga class, which I taught at the same facility. She attended class, and I guided her through the poses and provided options where needed. That was 11 years ago. I decided at that point that that was the instructor that I wanted to be. I was able to continue my learning, so that I could fully support these types of clients.

Saje Natural Wellness – B2C Case Study

How does a company whose product is based on a customer’s sense of smell engage with customers through social media? Saje Natural Wellness has a website and is on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. They also have a Blog and a Podcast. I will look at what they are doing in Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

First, I like Saje’s introduction on Instagram: “We believe in physical and emotional wellness for all. 100% natural products for your mind, body & home” (@sajewellness). The company categorizes their Instagram posts. This is helpful to the consumer who is looking for specific information. Similar to going onto the company’s website and clicking on a product category, the customer can click on categories such as “Holiday” or “Now Diffusing” and see Instagram posts, feeds, reels, and guides related to that category. The company doesn’t just show pictures of their product displays, they show their products set up with home decor, and they show pictures of their employees and customers enjoying their products. Saje has 327,000 followers and has done 3,089 posts on Instagram. They do a great job showing what their products can do for you. For example, allowing you to relax on the coach while reading a book and diffusing their essential oils. They have a lot of Likes – some have a few hundred and some have thousands. There are a few comments from people, a lot of them expressing their love of the product.

When you go on Saje’s Facebook page, a chat window pops up, so that you can start asking questions or getting help (@SajeWellness). I’m not sure how responsive they are, as an immediate response would require someone to man the chat. Messenger indicates that someone typically replies within one day. Their Facebook page has 163,000 followers and almost as many people who Like the Facebook page. They have a Shop section on their page which shows different products along with the costs, and links to their website where the product can be purchased. They use their posts to advertise their products and sales. There is little interaction from customers considering how many followers the site has — a good post has about 30 Likes/Loves. There are a few comments. One comment was about the length of time it was taking to process someone’s order. The client did get a response from Saje, and the problem was resolved.

Saje has almost 5,000 followers and 45,000 Likes on TikTok (sajewellness). Many of the videos involve opening up and setting up their products. Some videos also highlight employees talking about using the products. Others highlight sales that are happening. The videos have hundreds and even thousands of views. One of the videos (on Peppermint Halo) has almost 10,000 views. They get a few comments where customers talk about their love for the products. Saje is good at acknowledging and responding to the comments with responses such as, “It’s hard to pick a favourite” and “We can’t wait for you to receive your goodies.” Saje shows that they are just as enthusiastic about their products as their customers are.

Sage also has a YouTube Channel with 336,000 subscribers (@SajeNaturalWellness). There is a Wellness at Home section, which includes videos on meditation using the essential oils, self-care techniques, recipes, and taking care of plants and herbs, and other uses for the essential oils. Some of the videos were initially from Facebook live demonstrations. The videos have very little comments, but Saje interacts with the Commenters by acknowledging them and thanking them. They have a lot of views, some having a few hundred, and others have a few thousand. The videos from Wellness at Home are from two years ago. The How To section is from 5 years ago. The videos may have been used in an effort to engage with customers through YouTube, but perhaps Saje did not see the value in continuing.

I think Saje does a great job using social media to keep consumers engaged. It’s great to see all of the positive comments from consumers and the acknowledgements from Saje. I think the pictures and videos showing the products in the home allows you to see yourself using and enjoying the product even though your missing out on the products greatest feature – the smell. I think Saje crossed into all of the major social media channels. They may have felt this was necessary, as their product can appeal to any age of consumer.

References

@SajeNaturalWellness. (n.d.). Saje Natural Wellness. YouTube. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/@SajeNaturalWellness

@SajeWellness . (n.d.). Saje Wellness. Facebook. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://www.facebook.com/SajeWellness

@sajewellness. (n.d.). Saje Natural Wellness. sajewellness. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://www.instagram.com/sajewellness/

sajewellness. (n.d.). Saje Naturally Wellness. TikTok. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://www.tiktok.com/@sajewellness

Target Audience Analysis

I wanted to look at the data on my company website to get an understanding of who is accessing our website and social media channels. The company that I am reviewing offers free employment services. I find that we struggle to get enough clients accessing our services.

Target Audience

Our target audience is people that are unemployed and searching for work or looking to make a career change. Our services are available to anyone 18 years and older. We offer a variety of programs, including programs targeted to youth, people over the age of 50, and those that may need additional support in securing and keeping their jobs (such as people with disabilities or low job retention). These clients are typically low to middle class and of any gender. The services are targeted to those in the same city as our office location or the surrounding area. We offer help to those looking in industries such as food, hospitality, trades, customer service, administrative support, and retail.

Google Analytics

According to Google Analytics, the users of our website are female dominant (63.6% female and 36.4% male). They range in age from 18 to 65+ with the highest percentage of users being 18-24 years of age. This is followed by 25-34 year olds, and then 35-44 year olds.

There are three interest categories that I looked at on Google Analytics: Affinity Category (reach), In-Market Segment, and Other Category. The most applicable for this analysis is In-Market Segment which refers to users that would be ready to purchase products/services from that category (2022). The top interests for In-Market Segment include Education/Post-Secondary Education, Employment, and Employment/Career Consulting Services. This aligns well with the services that we offer (employment services and opportunities for further training).

Facebook Analytics

The gender percentages from our website are similar to our Facebook users who ‘Like’ our page. These users are female dominant (72.1% women and 27.9% men). The 18–24-year-olds that rank highest for website users rank the lowest in Liked Facebook posts (3.2% women and 2.2% men). The highest number of Liked Facebook posts comes from women ages 35-44, followed by women ages 25-34, followed by women ages 45-54.

Instagram Analytics

The website analytics for gender are also similar to our Instagram followers which are female dominate (62.9% women and 37.1% men). The highest number of followers are women ages 25-34, followed by women ages 35-44, and women ages 45-54.

Conclusion

I find that our Instagram reach is very low (32,640) compared to our Facebook reach (117,783).  We also use Twitter and LinkedIn, but these have very limited reach. The highest category accessing our website is the lowest category that we reach with Facebook and Instagram. The highest category on Facebook and Instagram are at the mid-range for our website users.

I don’t have statistics of the age or gender of our clients, but I do the initial intake with these clients. My estimate would be that there is a low number of 18-24 year olds accessing our services. I think there is a high number between the ages of 45 and 54, followed by 35-44 year olds. I would also estimate that the percentage of females is slightly higher than males. We need to find a way to reach out to the youth that are active on our website, especially when we have programs and services that they would benefit from. In order to do this, I need to look at other social media channels and ways to capture their attention, such as vlogs and Instagram reels.

What social media do you use to reach out to youth? Do you have any other suggestions on how to turn users into clients?

References

Metric Labs. (2022). In-market segment – google analytics dimensions. Google Analytics Dimensions. Retrieved November 28, 2022, from https://metriclabs.com.au/glossary/google-analytics-dimensions/in-market-segment/

Becoming a Digital Storyteller

What I Learned

I was able to return to my roots while learning about storytelling this week. I went to school for Communications, part of which included courses in Journalism. I have gotten away from the journalistic type of writing that I learned in school, as I have been working in another field and did not make the connections until I read the curriculum and blogs posted on storytelling and communication styles.

Some of the most important things that I learned this week were the Inverted Pyramid (Gibbs, 2022) and the four levels of reading (Clark, 2022). The Inverted Pyramid demonstrates how crucial information needs to be introduced at the beginning of the article to get the reader’s attention (Gibbs, 2022). This is especially important in the age of social media where everyone’s attention is being diverted by a wealth of material and information. I also liked the idea of keeping the end in mind (Gibbs, 2022). I want to increase the engagement for our posts, so I will make sure to keep the action that I want the reader to take in mind when I’m planning the article.

Learning about the four levels of reading was also helpful. It makes sense, especially with how much information we have at our fingertips, that people are going to read differently and read for different reasons, such as those that are looking for entertainment versus those that are looking to learn something (Clark, 2022).

How I’m Going to Implement My Learning

I need to take a step back from how I have been doing social media posts at work. I need to start looking at the things from a storytelling perspective and take a new approach to our social media presence. One of the things that I want to do is to make my posts more engaging, so that readers become Analytical and Syntopical readers. Judging by the lack of comments and shares on my posts, I think people are doing Inspectional reading, where they are either skimming or reading the posts at a superficial level.

I also want to look at how I am introducing the material. I haven’t written any blogs. Most of my postings relate to jobs that we are trying to fill, events that we are having, or community resources available. I am going to find a different way of introducing the job postings to encourage more engagement. I’d like to get the reader’s attention by identifying their struggle and letting them know I understand where they are and where they want to be (A. McKinney, personal communication, November 7, 2018). For example, maybe some people need additional support while on the job because they have barriers, such as mental health concerns.

I’m going to also make sure that I am not burying the lead, so that if the readers start by skimming the information, they will be able to see right away if it’s something of interest to them (Clark, 2022). After that, I can share the opportunity with them to help them fix the problem (A. McKinney, personal communication, November 7, 2018). Instead of just posting individual jobs, I can write articles about the services that might help people overcome their barriers and find work. I will then make sure to include a call to action (Gibbs, 2022). This could include the job application process, or how to reach out to us for services that we offer. I think having a clear action will help with engagement. I am hoping that more engagement will lead to more people using our services.

What I Would Like to Investigate Further

I would like to look more in depth at the tools available to help writers, including NaNoWriMo, The Write Life, Positive Writer, and Goins, Writer (Scribendi, 2020). I would like to find some inspiration with these websites, so that I can come up with a writing plan. I am also interested in taking my learning further by reading the book, How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for me? Is there anything that you have found helpful?

References

Clark, B. (2022, May 16). How to read – copyblogger: Content marketing and copywriting. Copyblogger. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://copyblogger.com/how-to-read/

Gibbs, S. (2022, October 25). Becoming a Digital Storyteller. D2L login page. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://ontariolearn.desire2learn.com/d2l/le/content/52537/viewContent/2598996/View

Scribendi. (2020, February 1). The 28 best writing websites of 2020. Scribendi. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://www.scribendi.com/advice/best_writing_websites.en.html

The Unexpected Vacation

We took a very last minute, three-day trip to Newfoundland last August. After two years of listening to me complain that I missed my family and missed Newfoundland, my husband found a cheap flight to St. John’s. We booked everything – the flight, the car, and the hotel – that afternoon, and we left our house at 3 am to make the trip to the Toronto airport.

Somehow the universe wanted us to be there. While waiting to check into our hotel room, I got a message from my cousin letting me know that my Aunt Rose was sick. She had been admitted to the hospital two weeks before. We checked into our hotel room, freshened up, and went to the hospital to see her. I had no idea what to expect. The only information that I had was that she had cancer, but no one in the family had known about it prior to her admission into the hospital.

My aunt was one of eight siblings on my dad’s side, so the family is quite extensive. Five of the siblings had already passed away, including my father. This was my first time visiting Newfoundland since his funeral.

Wearing all of the PPE required to enter her room, I was able to visit my aunt and introduce her to my husband. (We had just been married the previous year.) She was having trouble speaking, but was mouthing words to me, as she asked how everyone was at home. I showed her pictures of my daughter who had been visiting Newfoundland with me since she was a baby.

I was able to tell my aunt that I loved her, give her a kiss (through a mask), and say a final goodbye to her. As I left, I knew it would be the last time that I saw her; however, I thought she would have some more time with her other family members. I didn’t realize that she would be gone by the next morning.

Even though it wasn’t the trip I had been imagining over the last couple of years, I was able to show my husband some of my favourite places. We went hiking on Signal Hill where we picked wild blueberries. We took a boat tour from Bay Bulls to see the Puffins and Murres. We went to Petty Harbour for the up-close encounters of marine life. We also accomplished one of my husband’s goals of watching the sunrise at Cape Spear (Canada’s most Eastern point). Unfortunately, the rain, clouds and fog got in the way of what should have been a spectacular view, but I still accomplished my goal of doing yoga at sunrise.

I will be forever grateful that we made the trip. If my logical brain would have said ‘no’ to a three-day trip to Newfoundland, I would have had so much regret. Sometimes you just have to follow your heart and take the opportunities when they arise.